SantCugatCreix Concludes the European SportBoard Program in Brussels
On November 14, 2024, SantCugatCreix officially closed the European SportBoard EU project during an event held at the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia in Brussels. The ceremony was presided over by Sabrina Repp, Member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education, and Florencia Van Houdt, Head of Sport at the European Commission. The event brought together 60 participants, including representatives from key stakeholders in European grassroots sports.
The SportBoard program, led by SantCugatCreix, has been an innovative two-year initiative (2022–2024) aimed at improving governance in grassroots sports organizations. Using a holistic approach, it introduced indicators for ethical behavior among young athletes, recorded and analyzed through the SportBoard mobile app. The findings of the program were implemented in pilot projects in Sant Cugat (Spain) and Modena (Italy), with a focus on fostering transparency, accountability, and collaboration.
Albert Salarich, former president of SantCugatCreix and Councillor for Business, Innovation, and Internationalization of Sant Cugat City Council, provided an overview of the program’s scope and goals. Dr. Cristina Cabrejas, representing Blanquerna Universitat Ramon Llull, presented the study’s key findings, emphasizing data-driven insights that could influence sports governance and ethics at a broader scale.
Key Program Outcomes
• Increased transparency in grassroots sports by documenting both positive and negative ethical behaviors.
• Collaboration across European partners, including Italy and France, to exchange best practices.
• Data showing that respect and fair play are the most commonly observed ethical behaviors.
• Identification of areas for improvement, such as facility management and healthy habits among young athletes.
A Model for Ethical Sports Governance
The SportBoard consortium, composed of five partners from Spain, Italy, and France, highlights the importance of cross-sector collaboration. The program’s impact extends beyond technological innovation, fostering stronger governance structures for grassroots sports and paving the way for future European projects in this field.
This milestone event underscores the need for continued investment in tools, data collection, and policy-making to promote ethics and good governance in sports.
The SportBoard consortium, led by SantCugatCreix, comprises five organizations:
• SantCugatCreix (Sant Cugat – Barcelona – Spain)
• Anderlini Volleyball Club (Italy)
• City Council of Modena (Italy)
• Faculty of Psychology, Education Sciences, and Sport at Blanquerna Universitat Ramon Llull (Barcelona – Spain)
• Sport and Citizenship Think Tank (France)
