GRASS Project Holds Final European Conference in Lisbon

The Safer Grassroots Sport (GRASS) project held its Final Conference at the headquarters of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Portugal, in Lisbon, bringing together project partners, experts, key stakeholders and pilot clubs from Albania, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Portugal. With more than one hundred participants, attending both on site and online, the event marked a key milestone in the project’s mission to strengthen child protection across grassroots sport in Europe.

The GRASS project has worked over the past two years to map best practices, develop practical tools and support sport organisations in implementing appropriate and effective safeguarding measures and procedures tailored to the framework of grassroots sport clubs across Europe.

Opening the conference on behalf of the NOC Portugal, coordinator of this project, Secretary General Diana Gomes highlighted the relevance of the work achieved: “Today, in this final session, we celebrate results, but even more importantly, we celebrate the path that now lies ahead. The project ends here, but its impact continues. Clubs have begun adapting their procedures, coaches are revisiting their practices, and young athletes will now be better protected. This is the true legacy of GRASS, and this final session should be a starting point rather than an end.”

The keynote presentation was delivered by Laura Whapham, Child Protection in Sport Business Manager at the NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit, who brought a comprehensive and impactful message, outlining the importance of consistent safeguarding strategies at grassroots level and the challenges that many sport organisations across the globe continue to face.

The event followed with a detailed presentation from experts and work package leaders, notably:
• European mapping of best practices, presented by Montserrat Martin (Vic University)
• Safe Sport Self-Assessment Tool, presented by Bruno Avelar Rosa (Qantara Sports)
• Safe Sport Digital Toolkit, presented by Evy Van Coppenolle (SportiEQ)

The last session of the GRASS European Final Conference brought to light a fruitful discussion around best practices and implementation experiences shared by pilot-clubs. The panel was moderated by Laura Whapham, who had the opportunity lead the discussion on clubs’ journey regarding recent implementation of actions and methodologies, over the past 6 months. Concrete examples of how they have already begun to shape safer club environments were shared with enthusiasm. Club representatives’ testimonials emphasized how the project tools have helped their organisations to reflect on internal processes, strengthen safeguarding awareness among coaches, staff and communities, and create safer, more responsible spaces for young athletes.

The event was concluded with closing remarks from the GRASS consortium, reaffirming the collective commitment and determination to continue enhancing safe sport practices, beyond the lifetime of the project.

Although the official project period comes to an end, the work sparked by GRASS — from improved procedures to stronger organisational culture and enhanced awareness — will continue to support European grassroots sport for years to come.