Swiss national sports associations

Switzerland’s sports federations are responsible for organising national playing activities in their particular sport through championships and refereeing. They are also tasked with providing sponsorship and training in performance-oriented sport. On top of this, they act as interest groups and umbrella organisations for their clubs and represent their sport at international level. Larger federations (e.g. Swiss-Ski or the Swiss Football Association) are usually subdivided into regional or cantonal branches.
Some federations are geared very specifically towards one particular sport (e.g. the Swiss American Football Federation or the Swiss Streethockey Association). Others, however, serve as associations for a number of sporting disciplines (e.g. the Swiss Gymnastics Federation). There are also some national federations which cover sport purely on a secondary basis (e.g. Swiss cadets, the Swiss Guide and Scout Movement).
The largest sports federation in Switzerland is the Swiss Gymnastics Federation, which encompasses around 385,000 members and over 3,200 clubs. In terms of membership, the second largest federation is the Swiss Football Association with 272,000 members and 1,450 football clubs. However, with some 3,060 shooting clubs and 138,000 participants, the Swiss Shooting Federation boasts more than twice as many member clubs as the Swiss Football Association. The Swiss Shooting Federation was founded in 1824, making it the oldest sports federation in Switzerland.