EUYOUSPORT Project partners launch the European Youth & Sport Network in Munich during the European Youth & Sport Platform
The partner organisations from the EUYOUSPORT Project officially launched the European Youth & Sport Network during the second edition of the European Youth & Sport Platform. Held in Munich from 5 to 7 June 2025, the event brought together young participants from across Europe to discuss sport innovation and shape the future of youth participation in sport governance.
A new platform for effective and meaningful youth participation in sport governance
The European Youth & Sport Network was launched as part of the EUYOUSPORT project and is designed to address the underrepresentation of young people in leadership and decision-making roles within sport organisations. While youth are among the most active in the sports community, their voices often go unheard when it comes to governance and decision-making in sport. This new network aims to change that.
The launching of the European Youth & Sport Network was marked by a panel debate on youth participation in sport featuring guests from European Institutions and Civil Society organisations (Sophie Kwasny, Head of the Council of Europe Sport Division and EPAS Executive Secretary; Amélie Waters, Policy Officer at IGLYO; and Tom Matthew, Board Member of the European Youth Forum) as well as by an interactive game on European Sport Policy, which is part of the EUYOUSPORT educational courses destined to young people that would like to learn more about EU institutions and EU Youth and Sport Policy.
The Network will operate mostly online via a LinkedIn group and aims to bridge the cooperation gap between youth and sport organisations and give youth a structured platform to lead, influence, and transform the sports landscape together with interested youth and sport organisations.
The Network is aligned with the EU Youth Strategy (2019–2027) and the EU Work Plan for Sport (2024–2027) and is guided by five core objectives:
1) Promote youth participation in sport governance at all levels;
2) Build capacity through leadership training and resources;
3) Encourage collaboration by sharing best practices and innovative models for youth participation;
4) Advocate for inclusive policies at both national and European levels;
5) Bridge the Youth-Sport gap: connect youth and sport organisations, mainstreaming youth into the sport sector and sport into the youth sector.
Target Group:
The participants of the European Youth & Sport Network should be youth and sport organisations interested and committed to working and developing youth participation in sport. In order to join the network, organisations should make an agreement in the form of a pledge where they commit to further promote and develop youth participation in sport governance.
Interested organisations should send an email declaring such interest to ENGSO Youth Managing Director, Tiago Guilherme ([email protected]).
Looking Ahead
The European Youth & Sport Network will continue its development over the next few years. The first phase includes stakeholder engagement and training activities planned for 2026, culminating in an in-person network meeting during the 2027 edition of the European Youth & Sport Platform.
By creating this dedicated space, EUYOUSPORT project partners aim to ensure that young people are effectively and meaningfully included in sport governance and decision-making.