From 21 to 24 September 2026, the International Training for Coaches and Players was organised in Barcelona, Spain, bringing together female players and coaches from the participating countries.
The training served as the first practical testing of the project’s training module, allowing experts to assess the applicability of the developed sessions and identify possible improvements. Participants had the opportunity to become familiar with the methodology and gain knowledge and tools they could later apply within their own sports associations and clubs.
The activity gathered coaches and active female players from four team sports included in the project – football, basketball, volleyball and handball. Participants were selected based on their motivation to contribute to project activities, work within an international and intercultural environment, and continue promoting the project objectives at the local level.
Empowered Female Coaches of Team Sports is a transnational project created to strengthen the position of women in sport and support more female athletes in becoming coaches. Led by Barcel’hona Sport Events 🇪🇸 in cooperation with KOM 018 🇷🇸 from Serbia, IWA Sport 🇮🇪 from Ireland, Futebola 🇵🇹 from Portugal, RSZZ – Handball Federation of Zagreb County 🇭🇷 from Croatia and Educazione Benessere 🇮🇹 from Italy, the project aims to break down barriers faced by women in team sports across Europe. It focuses on developing methodologies to combat sexist and discriminatory behaviour, supporting active and former female athletes on their path towards coaching, exchanging best practices on women in coaching from six countries, and raising awareness about both the challenges female coaches face and the important role they play in sport. Through study visits, international trainings, practical toolkits and an EU-wide awareness campaign, the project will contribute to creating more inclusive and supportive environments for women in coaching. The project is implemented from December 2025 to November 2027 in Spain, Serbia, Ireland, Portugal, Croatia and Italy and is co-funded by the European Union. 💙
