As elite sport grows ever more present on our screens, filling airwaves and stadiums, Europe is paradoxically witnessing a decline in everyday physical activity. “We are not short of elite sportspeople who can inspire us. We're not short of big sporting events. We are short of people who work directly with the grassroots,” says Jens Sejer Andersen from Play the Game. His words cut to the heart of a long-standing contradiction in European sport policy—one that the new Real European Sport Model (RESM) project aims to confront.

Led by the International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA), the three-year project has been launched with an in-person meeting in Copenhagen (3–5 March 2025). It brings together a strong group of partners: the International Dance Organisation (Denmark), Danish Institute for Sport Studies / Play the Game (Denmark), Université Côte d’Azur (France), UISP (Italy), SUS (Slovenia), DGI (Denmark), and Azur Sport Santé (France).

Why a “Real” Model?

The term “European Sports Model” has long been used in EU-level policy discussions. But for many involved in grassroots and recreational sport, it is a model that leaves too much out.

For decades, European sport policy has been shaped by the assumption that champion athletes and big tournaments will motivate the masses. But data tells a different story: while elite sport has grown, with billions invested, actual physical activity rates in many countries are stagnant—or falling. The costs are high, not just financially, but in terms of public health, social cohesion, and democratic representation in sport governance.

"The idea that investing in elite sport will somehow lead to increased grassroots participation has been disproven time and again by researchers," Andersen explains. "And yet, this myth continues to shape national policies and funding priorities, leading to the opposite of what we want to see. We want to see more physical activity, but instead, we have just more television sport."

Real European Sport Model project begins with a simple premise: the current model is too narrow and no longer fully reflects reality.

A Broader Understanding of Sport

The RESM project steps in to offer an alternative. It will explore how sport is actually organised and experienced across the continent, who participates, and how it's funded. The ambition is to make visible the often overlooked or under-supported sectors of grassroots and recreational sport.

This is not a one-size-fits-all model. Rather, it recognises the diversity of motivations and formats in physical activity. People engage in sports for many different reasons—well-being, social connection, enjoyment, health—not just competition. That diversity, says Andersen, cannot be captured in a single model.

“The current model doesn’t see anything that cannot be fit into a hierarchical competition system,” he explains. “But people do sport and physical activity for so many different reasons, and the organisations that support them need to be able to reflect that.”

Real European Sport Model project aims to support this diversity through evidence, tools, and advocacy efforts that speak to the full range of activities and actors across Europe.

Grounding Policy in Reality

The project is built on a strong foundation of independent research. Led by the Danish Institute for Sport Studies / Play the Game in collaboration with Université Côte d’Azur, the research will explore how sport and physical activity are structured and supported across Europe.

“Although we are still in the early stages, the main observation underpinning the research is that the ‘European Sports Model’ does not fully capture how the majority of sports are organised and how Europeans engage with physical activity," says Dr. Layne Vandenberg, the principal investigator of the research.

Dr. Vandenberg and her team will incorporate scientific literature reviews, document analysis, case studies and mapping of financial flows to understand where the impact of the current 'European Sports Model' begins and ends – and where a 'real' and updated understanding of sports participation and organisation in Europe is needed. This research will contribute to the development of advocacy materials, national-level interventions, and training resources for civil society organisations and other stakeholders who want to engage in the debate.

“This project is exemplary in its setup as a research–practice partnership, where researchers and practitioners work together to use research to impact policy, decision-making, and – by extension – society. This collaboration is critical to understanding how endorsement and adoption of the 'European Sports Model' affects everyday access to sport and physical activity in Europe," says Dr Vandenberg. 

From Insight to Action

Alongside its research and analysis, the project will equip national organisations with tools and skills to advocate for more inclusive, evidence-based sport policies. These will include media materials, hands-on workshops, and visibility at major events such as the MOVE Congress and the Play the Game conference.

By highlighting the role of local organisations, the project also aims to encourage more democratic and transparent governance in the sport and physical activity sector.

“Too often, funding and attention are directed through systems that are not designed to reach the grassroots,” says Jens Sejer Andersen. “We want to make sure that those who work directly with people at the local level are part of the conversation.”

More Inclusive Policymaking

The goal is not to replace one model with another, but to open space for more inclusive and honest policymaking—one that recognises and supports the full spectrum of sport and physical activity in people’s lives.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.