KEY PRIORITIES

 

 

 

EUROPEAN SAILING FEDERATION
KEY PRIORITIES
Approved by the Executive Board on 11/05/2021

 

1. Vision: More Sailors, More Fun, More Success

“Let’s help create the conditions to bring more people to have fun sailing and to succeed as sailors and as persons with sailors at the centre of our attention.”

The Executive Board wants to take what is surely a core goal of EUROSAF Members to the Continental level. How? By leveraging EUROSAF’s vantage position to coordinate projects across Europe and to facilitate resource and knowledge sharing among Members, by increasing cooperation, and by working constructively and inclusively for sailing in Europe.

2. Value for the sailing community: EUROSAF’s Raison d’Être

EUROSAF must bring value to the sailing community: EUROSAF Members, clubs, classes, race officials, coaches, and—ultimately and foremost—sailors. The Executive Board shall implement projects to that end.

3. Short-Term Goals: Expand Sailing Grounds

The Executive Board shall undertake to:

Consolidate the secretariat
  • Ensure the secretary general and the supporting staff deliver an outstanding level of service to all EUROSAF stakeholders.
  • Secure financial support for the secretariat from 2022 onwards.
Scale up the Race Officials Exchange Programme
  • Continue managing the EUROSAF Race Officials’ Exchange Programme and organizing an annual meeting of Members to agree exchange activities and provide valuable content.
  • Enhance the web-based tool’s functionality and usability.
  • Support Programme meetings, physical and online.
  • Encourage participation in the Programme by all Members, their national race officials, and their international event organizers, even if they do not take part in the exchange.
Support Race Officials training
  • Help Member’s national race officials reach international status and develop a successful international career.
  • Expand the Race Officials Exchange Programme into training in collaboration with existing training structures, in particular with online training offerings, in line with the EUROSAF European Sailing Academy goals.
Develop EUROSAF Events
  • Continue setting up EUROSAF Class Cups (circuits) in collaboration with class associations to promote enhanced and cross-European participation in class events.
  • Set up EUROSAF Cups (circuits) in cooperation with major event organizers previously involved in the EUROSAF Sailing Champions Cup.
  • Welcome classes wishing to hold EUROSAF European Championships in line with EUROSAF Events policy.
  • Enhance communication about EUROSAF Events and foster participation.
  • Bring value to EUROSAF Events organizers and sponsors.
  • Develop and apply sustainability goals.
  • Set down EUROSAF Events regulations along the lines of EUROSAF Match Racing regulations.
  • Create guidelines for EUROSAF Events following these Key Priorities (e.g. training, development, increased participation in sailing, cultural exchange…) to enhance the value EUROSAF Events bring to Members, race officials, coaches, sailors, and to the European sailing community.
  • Finalise the bidding and granting process of EUROSAF Events at least one year in advance.
  • Closely follow up the implementation of events regulations and workflows regarding contracts, payments, and event organization.
  • Ensure a EUROSAF representative attends all EUROSAF Events.
  • Keep on pushing for Para Sailing expansion in Europe and promoting inclusive events.
  • Continue supporting World Sailing in re-introducing Para Sailing into the Paralympic sports programme.
Expand involvement into e-sailing
  • Link EUROSAF Events to e-sailing counterparts.
  • Develop an e-sailing strategy in collaboration with EUROSAF stakeholders.
Broaden development projects
  • Keep up development webinars.
  • Look for answers to the Millennial Problem: “instant gratification” and “no commitment”.
  • Promote further collaboration between Members, especially with projects including exchange and training.
  • Encourage Members thinking about a sailing project or solving a sailing problem to turn to EUROSAF to connect with Members sharing their goal or having already found a solution and thus create a multiplier effect.
Aim for the European Sailing Academy
  • Continue researching into race officials training systems across Europe.
  • Redefine the ESA-WEST project taking advantage of COVID-adapted online training and meeting tools and launch a first edition.
  • Keep on taking part in Erasmus+ projects funded by the EU that can have a positive impact on sailing.
  • Continue developing a European network of collaborating universities and higher education institutions.
Grow EUROSAF funding
  • Find a title sponsor for EUROSAF or for one or more of its projects.
  • Finalise recovery of outstanding bills.
Further a good relationship with World Sailing
  • Expand the collaboration with World Sailing.
  • Define and promote a better integration of EUROSAF and other Continental Associations into World Sailing institutions.
Maintain good communication with Members
  • Keep on sending bimonthly emails to EUROSAF stakeholders and interested parties.
  • Continue meeting with Members’ delegates during World Sailing meetings.
  • Create opportunities for personal contact with and between stakeholders.
  • Continue updating and collecting contact details of key people Members want to keep informed.
  • Understand Members’ needs, especially those that can be solved through cooperation projects.
Apply good governance principles in line with IOC recommendations
  • Keep on applying the principles of good governance set forth by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), namely transparency, integrity, democracy, sports development/solidarity, and control mechanisms.
  • Measure the improvement in their application by a yearly assessment following ASOIF recommendations.
Make the most of consulting bodies’ expertise
  • Adopt a team approach for projects and bring together experts in specific consulting bodies according to their skills and availability.
  • Set precise goals and deadlines for each consulting body in their Terms of Reference and measure their achievement; if needed, reshuffle their membership according to achievement and participation.
  • Coordinate and foster consulting bodies’ projects.
  • Bring all communication and collaboration within consulting bodies under Basecamp.
Sustain online communication
  • Deliver one-to-one communication with EUROSAF stakeholders; use a suitable IT platform (currently Basecamp) to communicate with relevant people in member MNAs.
  • Continue including in the website past information from the previous website and other sources, when available.
  • Adapt EUROSAF’s website structure to include more information and improve usability.
  • Grow EUROSAF’s communication impact.

4. Long-Term Goals: From Cooperation and Development To Knowledge, Unity, and Trust

The Executive Board shall endeavour to:

  • Give rise to new opportunities for the benefit of European sailors, coaches, race officials, and sport administrators.
  • Impact sailing at Continental level in a positive, strong, and lasting way.
  • Foster unity and trust in Europe to grow sailing into a powerful Continental sport.
Cooperation with and among Members
  • Bring all World Sailing European MNAs into EUROSAF.
  • Maximize the benefit to Members from cooperating within EUROSAF.
  • Build stronger ties between Members.
  • Build strong and mutually beneficial ties with the sailing community.
  • Build on Members’ diversity a stronger EUROSAF.
  • Work on the following objectives:
    -Bring value to the sailing community through cooperation projects.
    -Develop lasting and rewarding cooperation projects between Members.
    -Maintain a good working relationship with all other sailing stakeholders (World Sailing, other Continental Associations, classes, clubs).
Race Officials
  • Help race officials gain experience for the benefit of sailors and event organizers.
  • Give European international event organizers access to highly skilled international race officials.
Youth
  • Strengthen youth sailing in Europe: bring more youngsters to enjoy sailing.
  • Work on the following objectives:
  • Introduce more fun into youth sailing
  • Offer young sailors consistent pathways from grassroots to (top) competitive sailing.
  • Keep young sailors involved in the sport throughout youth and beyond, whether in competitive sailing or not.
Development
  • Promote a lifelong participation in sailing to fulfil the promise that “sailing is a sport for life.”
  • Work on the following objectives:
    -Bring more people to sailing
    -Keep sailing fun.
    -Foster personal growth through sailing.
    -Expand the social reach of sailors, coaches, and race officials’ expertise.
Events
  • Promote and facilitate sailing for all ages throughout Europe.
  • Use EUROSAF Events as a way to foster personal growth through sailing.
  • Use EUROSAF Events as a testing ground for new formats, ideas, and ways.
  • Help increase participation in and visibility of Para Sailing.
European Sailing Academy
  • Give the sailing community easier access to sailing related knowledge and the sport of sailing further recognition as a fruitful matter of study.
  • Set up a European Sailing Academy to coordinate, develop, and distribute knowledge, training, and research about all matters related to sailing.
  • Define and promote European standards of training in sailing.
  • Work on the following objectives:
    -Bring value to the sailing community with knowledge, training, and research projects.
    -Bridge the gap between sailing knowledge generators and users.
    -Create a repository to collect, store, and distribute knowledge useful to the sailing community.
    -Detect and foster mutually beneficial cooperation opportunities between Members and research or training institutions.
Classes
  • Increase communication.
  • Cooperate to foster common projects.
  • Work on the following objective:
    -Increase participation in class events.
Other Sailing Continental Associations
  • Collaborate for mutual benefit.
Promotion
  • Make EUROSAF actions visible to its stakeholders, to the sailing community, and to the public in general.
  • Manage EUROSAF’s value as an investment for funding partners.
  • Generate a steady flow of revenue for EUROSAF projects.
  • Develop an effective communication strategy.
  • Develop a strategy for media relations and awareness.