SPORTS CLUBS AND ASSOCIATIONS

ASSOCIACIONS I CLUBS ESPORTIUS

Sport is good for your personal health. It is also a way of establishing social relationships that make it possible for citizens to get to know and cooperate with one another. Sports associations are set up by groups of people with a common interest (promoting participation in a sport, organising trips, arranging friendly tournaments, etc.). Some sports associations work to promote sport in neighbourhoods, while others run municipal sports facilities. Along similar lines, school sports associations (associacions esportives escolars) are very significant organisations that promote sport among children and teenagers, as well as family participation.

Sports clubs (clubs esportius) are on a different level. They are private organisations established in a specific area or neighbourhood, and are recognised by the authorities and the corresponding federation.

Catalan clubs that play a particular sport form sports federations (federacions esportives) to encourage people to take up the sport in question, to represent it before the corresponding national and international bodies, and to improve the organisation of sports competitions.

For further information on federations, see the website of the Union of Catalan Sports Federations (Unió de Federacions Esportives de Catalunya) at http://www.ufec.cat/

Information is also available from the Catalan sport website of the Secretariat of Sport of the Catalan government (Secretaria General de l'Esport de la Generalitat) at
http://www.gencat.cat/esports/

Rambling clubs (centres excursionistes) are associations with a long tradition in Catalonia and which play a very important role in terms of social cohesion and encouraging activity. For example, they make it easier for children, teenagers and adults to get to know Catalonia by organising visits to different parts of the country, giving them the chance to take part in sports such as hiking, climbing, mountaineering and mountain biking, and passing on values such as protecting the environment.

For further information, see the website of the Federation of Catalan Rambling Clubs (Federació d'Entitats Excursionistes de Catalunya) at
http://www.feec.org/central.php