KU Leuven and OH Leuven get into agreement; enter into a structural collaboration
OH Leuven strives to sustainably expand the club to the highest professional standards and is strongly committed to innovation within the various sections. KU Leuven is a leading educational and research institution both nationally and internationally, with a major socio-economic impact. Both are committed to making a positive contribution to the local community and wider society.
The good understanding and cooperation of recent years is now being formalized in a Memorandum of Understanding. The collaboration is built around five concrete substantive pillars:
Education and internship
Opportunities are provided for students to gain hands-on learning experiences in a specific professional environment. For example, during the past and current season, 65 students were able to carry out their internship or sports science deepening at OH Leuven. In addition, a number of KU Leuven alumni also found their way to a job at the football club.
Research and scientific services
There are possibilities for joint research projects in which the combination is made between the academic knowledge of the university and the testing ground that a football club with 700 players can offer.
There is also a strong collaboration for medical guidance with UZ Leuven, the Sportmedisch Adviescentrum and the Bakala Athletic Performance Facility. This concerns both preventive screenings, such as cardio screening, but also injury prevention. Thanks to UZ Leuven’s multidisciplinary knowledge, a well-founded diagnosis and treatment can be offered in the event of injuries.
Infrastructure and facilities
Both organizations use each other’s infrastructure and facilities to complement their operations. The Player Innovation Hub of OH Leuven uses the nearby sports infrastructure of KU Leuven. The women train on the football field of the university sports center and the power room of the new Beach and fitness hall is used intensively by all sections of the club. In addition, the elite academy uses the indoor sports accommodation of KU Leuven for the multi-sport project with young football players.
Students
OH Leuven has extensive student activities with a real student club ‘Studentica’. There is a specific offer for students who want to attend the competitions. In addition, all kinds of activities in the stadium are aimed at students. This can also benefit social cohesion, especially for the growing group of international students who would like to get acquainted with the local sports experience. The Leuven student umbrella organization LOKO and various student associations are involved in this.
Networking and consulting
KU Leuven and OH Leuven would like to play their role in the social and economic ecosystem in the region. For example, opportunities are organized for networking and they try to bring the right organizations into contact with each other in order to create new opportunities.
“I am delighted that we can officialize the good cooperation and understanding of recent years with this agreement,” says Rector Luc Sels. “It goes beyond the scientific guidance that we have been offering as a university for some time. This agreement seals a value-added interaction for both partners. I know OH Leuven as a very innovative football club, which is also a very relevant professional environment for students who want to gain valuable experience. This is evident for our programs in sports medicine or movement and rehabilitation sciences, but also applies to engineering sciences, business sciences, marketing and communication… The fact that last year no less than 65 KU Leuven students followed one or the other trajectory at OH Leuven is telling. There is also the supporter experience that we can give an extra push with our thousands of students, from the Netherlands and abroad. In short, there is a lot that binds the two partners despite the big difference in age.”
Peter Willems (CEO of OH Leuven) is particularly proud of this collaboration. “KU Leuven is a top university, world-renowned for education and research, but also intertwined in our city and region. We have found many points of contact where we can strengthen and support each other. This ranges from practical matters such as infrastructure to the use of internships to conducting joint research. Innovation has always been a strong point of KU Leuven and we as a club also have innovation in the heart of our DNA. We are a challenger in Belgian football with great long-term ambitions. Innovation is an important means of taking steps forward.”