Decathlon and the Royal Spanish Hockey Federation have signed an agreement to promote the labour inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities. The project will start in 13 stores in the province of Barcelona.
Decathlon and the Royal Spanish Hockey Federation (RFEH) have sealed a strategic alliance to encourage the labour inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities. The agreement, presented this week, foresees the launch of a pilot programme in 13 establishments in the province of Barcelona, with the intention of subsequently extending it to other cities in Spain.
The stores selected for the first phase of the project are Sant Boi, Rambles, Diagonal Mar, L'illa, La Maquinista, Badalona, Mollet del Vallès, Esplugues, Gran Vía, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Terrassa, Sabadell and Gràcia. In these centres, Decathlon will adapt its selection and hiring processes to ensure accessibility for people with intellectual disabilities, while the RFEH will be responsible for disseminating job offers among its athletes and affiliated clubs.
Chema García, Zone Leader for Barcelona at Decathlon Spain, has stated that the collaboration allows the company to advance its belief that sport and employment should be accessible to all. "We integrate inclusive hiring into the daily operations of the stores with the support of the federation," he affirmed. For her part, María San Emeterio, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Decathlon Spain, emphasised that diversity is the starting point of the company's corporate culture and that this agreement consolidates its CSR and DEI strategy in Spain.
From the RFEH, Laura Márquez, responsible for the Hockey+ and Hockey Social programmes, has positively assessed the involvement of a company the size of Decathlon. "This collaboration will open up more opportunities for federated athletes to access the job market and the possibility to showcase their talent outside the playing field as well," she explained.
The programme is not limited to initial job placement. Each hiring will be accompanied by specific training, support, and ongoing follow-up, with the aim of ensuring the sustainability of the incorporations. Decathlon will share its job offers through its corporate portal, adapting the selection processes to eliminate barriers. The RFEH, for its part, will identify the most suitable profiles for each position among its athletes and clubs.
The initiative expands Decathlon's commitment to universal accessibility, which until now has mainly focused on access to sport through products and services. With this agreement, the company extends its work to the creation of fully inclusive work environments within its own teams. The multinational, which has more than 100,000 employees and 1,900 stores worldwide since its founding in 1976, thus reinforces its diversity and inclusion policies as part of its corporate value proposition.
For the residents of the province of Barcelona, the agreement represents a concrete opportunity for labour integration for people with intellectual disabilities in the sports and retail sector. The involved stores, spread across the metropolitan area and Vallès Occidental, will be the first to implement the model, which both organisations plan to scale nationally once its operation is validated.
The project is part of the RFEH's work through its Hockey+ and Hockey Social programmes, which use sport as a tool for social transformation. The federation hopes that the collaboration with Decathlon will serve as an example for other companies in the sector.
Interested individuals can check Decathlon's job portal, where adapted vacancies will be posted. The RFEH, for its part, will inform its clubs and athletes about the available positions and the requirements of each selection process.
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