New free tools for policy change in sport for development

A Black adolescent with braids sits in a wheelchair on a basketball court looking determined.

Actors using sports to make lasting change in their communities can access new free tools and resources to sharpen their calls for support from government and society, with more to follow.

The following tools have been developed and actors can access them free of charge, as part of the PASS (Policy Advocacy in Sport and Society) project. PASS brings together seven partners to design resources for organisations and individuals working in Sport for Development (SFD). Experts from academia, the United Nations and the NGO sector are working with sportanddev to create a Toolkit and Digital Learning Course to support grassroots actors in SFD to push for positive changes in support of their work.

A mapping and needs analysis
Evaluation Matrix on Policy Advocacy in Sport and Social Development
NEWEST Selected Policy Advocacy Practices from Stakeholders in the Sport and Social Development Sector, which shares examples of approaches to policy advocacy in sport locally, nationally and internationally. These examples will form the basis and inspiration for a Toolkit, Curriculum and Digital Learning Course on the subject that will be released to the general public in 2026.

From April 9 to 11 2025, the PASS consortium met at the University of Applied Sciences in Kufstein, Austria, to continue developing the tools. A tour of the University’s state of the art podcast, animation and video production studio was a highlight of the meeting, inspiring the PASS partners to dream big about possibilities for the Digital Learning Course.

The PASS project is the first instance of organisations in Europe convening in support of sport policy advocacy. The meeting provided an important opportunity to align on key questions and approaches, and synchronise the research and development that will bring the tools to life over the coming months.

Dr. Petry, co-lead of the new UNESCO Chair "Sport for Development, Peace and Environment in a Multidisciplinary and Global Perspective" is the PASS Project Coordinator. The project is funded by the European Commission, through its Erasmus+ programme.

What’s next for the PASS project?

Sharing and Learning at International Symposium of Adapted Physical Activity conference in Kerry, Ireland, June 2025
Planning the course approach and Toolkit content, May to November 2025
In-person Meeting to Finalize Course Content and Toolkit February 2026
Piloting E-Course July 2026
More free tools:
- Curriculum and Toolkit
- Digital Learning Course
- Final Project Report

Learn More

What is Policy Advocacy?

At its core, a policy is a plan of action to solve a problem or achieve a goal. It is often seen as being about the allocation of resources – who gets what and how is it paid for?

In global sport for development, the term “policy” most often describes plans made by local authorities, governments, inter-governmental organisations and sports federations. Advocacy usually targets these groups as they have the most influence over the sector.

Policy advocacy can be understood as a deliberate effort to influence policy in the interest of an organisation or the people it serves. It deploys a variety of tactics and comes in two forms: direct and indirect.

Why Policy Advocacy in Sport for Development?

Since the early 2000s, sport’s potential to contribute to inclusion, education, equality and other social objectives has been increasingly recognised. The number of organisations using sport to address social and environmental challenges has surged.

This ever-growing network has a role to play in swaying decision-makers. Despite the potential of sport for development organisations to influence policy, there are limited resources to help them understand how. The PASS project aims to close this gap.