(Uni)ted forces to support the education of (Uni)versity sport comm(Uni)ty - Uni4S 

The (Uni)ted forces to support the education of (Uni)versity sport comm(Uni)ty project aimed to create educational opportunities for staff working in university sport associations.



Through the series of meetings, project partners will look to create conditions for skills development of participants in the area of organising university sport tournaments, with each meeting focusing on different but relevant topics.

Project was based on the idea of practice exchange in the field of university sport. Four organizations which are working on the different levels – regional, national and international had a chance to work together and co-create the final materials. Although they are all working in the same community, having a similar operating profile, their tools, knowledge and experience has been different – making it a valuable experience to spend 30 months exchanging practices and witnessing each other's events.

Project was based on a series of objectives with the main one to provide opportunities for university sport staff to exchange practices and gain experience during university sport events in all the participating countries. Other goals included development of relations between various organizations working in the same community, raising the quality of events, gaining new tools and motivation for the development of university sport in Europe and in particular countries

Project was implemented through a series of stationary meetings – project partners met 7 times, mostly during various university sport events. First phase of the project revolved around meetings and discussions over particular topics. A first live meeting took place in Lodz in September 2021, and focused on volunteering and the organization of international university sports events. 

Second phase of the project was dedicated to the evaluation of the guidebook, gathering feedback through a series of activities, and finalizing the ultimate version of the guidebook.
On April 27th, the EUSA Institute hosted project partners, who met for a live transnational meeting in Ljubljana.

In June 2022, partners had a chance to meet and share their ideas regarding logistics in the organization of university sports tournaments, during a meeting in Delft and the Hague.

In June 2022, partners had a chance to meet again and share their ideas regarding logistics in the organization of university sports tournaments, during a meeting in Delft and the Hague.

In July 2022, project partners met in the European Universities Games in Lodz. First part of the meeting was connected to participation in the General Technical Meeting as well as observing the organization of beach handball. Then, project partners discussed the handbook, notably its translation into Dutch and Polish, the branding, and some potential additional content.

The most important results of the project are the exchange of practices and experience that was gained by participants as well as the final guidebook published at the end of the project. Participants had a chance to experience the unique possibility to participate in sport events in different countries – similar to the ones they also organize in their countries, allowing them to get familiar with new tools and ways of working.

On the 6th of May, an in-person meeting between partners of the (Uni)ted forces to support the education of (Uni)versity sport comm(Uni)ty (Uni4S) meeting was held in Ljubljana, having the main goal of the meeting the discussion and work on the final version of the handbook. The final guidebook was published in three languages - English, Polish and Dutch.

The project was concluded on 11th of June, with the last in-person meeting between the (Uni)ted forces to support the education of (Uni)versity sport comm(Uni)ty project partners in Wageningen, in the Netherlands with a combined multiple sports event. 

With extension, the project lasted from January 2021 to June 2023. It was funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, and co-ordinated by University Sports Association of Poland (POL), alongside project partners University Sports Association of Warsaw (POL), Student Sports Netherlands (NED) and the EUSA Institute (SLO).

For more information, please see https://uni4s.azs.waw.pl