As an important early step of the Erasmus+ Sport project “The Power of Public Relations in Sport (PPR)”, the project partners successfully completed a transnational situation analysis examining how sports organisations and athletes currently manage public relations and communication.
The analysis was led by IHF (Belgium) in close cooperation with all project partners: Vere Montis (Croatia), Kargenc Club (Serbia), IDO (Denmark), SMA (Türkiye), and Studio Conex. Its purpose was to provide a realistic and data-driven picture of current PR practices in sport and to identify key gaps in knowledge, skills, and strategic approaches.
How was the analysis conducted?
A structured questionnaire was jointly developed and distributed between March and May 2024. The survey reached 195 respondents, exceeding the planned target of 160 sports professionals and athletes. Participants represented sports clubs, federations, and organisations operating mainly at local, regional, and national levels.
The questionnaire combined quantitative and qualitative elements and focused on five core areas of public relations in sport:
- relationship building and stakeholder management,
- communication and branding,
- event promotion and marketing,
- strategic planning, and
- PR operations and evaluation.
Key findings
The analysis revealed that most sports organisations rely on informal and reactive communication, rather than structured PR strategies. While respondents generally rated their effectiveness slightly above the minimum level, none of the assessed areas reached a high level of proficiency.
Some of the most important insights include:
- Strategic planning was identified as the weakest area, with limited use of data, analytics, and long-term communication planning.
- Media relations and proactive engagement with journalists remain underdeveloped, representing a missed opportunity for visibility and credibility.
- Sponsorship communication and partnerships were highlighted as a major challenge, affecting financial sustainability and growth.
- Many organisations lack dedicated PR staff and struggle with evaluation of communication activities.
These findings confirmed the needs identified in the project proposal and clearly demonstrated the necessity for targeted education and capacity building in public relations for sport.
From analysis to action
The results of the situation analysis directly informed the development of the project’s educational guidelines and training programmes, ensuring that all learning content was based on real needs and practical challenges faced by sports organisations and athletes across Europe.
📄 The full Situation Analysis and Data Report is available for free download here:
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By grounding the project in solid research, the PPR partnership ensured that its activities deliver meaningful, relevant, and lasting impact for the sports sector.