The latest European Athletics Development Commission meeting, chaired by European Athletics Vice President Karin Grute-Movin and with a welcome from European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov, was held on Monday (13).
European Athletics' Member Federation Support Programme is one of the key activities that falls under the aegis of the Development Commission.
The main goals of the programme are to provide direct support to Member Federations, increase the visibility of European Athletics' support, direct Member Federations to use the support according to European Athletics strategic aims, encourage participation in athletics at all levels and support the development of athletics in Europe, as well as protect its integrity.
Grants for Member Federations
The programme includes various types of grants designed to assist Member Federations in capacity building, federation structuring, cooperation and development projects.
Structuring Project Grants are awarded over a two-year period and provide up to CHF 10,000 per year to 17 Member Federations categorised as developing Federations. Cooperation and Development Project Grants are evaluated bi-annually, and the amount awarded varies based on the impact potential of the project. Each project can receive up to CHF 12,000 per year (up to CHF 24,000 over two years).
The cooperation and development projects funded by European Athletics cover a wide range of areas, including education for leaders, administration staff, coaches, and referees; athletics for kids and youth; development and organisation of competition opportunities nationally; athletics and social responsibility; running and mass participation; women in athletics; development activities for clubs and grassroots organisations; health and wellbeing; and digital services for athletics.
Additional support
In addition to the grants, European Athletics also provides an Education Programme that includes conferences, seminars and courses for Member Federations in areas such as capacity building, technical officials’ activities and coach education.
European Athletics may also provide financial support to the organisers and participating Member Federations of European Athletics competitions through organisational, accommodation and travel subventions. Additionally, Member Federations receive a basic grant of CHF 500 per year to cover their annual membership fee to European Athletics.
European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov said: “European Athletics is fully committed to supporting Member Federations in structuring and developing their organisations. And, thanks to the commercial success of our events programme, it is possible to return value to the federations through various forms of support. This support is customised to the specific needs of each federation, taking a project-oriented approach, promoting flexibility, idea sharing, and accountability.
“Thank you to our Development Commission and staff for the considerable work they have done to promote Member Federation support and best wishes to all our Member Federations and the project leaders who will work with the programme in the coming years.”
The European Athletics Member Federation Support Programme is dedicated to helping our Member Federations thrive and deliver the best of athletics to European athletes. By providing financial support, education programmes and other resources, European Athletics aims to strengthen federations and promote the development of athletics in Europe.