When it comes to exercise and finances, a little help is often welcome. Discover low-cost solutions to help you get back into shape at last. Your body and your bank manager will be grateful!
Joining a sports club, discovering a new sport, scootering, cycling or even cargo biking... Aids that are specific to sport, or not, are available to help you start exercising again on a regular basis. To get started on this low-cost fitness programme, click here!
If you have a large family, the cost of sport and exercising can quickly put a (sometimes very heavy) strain on your wallet. Rest assured, there are specific aids that can lighten this load and open the doors to sporting exploration. For children and adults alike, sport is a genuine means of exercising and achieving fulfilment! Perhaps this is an opportunity to try out a little yoga?
You have decided to start playing tennis this year! However, in view of your local club's fees, your motivation has waned somewhat... Do not give up so soon (we understand), a part your membership can be paid for.
What is Pass'Sport 2023?
Pass'Sport is government financial aid in the form of a deduction of €50 when you or your child (if you have one, otherwise there is no point) joins a voluntary sports club. "The Pass'Sport is a back-to-sports allowance of €50 per eligible child/teenager to finance all or part of their enrolment in an eligible sports organisation for the 2023-2024 season", according to the government website dedicated to this aid. .
While many financial aids are being cut back due to a lack of demand from the beneficiaries, there is no way that specific aid for sport will be one of them! And to get your whole family back into sport, since the beginning of 2022, the Pass'Sport has been open to a wider public.
How can I obtain the Pass'Sport 2023, and when?
It is very easy to receive this sports allowance! In July and August this year, or in October for students with grants, you should receive an e-mail from the Ministry of Sport indicating your eligibility for the scheme. In this e-mail, you will find a unique Pass'Sport code that will enable you to receive the €50 deduction offered by this programme. No need to apply, you will directly receive the Pass'Sport!
Children, students, beneficiaries of the allowance for handicapped adults... Who is entitled to Pass'Sport, the government's sports allowance?
The beneficiaries of Pass'Sport 2023:
· Young people aged between 6 and 17 entitled to a back-to-school allowance;
· Young people aged between 6 and 20 entitled to the allowance for the education of disabled children;
- Young people aged between 16 and 30 receiving the disabled adults' allowance;
· Scholarship students and beneficiaries of an annual allowance who are under 28.
Please note that one cheque will be issued for each child. So, if you have two children, you will receive two cheques, each worth €50 (we are not trying to impress you, but we can do the sums by heart).
If you are a student or the parent of an entitled child, you can also turn to sports equipment rental professionals, some of whom accept cheques for this purpose. Why not take the opportunity to discover a new discipline?
Support for sport
Each family allowances organisation has its own way of operating. However, it costs nothing to contact the organisation nearest you. On the contrary, it could even save you a few expenses!
Generally speaking, these aid schemes are intended for recipients of family allowances whose family income is below a given threshold, which varies according to the local family allowances organisation, who have a child (aged 6-14) and do not receive any aid from the local authority, and for clubs affiliated to a federation or association. While these criteria are widespread, the amount of aid can vary, up to more than €100 (frankly, it is worth it, isn't it?).
The family allowance sports voucher
With a face value of €10 or €20, the sports voucher is issued by the family allowances organisation on a means-tested basis, and is available from your works council or local authority. The sports voucher works in a similar way to holiday vouchers, and allows you to pay for all or part of the costs incurred by your sporting activities. Your sports vouchers can help you reduce your registration or membership fees for a sports club in your town, or for introductory sessions, if you want to try out a new sporting discipline (like swimming, swimming is great, have we mentioned swimming?).
Some family allowance organisations offer specific aids. This is the case of the organisation in the Ain department, which offers the Leisure Aid scheme. This allows your child to join a sports club at a reduced rate, provided that your household allowance is less than €765.
Municipal clubs
The fees charged by municipal clubs are often lower than those charged by private clubs. What is more, when you join your local municipal club, you may be offered preferential rates, depending on your situation.
UP Sport
In partnership with social organisations, UP Sport aims to promote inclusion through sport for so-called "vulnerable" groups (homeless people, refugees and migrants, isolated women, etc.). To find out more about the organisation nearest to you, click here!
Are you struggling to decide which sport to take up? We can help you to take the right decision!
There are solutions in companies too. With the Sustainable Mobility allowance, offers from your works council and special state aid for employees, low-cost sport can become a part of your everyday life!
If you are an employee, you can ask your employer for the available Sustainable Mobility allowance. Because, yes, as well as saving on fuel costs, you are also helping to keep your bank account healthy by getting on your bike (or any other vehicle that contributes to softer mobility). We are talking about a tax- and social charges-free allowance of up to €600 per employee per year, which should help you to make the most of your commute to work using soft mobility. An offer we cannot refuse!
The Sustainable Mobility Package is available to: people who use bicycles, with or without electrical assistance, generous car-poolers, anyone who uses public transport or unpredictable car-sharing (if the vehicle in question is electric, rechargeable hybrid or runs on non-thermal hydrogen). If you opt for a rental or self-service vehicle, you are also entitled to this allowance!
We promise you will not be left out in the cold, if you are an intern, a trainee, a temporary worker or an employee on a fixed-term contract! Yes, as luck would have it, you are also entitled to this package, as it is available to all employees in the private sector. Only civic service volunteers, micro-entrepreneurs and auto-entrepreneurs are therefore excluded, as they do not have a salaried employee’s status (sorry). Well, to be honest, there are other exceptions which are quite logical when you think about it. For example, if you have company accommodation at your place of work, a company car, or your company already provides a shared mobility solution for its employees, you are not entitled to this allowance.
Another significant advantage of this system: you can combine forms of soft mobility! If cycling to work for a whole week is a little scary, you can alternate between cycling and public transport. You will be reimbursed for the kilometres you cycle, as well as all or part of your bus, metro or tramway season ticket... Always within the limit of €600 per person per year, of course!
Would you like to buy an electrically-assisted bicycle? All the information you need about the aids can be found here!
If you are a worker, as a salaried employee or not, for the civil service or not, you are also entitled to holiday vouchers. The good news is that, as well as giving you easier access to a variety of leisure activities during your holidays, you can also use them for sport all year round. For example, you can use your vouchers to sign up at your local swimming pool, whether for a free introductory course (well, OK, paid for with your holiday voucher), a season ticket, or a few individual lessons, and you will be able to swim your lengths at a lower cost!
And there are plenty more where they came from!
Local support depending on where you live
Regions, counties, city councils and local councils can also offer you additional solutions, depending on where you live. For more information, visit the website of your region, county, city authority or town council to find out about your entitlement to sports aid. For example, Lille City Council offers assistance ranging from €10 to €80 per child aged 2 to 11 when they join a sports club in Lille that is affiliated to the Municipal Sports Office.
Personal trainers accredited by Care Services Authority
Getting back into shape after a short (or long) break can be a challenge, and requires specific support. To avoid exhausting your finances, you can call on the services of a certified personal trainer, who will give you a tax reduction of 50% of your expenditure (financial, not physical - we have not found a solution for that yet).
mesaides.gouv.fr: an application to find all the social aids available to you
Financial aid for sport, through the Pacte Sportif
With all these aids, you should be able to find what you are looking for, and take up sport on a regular basis! Whether it is during your daily commute or after work, you will not regret these moments dedicated to sport, we promise.
Social journalist, passionate about social networks ( you know, Twitter fever) and sports. In my spare time, I can be found on a pole dance bar or under the hip thrust bar, depending on the day.