UEFA workshop weeks for FSGC staff and collaborators

From the final days of February through to last weekend, no fewer than three events organised by UEFA – specifically focused on updates regarding football operations – were attended by staff and collaborators of the FSGC. It started with the first conference dedicated to marketing and communications, within the framework of the UEFA GROW programme (Budapest, 26–29 February 2024). Three days of continuous discussion and analysis of best‑practice case studies shared by European football associations, providing valuable input for the professional development of all participants. Among the many topics on a rich and in‑depth agenda was, for example, the management of communications in crisis situations (such as the cardiac arrest suffered by Eriksen at the last EURO). There was also a focus on effective communication campaigns for referee recruitment – with a presentation delivered by Roberto Rosetti – and on new applications of artificial intelligence in the world of marketing and communications. The San Marino FA was represented by Luca Pelliccioni, Head of the Press Office. Almost at the same time, in Armenia, a new regional workshop was held dedicated to Club Licensing. In Yerevan, Paolo Rondelli and Andrea Zoppis – Licensing Manager and Deputy Licensing at FSGC – took part alongside representatives of thirteen other European football associations of varying size and structure. Over the two days of work (27–28 February 2024) discussions focused on the future of European football and on possible amendments to the regulations governing UEFA Club Licensing & Financial Sustainability, which in practice define the standards for participation in UEFA club competitions. The sessions, introduced by UEFA’s Head of Club Licensing Ales Zavrl, encouraged everyone present to share their ideas and projects, while taking into account the different characteristics and needs of each association. In the Armenian capital a new exchange project between pairs of organisations was launched, aimed at fostering ever closer cooperation and the sharing of best practices in order to mutually improve their respective national football systems. A few days ago, the launch of the brand‑new Carbon Footprint Calculator was completed (6 March 2024). Representing the FSGC in London was Andrea Zoppis – in his capacity as Social & Environmental Sustainability Officer – together with representatives of other European football associations and many professional clubs from across the continent. In line with UEFA’s social responsibility strategy – adopted in San Marino through the creation of the FSGC’s 2023 FSR Strategy – the European football confederation has made available to associations and clubs a software tool to calculate CO2 emissions produced within their respective working cycles. Far from being merely a calculation instrument, it also aims to capture emissions generated by activities that are often overlooked, such as employees’ commuting to the workplace or the distances travelled by suppliers’ vehicles. “The world must and wants to move increasingly towards maximum environmental sustainability, and calculating the amount of CO2 produced is an intriguing opportunity that the FSGC immediately decided to embrace, within the scope of its possibilities, in order to take a further step in this direction and to obtain an accurate snapshot of its current environment,” commented Zoppis. “The next step will be even more important: starting from this data collection to understand how we can improve it. We thank UEFA for providing us with this tool and we will strive to make it as useful as possible in pursuit of our shared objective for European football”.

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