The TechSportKit project was officially launched in Paris during a two-day kick-off meeting bringing together the project partners for the start of a three-year European cooperation.
Coordinated by EASE, TechSportKit aims to support the digital transformation of the sport sector by analysing digital readiness, identifying skills gaps, and developing practical training tools adapted to the needs of sport organisations and their workforce.
The meeting marked the beginning of a collective journey that will run from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2028, with partners from France, Romania, Poland, Belgium, Sweden, Spain and Portugal working together to explore how digital tools and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, are reshaping employment, management and training needs across the sport ecosystem.
A strong start for a European cooperation project
The kick-off meeting was designed to create a shared understanding of the project’s rationale, objectives, work packages and first implementation priorities. It also gave all partners the opportunity to introduce their organisations, present their expectations, and begin building a common working dynamic for the months ahead.
From the outset, discussions confirmed the relevance of the project in a context where sport organisations are increasingly confronted with digital change, but do not always have the tools, resources or skills needed to adapt effectively. TechSportKit was created precisely to address this challenge by helping the sector better understand its current situation and by producing practical outputs that can support organisations across Europe.
Exchanges focused on real sector needs
The kick-off meeting created space for open and practical discussions on the reality faced by sport organisations. Partners exchanged views on the digital challenges they observe in their national contexts, the technologies that remain underused in the sector, and the factors that can either support or hinder digitalisation.
Discussions highlighted the importance of understanding not only which digital tools are being used, but also how sport organisations perceive them, what barriers they face, and what kinds of support are needed to encourage meaningful adoption.
A key point emerging from the meeting was that the project must remain closely connected to the reality of sport employers, clubs, federations and other sport structures. The consortium stressed the importance of producing outputs that are useful, accessible and grounded in operational needs rather than remaining purely theoretical.
The TechSportKit Survey at the centre of the first implementation phase
A significant part of the kick-off meeting was dedicated to the preparation of Work Package 2, which focuses on defining the current and foreseeable framework of digital transition in the sport sector.
In particular, partners discussed the development of a European survey that will help map current uses of digital technologies, identify digital skill gaps, highlight barriers to adoption, and gather evidence on training needs across sport organisations. The survey is intended to provide a strong evidence base for the next stages of the project, notably the competency framework and future training modules.
The meeting confirmed that the survey should target primarily sport clubs and sport federations, while also remaining relevant to other sport structures where appropriate. Partners also aligned on the importance of combining desk research, survey work and future roundtable discussions so that WP2 can serve as a genuine foundation for the rest of the project.
Building the basis for future outputs
Beyond WP2, the kick-off discussions also helped prepare the ground for the project’s later phases. Partners exchanged on the future inventory of digital skills for sport, the development of a competency framework, and the design of training modules that will eventually support sport organisations in strengthening their digital capacity.
In this sense, the meeting was not only a launch event, but also an important moment to align expectations on how the project’s different work packages will connect over time.
The communication dimension of the project was also addressed early on, with discussions on how to reach the right audiences from the beginning. The consortium underlined the importance of engaging sport employers, clubs, federations, grassroots organisations, training providers and other relevant stakeholders through coordinated dissemination efforts throughout the project.
Looking ahead
Following this successful kick-off meeting, the consortium now enters the first concrete implementation phase of TechSportKit. In the coming months, partners will continue refining the survey structure, contributing to desk research, and preparing the dissemination work needed to ensure strong engagement from the sport sector.
These first actions will be essential to generate the evidence required for the project’s future deliverables and to ensure that TechSportKit responds to the real needs of the European sport workforce.
By bringing together sport employer representatives, universities and organisations active in digital transformation, TechSportKit starts with a clear ambition: to help the sport sector better understand, anticipate and embrace technological change in a way that is practical, inclusive and relevant for the people working in it.