The European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) has published 173 proposed amendments to its draft own-initiative report on the Role of EU Policies in Shaping the European Sport Model. Across political groups, there is broad support for key issues such as safeguarding the autonomy of sport through good governance, increasing EU funding via Erasmus+ and cohesion funds and enhancing recognition of sport’s social and inclusive role. The amendments also highlight strong backing for grassroots sport. The key references to grassroots sports are the following:

• Grassroots sport is recognized as a cornerstone of the European Sport Model—serving not just as a feeder to elite sport but as a social and civic ecosystem in its own right
• The document advocates for mainstreaming grassroots sport into EU funding, regional development, education, and social inclusion policies
• The recurring call for solidarity-based funding mechanisms reflects a political priority to ensure that economic benefits from professional sport trickle down”to the grassroots level
• Grassroots sport is framed as a vehicle for inclusion, health, education, and equality, directly supporting EU fundamental values
• It is also portrayed as vulnerable—dependent on volunteers, underfunded, and at risk of marginalization by elite-level interests