About

Sport has the power to unite people, inspire effort, and transmit values across generations. Within universities, sport also represents an important educational environment where respect, responsibility, and fair play should guide every activity.

The European Sport Safeguarding Education and Promotion Action (ESSEPA) is a collaborative European initiative designed to strengthen safeguarding in university sport and promote safer sport environments across Europe.

The project focuses on four main areas:

• education
• research
• institutional cooperation
• digital learning tools

Across Europe, safeguarding systems in sport vary significantly between countries and institutions. While some organisations have already developed advanced policies, many environments still lack structured training and prevention mechanisms.

Many athletes, coaches, referees, and volunteers may therefore have limited access to safeguarding education and the tools needed to recognise or respond to harmful situations.

Key challenges include:

To address these challenges, ESSEPA is developing a digital safeguarding education and certification platform tailored to the realities of university sport.

The platform will provide structured learning resources designed to support athletes, coaches, referees, and sport administrators in understanding safeguarding principles and applying them in practice.

Educational modules will focus on:

• Prevention of misconduct
• Ethical leadership in sport
• Respect and inclusion
• Recognition of harmful behaviour
• Reporting and response mechanisms

Safeguarding in sport is a shared responsibility that involves everyone participating in the sport environment. ESSEPA therefore addresses the entire university sport ecosystem.

The project supports several key groups:

• Student‑Athletes

  Participants in university-level sport activities, empowering them with the knowledge to engage in events safely, ethically, and with integrity.

• Coaches and Referees

  Leaders responsible for promoting fair competition and ethical sport cultures.

• Volunteers and Event Staff

  Individuals involved in the organisation of university sport events who must also understand safeguarding responsibilities.

• Universities and Sport Departments

  Institutions responsible for implementing safeguarding policies and training structures.

The ESSEPA platform provides practical safeguarding knowledge specifically designed for sport environments.

Participants will explore key topics such as:

The long-term ambition of ESSEPA is to strengthen safeguarding culture within European university sport.

The project aims to deliver several key outcomes:

• Greater awareness of safeguarding
• Improved prevention mechanisms
• Empowered athletes and officials
• Stronger ethical sport culture across Europe

Through collaboration between universities, sport organisations, and policymakers, ESSEPA contributes to creating safer and more respectful sport environments.

The ESSEPA final conference will take place in October 2027 and will mark an important milestone for the project.

Organised together with the EFPM Congress, the event will bring together key stakeholders from across the European sport community, including:

• Universities
• Sport federations
• Policymakers
• Safeguarding experts
• European sport stakeholders