Tag: STAY

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.

As part of the STAY project, EMCA is proud to announce the release of the Desk Research Report, now available to the public.

Produced by UNICAS with valuable input from all project partners and EMCA members, the report represents a joint effort to better understand and address youth dropout in sport across Europe.

Drawing on the diverse experiences of multisport organisations, the research explores:

• Common reasons why teenagers leave sport
• Club-level strategies for retention
• Systemic challenges and policy gaps
• Insightful recommendations for action at grassroots level

The findings from this report shaped the STAY pilot actions, the e-learning platform hosted on EMCA Studia, and the Good Practices and Recommendations now being shared across our network.

You can access and share the full report here:

This collaborative knowledge is exactly what EMCA stands for – bringing our network together to develop meaningful, lasting solutions for sport.

The STAY Pilot Implementations Report has been published, capturing the results of local actions carried out by EMCA members across Europe to tackle youth dropout in sport.

Each member organisation designed and implemented a tailored pilot programme based on the real needs of their athletes and local communities. These initiatives covered areas such as:

• Peer mentoring and tutoring (HAŠK Mladost)
• Coaching pathway development (TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
• Youth volunteering and event engagement (Lazio and Levski)
• Personal development and mentoring (SUS)

This report showcases the collaborative strength of the EMCA network, where each partner contributed unique ideas and practical actions, rooted in local realities but united by a shared vision.

Their collective work helped shape the STAY e-learning platform, and many of these practices are now being adopted by other clubs within the EMCA family.

A project partner meeting for “STAY! DECREASING TEENAGE DROPOUT IN SPORT” was held on January 28th, 2024, in the Lily-Rose room at SilverSquare, Avenue Arnaud Fraiteur 15-23, 1050 Bruxelles. The meeting took place from 9:00 to 13:00.

Topics Discussed:

1. Good Practice Report:
   • Review and finalization of the “Report on Systematic Review and Good Practices in the Field of Sport Dropout Prevention,” drafted by UNICAS.
   • Finalization of focus group reports and setting a deadline for the “Study on Identifying Barriers and Needs Concerning Dropout in Sports Organizations.”
2. E-learning Platform:
   • Deciding on the format and content presentation for the platform.
3. Social Programs:
   • Steps for developing social programs.
4. Communication:
   • Communication tasks and strategies.
5. Next Steps:
   • Implementation of the E-learning platform.
   • Scheduling the next in-person meeting.
   • Interim report preparation.

Participants:

• HAŠK Mladost: Dunja Bračun and Bojan Mijatović
• EMCA: Gina Luzzato and Ines Jakopanec
• TSV Bayer: Malte Kalsbach, Jim Weyerstrass and Josephine Auerbach
• Levski: Vanina Milanova and Lucien Velchev
• SUS: Mojca Markovič
• Lazio: Gabriella Bascelli
• UNICAS: Alessandro Figus
• Area Q: Ramon Crespo and Eva Caballero (discussing how to best monitor and evaluate project outcomes)

The meeting effectively advanced the project’s goals, laying out steps for future activities and ensuring alignment among partners for the project’s successful continuation.

We’re excited to announce that HAŠK Mlaodst has done a new project collaboration with the Croatian Water Polo Federation in their latest project, “Poolcast.” In a recent episode, project coordinator, Dunja Bračun, participated as a guest, where she beside everything presented the activities of HAŠK Mladost and introduced new projects, STAY! and DiaPS.

The episode, available in English, covers the work done under the STAY! project, specifically focusing on the topic of careers after leaving the pool.

This collaboration is set to continue, with future episodes delving further into topics surrounding career transitions for athletes and how to stay involved in sports.

Watch the latest episode to learn more about the topic of transitioning from an athlete’s career and remaining engaged in sports.

On April 23rd, 2023, the project “STAY! DECREASING TEENAGE DROPOUT IN SPORT” held its inaugural online kick-off meeting with all partners in attendance. During the meeting, initial deliverables were presented, and an overview of the project’s objectives and tasks scheduled for completion during the Preparation phase was outlined.

Preparation Phase Accomplishments

Before the kick-off meeting, several key actions were taken to establish a solid foundation for the project’s success:

– Individual Meetings: HAŠK Mladost, the project’s coordinator, conducted individual meetings with each partner to craft initial deliverables that set up the project’s operational framework and communication protocols.

– D1.1 Quality Management System: Outlines internal standards and recommendations for project management, including processes for document checks, content quality assessment, and compliance with project and EU regulations.

– D1.2 Project Roadmap: Offers a practical guide for streamlined project management, fostering efficient communication and collaboration among team members.

– D4.1 Communication and Dissemination Guidelines: Provides a strategy for communicating and disseminating project outcomes, engaging with target audiences, and maximizing impact.

The kick-off meeting marked an important milestone, setting the stage for the successful implementation of the project’s goals and objectives. The project’s launch and preparation phases laid the groundwork for subsequent activities, including fostering collaboration, ensuring smooth project management, and optimizing communication with target audiences.

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative aimed at tackling the concerning dropout rate among teenagers in sports. The project, titled “STAY! DECREASING TEENAGE DROPOUT IN SPORT,” launched in December 2022, is designed to address and minimize the dropout rate of teenagers aged 13-20 from sports clubs, encouraging their continued engagement in sports and physical activities.

The Need for Action

Modern society presents significant challenges for teenagers, with obligations in school, society, and personal lives leading to a staggering 70% dropout rate in sports within this age group. In line with the EU Physical Activity Act’s directive to increase participation in sports and physical activities, this project aims to reduce teenage dropout from a different angle. By retaining teenage athletes, we aim to see a rise in sports participation overall.

Project Focus

• Strengthening the capacity of coaches and sports associations: To address the dropout problem effectively.
• Developing policies for dropout prevention: Collaborating with local policymakers to recognize and address the issue.
• Creating an E-learning platform: Gathering all relevant materials for tackling teenage sports dropout.

Project Duration and Partners

The project began on December 1, 2022, and will continue until the end of May 2025, with several partners working together:

• HAŠK Mladost: Project coordinator / Croatia
• UNICAS: Project partner / Italy
• EMCA: Project partner / Belgium
• Fondazione S.S. Lazio 1900: Project partner / Italy
• TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Project partner / Germany
• SC Levski Sport for All: Project partner / Bulgaria
• SUS: Project partner / Slovenia

This collaborative effort will focus on equipping clubs and coaches with the necessary tools to curb the dropout rate, fostering an environment conducive to teenage athletes remaining engaged in sports.