The Pass Sport was launched in 2021 to encourage young people's participation in sports in France, through financial support for club memberships. Last year, the program evolved to refocus on 14-17 year olds. Why? Because, according to the National Institute for Youth and Popular Education (INJEP), the membership rate decreases from the age of 14. The Minister of Sports, Marina Ferrari, had not ruled out " readjust the device "Aware of the criticism arising from the exclusion of 6-13 year olds, this category will be included again in 2026-2027." In a constrained budgetary context, we have chosen to reinstate the Sports Pass for 6-13 year olds in the fall of 2026 because it is a useful, effective and socially just expenditure. " explained Marina Ferrari a few months ago. However, with a month and a half until the start of the new school year, the details remain uncertain.
"Let's help sport to help France"
Some 300 prominent figures, including Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, president of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, Stéphane Nomis, president of the French Judo Federation, and numerous elected officials, mayors, and municipal councilors, have signed a letter requesting swift clarification in the interest of the targeted public. The return of the Sport Pass for children aged 6 to 13, announced by the Minister of Sports, Youth and Community Life and planned for inclusion in the 2026 Finance Bill, is good news. However, this announcement must quickly be followed by concrete decisions., they writeWith the start of the school year just weeks away, it is unacceptable that families, clubs, and the entire sports community still don't know the allocation and usage procedures for this program. How can associations prepare their registration campaigns? How can families anticipate the cost of a license without knowing what financial assistance they will be entitled to? »
« If the goal was to make the Sport Pass ineffective, discourage families, and complicate matters for clubs, it would be difficult to do it any other way. The Sport Pass must be simple, clear, and operational before the start of the school year in September. The rules must be known early enough to allow clubs to organize their registrations and families to make informed decisions. ", the text emphasizes, recalling that the streamlined version of the pass caused, in 2025-2026, " a decline in enrollments, particularly among children from the most disadvantaged families Last autumn, Marina Ferrari also acknowledged, in Ouest-France, who are " a drop in license registrations among 6-13 year olds, and a very slight effect on those aged 14 and over, which means that we may not have made the right choice at that time. ».
The signatories of the letter emphasize the importance of promoting sports participation. In a country where sedentary lifestyles are on the rise, with major consequences for public health, investing in sport is a responsible choice. Every euro spent on physical activity saves our healthcare system several euros tomorrow. Sport is also a powerful tool for education, empowerment, and social cohesion. (…) We therefore call on the Government to publish without delay the details of the 2026 Sport Pass, so that families and clubs can prepare for the start of the new season under the best possible conditions. Let's make sport a right for every child, not a privilege. Let's help sport help France. "Last year, the Pass Sport offered assistance of 70 euros per child.
