Erasmus+ is the EU Programme in the fields of education, training, youth and sport for the 2021-2027 period. One objective of Erasmus+ is to promote learning mobility of sport staff (spending a period of time abroad to learn), as well as cooperation at the level of sport organisations and sport policies. The mobility action supports the professional development of coaches and other staff (both paid staff and volunteers) in grassroots sport, meaning physical leisure activities practised regularly at non-professional level. You can not go as an athlete, and your club or organisation applies, not you. Our guide on what Erasmus+ is explains the whole programme.
Last updated: November 2026.
Who can go abroad with Erasmus+ Sport?
Coaches, other sport staff and volunteers can go abroad with Erasmus+ Sport. You must be working in the sending organisation or must be regularly working with the sending organisation to help implement its core activities. The sending organisation is your club or organisation: it will select participants and send them to a hosting organisation abroad. The eligible participants are:
🏃 Grassroots staff: coaches and other sport staff in sports organisations at grassroots level.
🎯 Non-grassroots staff: staff in non-grassroots sport, including those with dual careers and non-sport careers, if their participation can benefit grassroots sport.
🌱 Volunteers: volunteers other than coaches in sports organisations.
In all cases, the tasks that link you to the sending organisation must be documented, for example with a work or volunteer contract, task description, or a similar document, so that the National Agency can verify this link. Under the Erasmus+ Programme Guide, you can not take part in the mobility activity as an athlete.
For the period 2028-2034, the Commission has put forward a proposal that would expand mobility in the sport sector, now including athletes and people in grassroots sport, alongside coaches. Negotiations on the new programme are ongoing. Our guide on what could change after 2027 covers the proposal, and our guide on mobility of youth workers covers a separate Erasmus+ action for people who work with young people.
What can you do abroad?
The following activities are supported: job shadowing and observation periods (2-14 days) and coaching or training assignments (7-45 days).
👀 Job shadowing and observation: 2-14 consecutive days excluding travel days, learning new practices and gathering new ideas through observation and interaction at a hosting organisation in another country.
🏅 Coaching or training assignment: 7-45 consecutive days excluding travel days, coaching or providing training at a hosting organisation in another country.
Activities cannot have a profit making purpose. Attending courses, paid or unpaid, is not an eligible activity for mobility of staff in the field of sport. Activities must take place abroad, in an EU Member State or in a third country associated to the Programme, and each activity must take place in one country. All staff mobility activities can be combined with virtual learning activities, and the minimum and maximum durations apply to the physical mobility component. For any activity, additional support can be provided for persons accompanying participants with fewer opportunities. Our guide on inclusion support in Erasmus+ and ESC explains how that support works.
Who applies, you or your club?
Your club or organisation applies: the applicant organisation drafts and submits the application, and will select participants and send them to a hosting organisation abroad. A participating organisation can be an organisation organising sport and physical activities at grassroots level, such as a non-profit organisation, local public authority or sport club. A non-grassroots sport organisation can also be one if its staff participation benefits grassroots sports, such as an international organisation or national sport federation. Talk to your club or organisation, because the applicant organisation will select participants. Our guide on National Agencies explains who receives these applications.
What does Erasmus+ fund in sport besides mobility?
Erasmus+ also supports Capacity Building projects, not-for-profit sport events and partnerships in the field of sport.
🌍 Capacity Building projects: international cooperation projects that support sport activities and policies in third countries not associated to the programme.
🏟️ Not-for-profit sport events: the preparation, organisation and follow-up of not-for-profit sport events, in one single country or in several countries, with a European dimension in these fields: volunteering in sport, social inclusion through sport, the fight against discrimination in sport, and encouraging healthy lifestyles for all, including the support to the European Week of Sport.
🧩 Partnerships: in the field of sport, partnerships which contribute to the implementation of key policy documents such as the EU Work Plan for Sport (2024-2027) get priority.
Our guide on cooperation partnerships and our guide on small-scale partnerships explain how organisations run them.
Frequently asked questions
Can athletes take part?
No: you can not take part in the mobility activity as an athlete. Our guide on what could change after 2027 covers the proposal on athletes.
Can volunteers take part?
Yes: volunteers other than coaches in sports organisations are eligible participants. Participants must be working in the sending organisation or must be regularly working with the sending organisation to help implement the organisation's core activities. Our guide on mobility of youth workers covers a separate Erasmus+ action for people who work with young people.
How long can I stay?
Job shadowing and observation periods: 2-14 consecutive days; coaching and training assignments: 7-45 consecutive days, both excluding travel days. Our guide on what Erasmus+ is explains the whole programme.
Can I join a sport course?
No: attending courses, paid or unpaid, is not an eligible activity for mobility of staff in the field of sport. Our guide on the Erasmus+ opportunities shows the other parts of the programme.
Where should a coach or club volunteer start?
Start with your club or organisation, because the applicant organisation will select participants and send them to a hosting organisation abroad. Our guide on what could change for athletes after 2027 follows the proposal for the next programme. The Youth Works Hub pages below cover the rest of Erasmus+.
Related pages: what Erasmus+ is · mobility of youth workers · cooperation partnerships
👉 Erasmus+ projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=erasmus-projects
