Image credit: Allianz
There is a generation of amateur runners and cyclists who would pinpoint Covid-19 lockdowns as the moment when they picked up their newfound passion.
Pandemic restrictions saw much of the population turn to exercise as they sought to maximise the limited time they were allowed to spend outside. However, beyond the elite level, where leagues were hurried back to action to honour commercial contracts and entertain fans, team sports at the grassroots and youth levels were severely disrupted as governments closed sports clubs and fitness centres.
That ultimately led to a dip in participation among young people even after restrictions were lifted, meaning less children and teenagers were active at a crucial stage of their physical development.
In Germany, for example, a study conducted by insurance giant Allianz found that 66 per cent of children aged between five and 15, in addition to 51 per cent of young people 16 to 24, were less active in sports as a result of the pandemic.
After learning of that problem, the German firm – which is among 64 brands recognised in the Laureus Sport for Good Index since 2021 for delivering social and environmental impact through sport – saw an opportunity to use its worldwide sponsorship of the Olympic Games to provide a solution.
Together with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the company commissioned a study that would ultimately inform its MoveNow programme, which aims to facilitate access to sport for young people as a means to improve their health, wellbeing and employability.
The study, which included a survey of 5,000 youngsters aged between 12 and 24, as well as 2,000 parents across ten countries, found that while the majority of respondents recognised the benefits of playing sport, participation levels remain insufficient. According to the study, less than 20 per cent of young people reported being physically active for five or more hours per week.
In addition, the survey illustrated the impact that participating in sport has on young peoples’ enjoyment of school, concentration levels and academic performance, highlighting the need to get children active again.
“It [MoveNow] started in Tokyo, where coronavirus was very much present,” recalls Eike Bürgel, the global head of Allianz’s Olympic and Paralympic programme, speaking to SportsPro. “And we were sitting together with the International Olympic Committee and talking about the impact of Covid-19 on sport. And one of the key outcomes was that especially teenagers and kids dropped out of sport.
“So we said, ‘can we do an initiative to bring the youth and teenagers back to sport?’, because there are many, many studies on the impact of sport in growing up on [reducing] stress levels, and also on development.”
Bringing young people back to sport
As well as uncovering current participation levels, the Allianz MoveNow survey also revealed the barriers to young people participating in sport, including the impact of global issues. One of the legacies of Covid-19 was its contribution to the cost of living, which 37 per cent of respondents cited as a reason for them playing less sport.
That figure prompted Allianz to invest in a range of in-person and digital activities under the MoveNow banner that were designed to get young people active in the build-up to and beyond the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
That included a MoveNow camp held from 31st August to 4th September last year, which was co-hosted with Allianz partner Bayern Munich and saw young athletes from ten countries take part in professional athletic training sessions across various disciplines, including mindfulness and teamwork. The company has also staged other camps around specific sports such as basketball.
At a local level, Allianz teamed up with the UK’s Youth Sport Trust in February to run a series of 20 MoveNow festivals throughout 2024, which have given secondary school children an opportunity to try out Olympic and Paralympic sports. The first event at Lee Valley Athletics centre in London was attended by more than 100 youngsters, while further festivals were held up and down the country to make the programme accessible to as many children as possible.
Meanwhile, in the Asia Pacific region, Allianz collaborated with the Halogen Foundation and the Singapore Disability Council to launch the first MoveNow mentoring programme to support youths and young athletes with disabilities in Singapore with their transition from academic to work life.
From a digital perspective, Allianz worked with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to develop the MoveNow training series, which includes videos, a 21-day training plan and motivational calendar tips to encourage youngsters with disabilities to take up sport. Prior to this, Bürgel claims there had been no such offering to help disabled people understand how to stay fit.
On social media, meanwhile, the company enlisted the support of influencers to launch MoveNow TikTok challenges ahead of Paris 2024. The first of those, which ran between July and October 2022, generated more than 16 million views.
In addition, Allianz has incorporated several initiatives into the MoveNow programme which aim to help young people improve their financial literacy and prepare for their future.
“We created MoveNow to basically bring teenagers back to sport and to move their body, their minds and their soul,” says Bürgel. “By now, we probably have 25 markets involved, who are hosting different local initiatives to educate kids about sports, to try out new sports, often together with athletes on the Olympic and Paralympic side.
“So we believe this is a great initiative to really get the spirit of sport back to teenagers.”
Identifying problems and finding solutions
According to Allianz’s most recent sustainability report, the company offers financial support of €500,000 per year to support the MoveNow programme through its Social Impact Fund (SIF), which financed 18 social projects in 2023.
Speaking in July, Bürgel says there are now 5,000 young people per year being impacted by local MoveNow initiatives, which she believes helps bring the company’s commitment to social sustainability to life.
“Within ESG, the ‘S’ and the social impact plays a very important role for Allianz,” she notes. “We believe investing in society for the future, [our purpose is] ‘we secure your future’, coming back to our purpose is very important, so there is no reason not to justify what we are doing to secure the future of people and people growing up in the world.”
Indeed, MoveNow is just one example of how Allianz has been using its involvement in sport to make a positive impact on society. After all, the company is a prolific investor in sponsorship and its name is now attached to the home stadiums of some of the world’s most recognisable teams, meaning it is uniquely positioned to use sport to amplify its CSR efforts.
Another initiative is its Squared Ball campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the fact that many female professional soccer players still face financial uncertainty despite the recent commercial development of the game. The launch of that programme in July 2023 was also supported by the findings of an Allianz survey which revealed that financial obstacles prevent 64 per cent of women pursuing their passion in sport, such as turning professional, while 12 per cent of players in the top European women’s leagues don’t receive a salary.
The initiative not only gives female players a platform to tell their stories through a video series and podcasts, but also offers aspiring youngsters access to financial resources so they can make more informed decisions about whether to pursue a career in the game.
We asked our athlete ambassadors about the age they first got into the world of sports. In our new #MoveNow series, Asha, Jack, Maisie, and Oliver share their stories to inspire the next generation to get moving! 🥇#ProudPartner #Olympics #Paralympic pic.twitter.com/r6M0Vb8aON
— Allianz Insurance (@allianzuknews) August 19, 2024
Whether it be participation or the gender pay gap in soccer, a common thread throughout some of Allianz’s most prominent sport for good initiatives is that it is trying to provide solutions to challenges the company itself has identified. With the Olympics in particular, Bürgel sees an opportunity to continue having a positive impact globally.
“Allianz is a long-term partner of sport and we’ve been involved in sport for a long time because we believe in the role of sport for society, for health, but also for growing up and having an impact on society,” Bürgel says.
“That is why we also find that there’s a good fit to the Olympics. Shared values, but also the mission, making a better world through sport, goes along with our proposition: we secure your future.
“So there is a perfect fit for Allianz to work with the Olympic and Paralympic movement, with the Games and with the athletes.”
This feature is part of the Sport for Good Playbook, which explores how brands are implementing strategies that deliver social and environmental impact through sport. To learn more about the Laureus Sport for Good Index, click here.