CSR strategy development for football associations

Schwery Consulting has been working with five football associations (FAs) during the current season to help them to develop a comprehensive corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy, which can guide decision-making and provide a solid justification for all stakeholders.

Why do FAs need a CSR Strategy? 

Like all sports, football is implicitly woven into the fabric of society; it therefore has a duty to consider and address the full scope of its impact.

All of the 55 European FAs and a considerable number of the 211 worldwide FAs run or are associated with projects and/or policies, which extend beyond their core activities and have a positive impact on society. These are often categorised as “CSR (or sustainability) initiatives”.

We often find that these initiatives have been established for a number of reasons, for example: it was felt to be a good thing to do; there was funding available and the money went to the organisation that ‘shouted the loudest’; or the project was implemented by decree of a senior official.

What does SC’s work involve? 

We pride ourselves on being an independent organisation that takes a critical stance to expose weaknesses and recommend improvements – it’s part of our values. This neutrality often helps to build internal support for the CSR strategy.

We provide a logical process, based on internationally recognised standards, with the end goal to build a strategy that everyone – including external stakeholders of the FA – can get behind.

This process involves helping FAs to ensure that CSR initiatives are carefully planned, implemented with capable partners, monitored and evaluated against objectives, and – very importantly – aligned with the overall strategy of the FA.

How will the FAs implement their CSR Strategies?

The last step in our process is the creation of a clear and concise strategy document to guide implementation.

This document provides context, with an explanation of the whole process, and an overview of objectives of the CSR strategy, the initiatives that are to be implemented across different timelines (and by whom), the partners that will be involved, and the measurements that are to be taken as determinants of accountability and success.