You might be thinking: “This is interesting history, but what does it mean for my organisation?”. Here is why it matters.

The principles have shifted

An analysis of 26 European policy documents from 1975 to 2024 reveals something striking: the ESM displays very little consistency. Five of the six principles (autonomy, solidarity, voluntarism, values, and the pyramid) have moved permanently away from their original meanings. Even the word “sport” has changed. The ESM used to embrace a holistic approach to physical activity. Today, it draws a sharp line between formal, competitive sport (federations, tournaments, rankings) and informal, self-organised physical activity (a run in the park, a yoga class, a kickabout with friends).

Here is the telling contrast: while the politically charged ESM concepts keep shifting, society-facing concepts (diversity, inclusion, health, well-being) have stayed relatively consistent over the same period. The things that matter to citizens have been clear all along. The framework around them has not.

Perhaps the most important finding from Eurobarometer data (2022) is that  while a majority of Europeans report engaging in physical activity (55 %), among these only 12% do so within sports clubs, indicating that participation is largely taking place outside formal structures. Indeed  47% are active in parks or outdoor spaces, 37% are active at home and 24% are active while commuting between home, work, school, or shops.  

Additionally: The share of adult Europeans who are members of a sports club varies significantly across countries. For example, in the Netherlands, 22% of adults are members of a sports club, whereas in Portugal the figure is only 2%. 

Add those together, and the federation pyramid, which the ESM places at its centre, serves a minority of European sport participants.

Solidarity in one number

Here is a figure that captures the gap between promise and reality: UEFA’s solidarity contribution to grassroots football amounts to 0.2% of its nearly €6.8 billion revenue (2023/24 season).

We will unpack this in Tool 3, along with much more. But that number alone tells a story.

The blind spots

The research also identifies seven topics that are critical to sport but largely absent from the ESM framework:

• Health and well-being
• Participation and grassroots
• Physical activity
• Diversity and inclusion
• Leisure
• Equality
• Accessibility

These are not ESM principles. They are gaps, subjects that the broader sport world considers essential, but that the ESM barely addresses. To give you a sense of scale: for every 151 research articles about sport and health, there is only one that discusses the ESM and health.

These gaps are not side issues. For many organisations, they are the core of what they do.

How well do you know now the European Sport Model?

For each of the following questions, pick the correct answer.