EMCA Connect: STAY! conference
On 8 March 2025, during the EMCA Connect event held in Piraeus, Athens, EMCA was proud to host the STAY! – Decreasing teenage dropout in sport project conference. The event brought together project partners and representatives from around 30 multisport clubs across Europe, all united by a shared goal: strengthening the role of sport in local communities and developing inclusive ways to keep young people engaged.
The STAY! project exemplifies the kind of forward-thinking, collaborative initiatives that EMCA is proud to be part of. The conference served as an opportunity to showcase project results, exchange best practices, and discuss practical strategies to address teenage dropout from sports clubs across Europe.
STAY! was launched with a clear mission: to understand why teenagers are leaving sport and develop tangible solutions to help them stay involved. Throughout the project, partners focused on empowering coaches, offering young people new roles—such as volunteers, assistants, and peer mentors—and promoting supportive local policies to ensure long-term participation in sport.
In its initial phase, the project conducted thorough research, beginning with a desk research report that reviewed existing strategies and successful retention practices across Europe. These insights were deepened through focus groups with coaches, athletes, parents, and club staff, which explored the everyday barriers and needs of young people in sport. Based on this foundation, the project team developed an e-learning platform—a digital resource providing coaches and clubs with concrete tools to identify and respond to dropout risks.
The platform was presented during the conference and drew significant interest—with several clubs expressing their willingness to translate and adopt the material to their respective languages. This enthusiasm reflects both the platform’s practical value and the shared interest among members in creating lasting change.
Project partners shared how they had implemented these ideas locally:
Levski Sport for All (Bulgaria) organised focus groups and piloted a range of activities, including recreational karate camps, youth involvement in coaching and refereeing, volunteering at international tournaments, and youth-led media teams.
Fondazione S.S. Lazio 1900 (Italy) removed financial barriers to sport through a “One Year of Free Sport” initiative, collaborating with schools to provide free training and equipment across four sports disciplines.
Športna unija Slovenije (Slovenia) focused on non-competitive involvement through recreational training for girls and skill-development workshops on topics such as sports psychology, time management, nutrition, and injury prevention – building personal growth and long-term sport engagement.
HAŠK Mladost (Croatia) implemented a comprehensive programme where youth volunteered at events, created media content, participated in recreational sessions, joined a coaching development programme, and received academic support through workshops and tutoring.
TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Germany) activities included recruiting and training young referees, assisting with event organization for initiatives such as Kids karneval and Come together, and leading recreational training sessions involving both children and their parents. Youth were also involved in social media management, helping to create engaging content for the club’s channels.
These local activities clearly illustrated the flexibility of the STAY! model and how it can be adapted to meet the needs of young people in different cultural and sporting environments.
The conference sparked engaging discussions, with many clubs expressing a desire to apply similar approaches in their own organizations. In response, the project team announced the upcoming publication of a best practicals handbook, which will compile the most effective activities and lessons learned from across the project.
Supporting a shared vision for sport
As a network committed to promoting the social value of sport, EMCA is proud to be in the projects like STAY! that bring real, sustainable impact to the lives of young people. The success of this conference shows what can be achieved when clubs, partners, and communities come together to share knowledge and invest in inclusive sport models.
