European School Sport Day

European School Sport Day

The European School Sport Day (ESSD) is a school day dedicated to having fun, playing together and promoting physical activity and health for everyone.

27.09.2024

Join European School Sport Day

European School Sport Day

The European School Sport Day (ESSD) is a school day dedicated to having fun, playing together and promoting physical activity and health for everyone. It is a celebration which provides the opportunity for schools to:

  • Raise the profile of physical education (PE) and school sport.
  • Create fun and enjoyment through physical activity initiatives for young people.
  • Promote health and wellbeing for lifelong learning.
  • Foster social inclusion and develop social competences among their students.

The European School Sport Day is inspired by the Hungarian School Sport Day; an event which is has been organised by the Hungarian School Sport Federation for the last 10 years. Last year, the first European School Sport Day was piloted in Bulgaria, Poland and Hungary with support from the European Union. This year, we expect the roll-out to include many more countries. The day is dedicated to promoting physical activity, trying out new ways of delivering physical education and school sport, and of course to create a “belonging to their school” experience among every participant.

European School Sport Day

ESSD is open to any kind of physical activity that has the aim to encourage children to be active for at least 120 minutes per the day or to run or walk the distance of the given year (e.g. 2024 metres in 2024).

ESSD & NowWeMOVE

ESSD is part of the NowWeMOVE campaign

NowWeMOVE's overall objectives are to raise awareness of the benefits of sport and physical activity among European citizens; promote opportunities to be active in sport and physical activity; and enable sustainable and innovative capacity building for providers of physical activity initiatives through open-source solutions and advocacy.

ESSD & ISCA

The European School Sport Day is inspired by the Hungarian School Sport Day. International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA) implemented ESSD as part of the NowWeMOVE campaign. ISCA launched the NowWeMOVE campaign in 2012, with the aim of bringing the sport for all sector and a variety of other sectors together to tackle the physical inactivity epidemic across Europe. ISCA is a global platform open to organisations working within the field of sport for all, recreational sports and physical activity.

Learn more about the benefits of being an ISCA member