PROGRESS
Promoting Gender Rights, Equality Skills in Sport – primary aim is to strengthen gender equality initiatives in sport through a coordinated European strategy. PROGRESS addresses the ongoing issue of gender-based discrimination in the sports industry, focusing on guiding sports trainers to challenge stereotypes and discriminatory norms in their teaching activities. Ultimately, the idea is to create a more inclusive and equitable sports environment for all.
Project information
The PROGRESS project, in which EGLSF (European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation) is a partner, has launched its own website: progress-sport.eu. It serves as the primary platform for project news, updates on activities, and access to training materials developed over the two years. These resources aim to offer practical support to sports professionals and organisations dedicated to promoting greater inclusivity and fairness in sport.
Addressing Gender Equality in Sport
Promoting gender equality in sport is crucial for creating a more inclusive society. Although significant progress has been made over the last decades, substantial inequalities still exist. Women and marginalised groups remain underrepresented, both in participation and leadership roles. Gender stereotypes persist, restricting opportunities at all levels of sport. For instance, across major sports federations in Europe, women occupied only 22% of top decision-making roles.
The sector continues to be affected by long-standing discriminatory norms, which are increasingly being challenged by the rise of anti-equality movements across Europe. Meanwhile, sports trainers and educators often lack access to practical resources that could help them tackle these issues in their daily work.
A Collaborative Effort
The initiative brings together a partnership of organisations with complementary expertise. By pooling knowledge and sharing best practices, the consortium aims to strengthen the skills of sports trainers and organisations, and work towards the same goal: promoting gender equality through sport.
Despite increased efforts to promote gender equality in sport, women and marginalised groups still face numerous structural barriers and discriminatory norms. They are often underrepresented in participation, governance, and leadership roles. Gender stereotypes are a serious obstacle to career opportunities, and there is an increasing backlash against gender equality policies. In recognition of these challenges, PROGRESS aims to raise awareness of gender equality in sport and develop comprehensive training materials for sports trainers.
This will be achieved through a structured approach, including:
- Mapping and networking: identifying and analysing existing training materials across Europe.
- Developing training materials: creating tailored training materials for sports trainers in various contexts, including a comprehensive training module, a toolkit with practical methodologies and a specific guide on gender stereotypes in sport. These resources will be open access and translated into English, French, and Spanish.
- Pilot testing and adaptation: testing the developed materials with a sample of sports trainers and educators to collect qualitative feedback and make improvements.
- Communication and Dissemination: raising awareness by promoting the impact and outputs of the project.
The idea is that the impact will extend beyond the trainers, reaching students, athletes, and sports professionals across Europe, ultimately driving systemic change in how gender equality is approached in sports education for future generations.
PROGRESS will work to address this gap by providing professionals with the knowledge and tools to foster fairness, inclusivity, and equal opportunities.
Running from April 2025 to July 2026 and funded by the Erasmus+ programme, PROGRESS will carry out a mapping of existing materials, produce new training content, and test these resources with trainers in real settings. Feedback will then be collected and analysed to identify improvements, leading to a final version that will be shared widely across Europe. Alongside this, the project will work to raise awareness and encourage debate on gender equality in sport.
Project partners
PROGRESS is a collaborative effort involving a strong partnership of organisations committed to advancing gender equality in sport. The consortium unites diverse skills and knowledge to assist and empower sports trainers in this field:
Fédération Nationale Profession Sport & Loisirs (FNPSL)
France
European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF)
The Netherlands
Federación Valenciana de Municipios y Provincias (FVMP)
Spain
Funding
