Study on the economic importance of international sport organisations in Switzerland

FIFA welcomes today’s publication of a study conducted by the Rütter + Partner research institute on the economic importance of international sports organisations in Switzerland. The study, launched in 2012 and commissioned by FIFA, involved the participation of all major sports organisations that are based in Switzerland.

One of the study’s key contributions is that it takes into account both the direct and indirect economic impact of the organisations. It shows that, beyond their direct activity, international sports organisations also have a significant impact on many different sectors of the Swiss economy through various aspects of their operations, such as the purchase of goods and services, investment, meetings and conferences and consumer spending by their employees. The analysis conducted by the institute shows that the organisations generated a total gross value added of around CHF 1.46 bn and 8,000 jobs (full-time equivalents or FTEs).

Another positive finding of the study is the remarkable growth of the sports industry from 2005 to 2011 (+91% gross output and +39% employees), especially given the current financial context in Europe.

“The number of international sports organisations in Switzerland is unique,” says Walter De Gregorio, FIFA’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs. “As football’s world governing body and one of the biggest international sports organisations in Switzerland, FIFA considers it as part of its responsibility to contribute with facts and figures to relevant public policy discussions on the role and impact of the activities of these organisations in the country.”

Rütter + Partner is an independent research institute based in Ruschlikon, Zurich, with many years of experience in conducting socio-economic research, including studies on the sports sector for the Swiss sports ministry.

For more information on the results of the study, please visit the Rütter + Partner website.