The Finnish Sport for All Association is an expert body in the area of health through physical activity, fostering a physically active lifestyle at the national level and the benefits of well-being and health engendered by it.
The Association provides a wealth of expertise and knowledge in exercise for fitness and health for workplaces, sports organizations and gyms.
The Finnish Sport for All Association is a non-profit organization located in Helsinki with an average of 15 full-time employees. The Association was founded in 1961 and since then it has consolidated its position in Finnish sports life alongside other sports federations.
Vision
To be the leading expert organization, developer and an attracting partner in the field of health enhancing physical activity and sport for all.
Aim
To enhance physically active lifestyle among citizens and as a result of that improve well-being and health in Finland. The strategy will be implemented with cutting-edge expert services provided in co-operation with interest groups.
The Finnish Sports for All Association aims to be an influential operator in its field of health enhancing physical activity. This objective is measured on different indicators such as the amount of members and networks. However, the bottom line is the amount of physically active people in Finland.
Organization
The Finnish Sport for All Association operates on three different levels in the fitness field. These are sports organizations, worksite fitness and gym activities. Although these sectors are quite independent they do also work in co-operation with each other. As the Finnish Sport for All Association is relatively small federation it relies strongly on its partner organizations and networks when implementing the strategy.
Sport organization sector develops and provides services in the field of health enhancing physical activity for sports clubs and sports federations. The services include for example education, campaigns and events. Co-operation with cities under the “Active City” concept is another major issue the sport organization sector is working on.
The gym sector focuses on developing the gym education system in co-operation with Federation of International Sports Aerobics and Fitness (FISAF). It also runs the network of Finnish gyms, K-Kuntokeskus-system.
Worksite fitness
The worksite fitness sector builds more active workplaces by creating new practices, by producing information, education and services. The development process is carried out in close co-operation with member companies and other interest groups. The Finnish Sport for All Association is widely known for its worksite fitness expert seminars, national worksite fitness campaigns e.g. “Step-campaign” and distinguished researches describing the state of worksite fitness in Finland. The annual Active Workplace Award seeks to promote the exercise culture in the workplace and to support well-being within the working community.
In 2007, Finnish companies invested altogether about 300 million € in physical activity promotion. The investments in physical activity are expected to rise in the future. Nevertheless, only less than 40 % of the employees regularly attend exercise sessions provided by the employer. Raising the participation rate in worksite fitness programs is a huge challenge for the Finnish Sport for All Association.
International activity
In the recent years, The Finnish Sport for All Association has taken an active role in building international networks and connections. The association is widely recognized as a reliable organizer of international conferences and workshops. In 2008, the Finnish Sport for All Association organized three international meetings. Today, The Finnish Sport for All Association is an active member for example in The Trim and Fitness international Sport for All Association (TAFISA) and The European Federation for Company Sports (EFCS).
Suomen Kuntoliikuntaliitto ry – Finnish Sport for All Association
Arabiankatu 12, FI-00560 HELSINKI
Tel. +358 207964430
www.kunto.fi