SportsCom, funded by the Interreg Europe programme, had its kick-off meeting on 1–2 July 2025 in Brussels. Coordinated by the Porto Metropolitan Area (AMP), the project brings together seven regional partners to strengthen policies that promote inclusive, intergenerational community sport as a tool for improving public health, wellbeing, and social resilience.

The partnership includes the Porto Metropolitan Area (Portugal), Krakow Metropolis Association (Poland), Nyíregyháza Municipality (Hungary), Regional Development Fund of Attica (Greece), Municipality of Heerenveen (Netherlands), Regional Development Agency Backa Ltd. (Serbia), and KMOP Policy Center (Belgium). Together, they aim to exchange knowledge and develop local action plans that make community sport a more strategic part of regional development.

In Brussels, partners engaged in interactive sessions on shared challenges such as sedentary lifestyles, limited access to community sports, and the need for stronger policy links between sport and public health. The discussions highlighted how accessible, low-barrier sport initiatives can serve as practical tools to address these issues, particularly for vulnerable and aging populations.

The project focuses on improving five regional policy instruments: the AMP 2030 Strategy and Priorities for Action (Portugal); Regional Programme 2021–2027 Attiki’ (Greece); Kraków Metropolitan Area 2030 Strategy: Metropolis of Opportunities (KMA2030) (Poland); Sports and Exercise Policy 2017–2025 “In Heerenveen Beweegt Het” (Netherlands); and the Territorial and Settlement Development Operational Programme Plus (Hungary). Through peer learning and coordinated regional actions, the project seeks to embed community sports more effectively into long-term health and inclusion strategies.

Ahead of the official launch, the Porto Metropolitan Area also held its local kick-off meeting on June 6, 2025, gathering municipalities from the region to present the project and establish the Local Stakeholder Group (LSG). This session marked the beginning of local engagement, ensuring that regional perspectives and needs are included from the start.

In his inaugural speech, Mr. Orlando Leal, Project Leader from the Porto Metropolitan Area, highlighted the importance of strengthening regional policies that promote community sports as a tool for enhancing health resilience. “Sports (notably community sports) can be a powerful tool for building health resilience not only because of the impact sports generate on the physical condition of individuals but also for its impact on the promotion of the sense of belonging to one community, in strengthening the social skills, in reducing the intergenerational gap and in fighting two of the main illnesses our healthcare systems currently face: mental diseases (like depression or cognitive degeneration) and loneliness” he said.

Our next study visit is scheduled for February 2026 in Greece where partners will continue refining their action plans.

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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsCom-eu