GRASS Project reaches Albania for second workshop

The Safer Grassroots Sports (GRASS) Project continued its European workshop tour with a successful second session in Tirana, hosted by the National Olympic Committee of Albania (NOC Albania). The event brought together representatives from local grassroots sport clubs to explore and test the project’s key safeguarding tools.

The workshop was formally opened by the President of the Albanian Olympic Committee, Fidel Ylli, who welcomed participants and reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to safe sport initiatives in the country.

Over the course of the session, clubs engaged directly with the Safe Sport Self-Assessment Tool and the Safe Sport Digital Toolkit, designed to support organiSations in evaluating and strengthening their safeguarding practices. The hands-on format allowed participants to provide valuable, experience-based feedback that will guide the ongoing development of these tools.

The workshop fostered active discussion around the practical challenges of implementing safeguarding policies and procedures at the grassroots level. Insights gathered from this session will feed into the project’s broader evaluation phase and help shape recommendations for future action.

As a side note, NOC Albania also used the occasion to inaugurate a new studio space at its headquarters, marking a moment of institutional growth.

The GRASS coordination team led the session with the support of national partners, continuing the project’s mission to build safer, more inclusive environments across European grassroots sport.