On Tuesday 7 April 2026, EASE held its latest Board Meeting, bringing together its members, partners, staff and invited experts to discuss the association’s ongoing projects, governance developments and key European policy issues affecting sport employers.
The meeting was opened by Philippe Diallo, President of EASE, who welcomed the Board members and guests. He underlined that, since the previous Board Meeting in January 2026, EASE had continued to strengthen its European positioning through its project activities, policy-oriented work on social dialogue, and preparations for important governance milestones.
The agenda reflected three major priorities for EASE: delivering concrete added value to its members, consolidating the association’s internal governance, and contributing to wider European discussions shaping the future of the sport sector.
Update on EASE Projects
The Board received an update on EASE’s ongoing European projects, with a particular focus on TechSportKit, which has now officially moved from proposal stage to implementation.
Following its successful kick-off meeting held in Paris on 18 and 19 March 2026, the project consortium has aligned on the project’s objectives, governance arrangements, financial rules, communication obligations and immediate operational priorities.
A key focus of the kick-off meeting was the survey work under Work Package 2, which will provide the analytical basis for the next stages of the project. The consortium agreed that the main target groups of the survey should be sport clubs and sport federations. The survey structure is currently being consolidated, with partner feedback open until 21 April 2026. An online consortium meeting is also scheduled on that date to validate the final wording and move collectively towards the next work packages.
Governance: Revision of EASE Bylaws
The Board also discussed the ongoing revision of EASE’s bylaws. This work aims to clarify membership categories and ensure that EASE’s governance framework better reflects the current functioning and future ambitions of the association.
Among the main proposals discussed were the replacement of the “Associate Members” category by “Supporting Members”, a clearer distinction between the rights and advantages attached to each membership category, and the confirmation that only Full Members may be elected to the Board. The discussion also covered the extension of Board and Presidency mandates from two to four years, as well as the inclusion of a non-binding reference encouraging better gender balance within the Board’s composition.
The revised bylaws will be submitted to the next EASE General Assembly for discussion and approval.
Preparing the 2026 EASE General Assembly in Ghent
The Board Meeting also served as an opportunity to prepare the next EASE General Assembly, which will take place in Ghent on Tuesday 16 June 2026.
The General Assembly will not only address formal governance matters, such as the approval of the 2025 accounts and activity report, but will also serve as a strategic moment to present EASE’s development as a European network.
Members will be invited to reflect on EASE’s recent activities, including its projects, EASE Talks, member engagement and European mapping work. The General Assembly will also help prepare the institutional discussions planned in Brussels the following day, positioning the event as both a governance milestone and a strategic showcase for the association.
EASE Talk #15: Prospects for European Social Dialogue in the Sport Sector
As part of the Board Meeting, EASE hosted its 15th EASE Talk, dedicated to the prospects for European social dialogue in the sport sector.
The session featured contributions from Oliver Liang, representing the International Labour Organization, and Kaarel Nestor, from the Sports Department of the Estonian Ministry of Culture.
Oliver Liang presented the ILO’s recent work on labour rights in sport, including new guidelines on fundamental principles and rights at work for professional athletes. He stressed that athletes should be regarded as workers for the purpose of fundamental labour rights, regardless of the exact legal form of their employment relationship. Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining were highlighted as essential principles for structuring labour relations in sport.
Kaarel Nestor provided a national perspective from Estonia, explaining that social dialogue in Estonian sport remains limited and weakly formalised. He described the structural fragmentation of the sport sector, where many organisations are small, volunteer-based and have limited administrative capacity. At the same time, he presented concrete measures taken in Estonia to improve employment conditions, including public salary support for qualified coaches working with children and young people, as well as legislative changes clarifying the salary status of top athletes.
The discussion with Board members highlighted the diversity of national situations across Europe. While some countries benefit from well-established traditions of social dialogue and collective agreements in sport, others continue to face challenges linked to representation, organisation and sector fragmentation.
Overall, the exchange confirmed that social dialogue remains both a structural challenge and a strategic lever for building a more sustainable and better represented sport sector in Europe.
EASE Talk #16: Pay Equality in Sport and the EU Pay Transparency Directive
The Board Meeting also included EASE Talk #16, focusing on pay equality in sport and the impact of the EU Pay Transparency Directive on the sector.
The session was led by Samuel Engblom, Swedish Deputy Equality Ombudsman, who presented the main implications of the Directive for employers across Europe. He recalled that the principle of equal pay for women and men performing equal work or work of equal value is already well established in EU law, but that the 2023 Directive strengthens its application through increased transparency and stronger enforcement mechanisms.
The discussion covered the new rights created for job seekers and workers, including access to information on initial pay levels or pay ranges, the prohibition on asking applicants about salary history, and the right for workers to request information on pay levels and average pay levels broken down by sex for comparable categories of workers.
Samuel Engblom also outlined the obligations that will apply to employers, particularly those with at least 100 employees, including reporting duties on gender pay gaps. He underlined that the Directive adopts a broad understanding of “pay”, covering not only basic salary but also bonuses and variable remuneration.
A key point of discussion was the challenge of defining “work of equal value” in the sport sector, where employment realities, contractual structures and organisational models can vary significantly from one country to another. Board members raised concrete questions about how sport employers should prepare for implementation, and the discussion highlighted the importance of developing objective, credible and sector-sensitive approaches.
A Strategic Moment for EASE
The meeting was closed by Philippe Diallo, who thanked the Board members, speakers and guests for the quality of the discussions and their continued commitment to EASE.
The April Board Meeting illustrated EASE’s continued progress across several key areas: the implementation of European projects, the strengthening of internal governance, and the development of policy discussions on major issues affecting sport employers.
With the upcoming General Assembly in Ghent and further institutional discussions planned in Brussels, EASE continues to position itself as a key European platform for sport employers, committed to building a more structured, representative and sustainable sport sector across Europe.