The Finnish Student Sports Federation’s new membership model makes headway: a service design project leads to concrete results

We have now been taking concrete steps in a new direction for the Federation for several years. After sustained planning, the 2023 General Assembly of the Finnish Student Sports Federation decided to bring together the forces of the entire university community to promote the physical activity of students. In practise, this means that we will also invite universities to become ordinary members of the Federation. Our work to promote the Universities on the Move pathway and the conditions for student sports can become even more impactful than before when we get the university representatives to join the student unions and sports organisations as members of our Federation.

Our work to promote the Universities on the Move pathway and the conditions for student sports can become even more impactful than before when we get the university representatives to join the student unions and sports organisations as members of our Federation.

To be able to take into account the special characteristics of our growing membership and strengthen our advocacy work, we have launched a comprehensive service design project with our partner Palvelumuotoilu Palo. Our goal is to offer the entire university sector a useful and interesting community which communicates in a simple way and promotes the conditions for students’ physical activity on a national, regional and local level. The project will shed light on the life cycle of Federation membership, what various parties need from their membership, and the relationship of the key players of our advocacy work – the university students – to the Sports Federation. We aim to clarify the different member organisations’ role as members of the union, i.e. create guidelines for how both the universities and the student representatives can work together to promote the wellbeing of students. This is a key question in terms of our advocacy work, and we have recognised the worry that the students have in regard to this issue.

All of us are needed for this work: our current, invaluable members, our potential new members, and our partners.

We have committed to clarifying the new century and guidelines of the membership of the Finnish Student Sports Federation before the end of this year. All of us are needed for this work: our current, invaluable members, our potential new members, and our partners. We would like to encourage you to share your views on the work of the Federation, your wishes and your daily life.

Please join us in the second century of organised university sports in Finland and fill out our short survey. The answers will be used in our service design project. We will also interview those working in university sports on this topic – please include your contact details at the end of the survey if you are willing to be interviewed.