Description
The FSGT is a French multisport federation founded in 1934, with about 4,200 self-managed clubs, 200,000 people taking part and around a hundred sports, built on the idea that everyone should have access to sport.
It was created on 24 December 1934 by the merger of two workers’ sports federations, with the stated aims of resisting fascism and war and opening sport to all. It is approved both as a sports federation and as a popular-education movement. Its clubs and the federation itself are run collectively and democratically, with volunteers and staff taking part on an equal footing; the general assembly meets every year and elects its leaders every four years. The federation states its values as rejecting racism and fascism, supporting women’s access to sport and public service in sport; in the 1960s it opened judo and wrestling competitions to women.
A club joins for the sports season or the calendar year, with at least six licences, and an “omnisport” licence covers one or more activities. Prices for 2026/27 are in a PDF and vary by local committee, which the federation advises people to contact. Clubs can be found on a map and through the list of departmental committees on fsgt.org.
Strengths
- Clubs are self-managed and democratic, run by members rather than as a business.
- One federation covers around a hundred activities, so a family can often find several sports in the same network.
- It has defended access to sport for all, including women and working people, since 1934.
Weaknesses
- Licence prices aren’t shown on the web page, only in a PDF, and depend on the local committee.
- The offer depends on the clubs near you; some sports or towns have none.
- Self-managed clubs ask for members’ time and involvement, which not everyone wants.
Who it is for
People in France who want to play a sport in a club run by its members, at association prices, rather than pay a gym chain or a commercial centre.
Sources
- FSGT: home, history, how it works, affiliation, omnisport licence (checked November 2026)