Assessing readiness, engagement, and capacity for policy change.

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Sport in Europe is changing. The way people move, play, and organise is far more diverse than any single model can capture. Yet the European Sport Model, a framework built in the 1990s, still shapes how sport is governed, funded, and talked about at every level.

The Real European Sport Model (RESM) project tested this framework against reality. The finding is clear: the gap between the model and reality is significant, and it has been recognised at the highest levels of European policymaking since the term was first coined.

This toolkit turns that research and the experience of the partners involved into something you can use. 

Who is this toolkit for?

This toolkit was designed for leaders and managers of sport organisations, from local clubs to national bodies, who want to understand and advocate for the Real European Sport Model.

It will help you:

• Understand the six principles of the European Sport Model and where they fall short
• See how organisations like yours navigate the gap between theory and practice
• Identify your stakeholders and build your advocacy case
• Create a concrete action plan grounded in evidence

Six tools will take you from understanding the framework to building your own advocacy plan, grounded in evidence.

If you are a policymaker

We are genuinely glad you are here. The fact that you care enough about sport to explore this toolkit matters, and we want to make it worth your while.

This toolkit was built as an in-depth training for sport practitioners. 

For you, we have prepared something more targeted. 

In the Real European Sport Model we have analysed policy documents over 50 years, academic literature, and federation finances. On this basis, we launch the following Policy brief with recommendations that aim to increase sport and physical activity in Europe.

BUTTON [Download the RESM Policy Brief (PDF)]

You are also welcome to explore the full toolkit. Tool 2 (Understanding the ESM) and Tool 3 (Reality Check) are the most relevant starting points.

Glossary of key words

Before diving into the evidence, let’s ensure we are speaking the same language. These four terms are the cornerstones of our advocacy work.

A note on numbers

Throughout this toolkit, you will encounter figures from various sources. The RESM research (Discover the Research Report Executive Summary of the research: https://issuu.com/iscaoffice/docs/resm_research_executive_summary ) is the primary evidence base. Where we use external data, such as the Eurobarometer (45% of Europeans never exercise, 2022) or the ISCA/CEBR Inactivity Time Bomb report (€80.4 billion annual cost of inactivity in Europe, 2015), we say so explicitly.

One thing worth noting: the exact figures vary depending on the source, the methodology, and the year. Inactivity rates range from 25% (WHO) to 45% (Eurobarometer) depending on how, where and when you measure. This is not a problem. It is a reality of working with complex data. What matters is the direction, not the decimal.

A few specific notes on the figures you will encounter repeatedly:

• Eurobarometer 2022, our main source for participation figures, surveys adults aged 15 and over. Children and adolescents are not captured, even though sports club membership is significantly higher among young people in many European countries.
• The often-cited “12% are sports club members” refers to those adults. The mirror figure, “88% outside the federation system”, is the inverse and includes both adults who practise sport outside formal structures and adults who do not practise sport at all.
• Population surveys carry a degree of non-response bias. Read these percentages as orders of magnitude, not precise measurements.

Use these numbers to point to a direction, not to settle a debate. Where you can, complement them with data from your own context.