General project objective

GOLF 4 CIRCULARITY (GOLF for CIRCULAR Innovative Training of Youth) general project objective is to set up a cross-sectoral trans-European network of seven key organisations in sports and education (science) sectors to elaborate, pilot, evaluate and disseminate a totally innovative sustainable circular economy golf-educational model at the European grassroots golf club level to advance on circular awareness and understanding and build sustainable behavior in grassroots clubs, coaches, club managers and golf players 14-19 aged living in 20 EU communities including 2 EU remote (backward) communities. The project aims to promote the circular economy and sustainability education in and through golf focusing mainly on a) supporting skills development in grassroots golf, b) encouraging Dual Careers of coaches and athletes c) promoting the quality of coaching and staff, and d) promoting employability through golf.

Through setting up a transnational network of four EU national golf organisations (Bulgarian, Austrian, and RN Macedonia golf federations and Iceland golf union), one leading EU University (Aristotle University, Greece, ICT department), and one advanced circular economy research institute (CERC France) the project will provide for the proper mix of the high expertise in golf, digitalisation, circular economy, and sustainability to implement the first-of-a-kind EU circular and sustainable grassroots golf model at the sports club level.

The new model will present a sports educational (SE) model to serve grassroots golf clubs in the education and training of their golf people striving for a future where golf provides a foundation that creates equity, prosperity, and sustainability for the communities where the game lives. SE models are usually applied in physical education in schools. They are one of the most implemented and researched models famous for their positive and significant outcomes on participants in the school context. The ever-changing society calls for sports organisations to be more responsive to sports people’s needs in general, supporting them to meet life’s challenges more successfully. GOLF 4 CIRCULARITY will propose such a model empowering the participating golf sports organisations with innovative approaches and state-of-the-art resources in the education and training of their golf people to complement their sports with personal and social development as a fundamental goal of contemporary grassroots golf sports.

The concrete aims of the model will be to raise and develop circular economy and sustainability awareness, literacy, and skillset in target groups while strengthening the communities’ grassroots golf sports organisations’ role in green policies in line with the European Green Deal and Circular Economy Action Plan. Additionally, this project will promote the quality of coaching by introducing a totally new STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) GOLF coaching method, shed light on STEM in the golf area of knowledge and skills as well as will support the dual career of talented golf players 14-19 aged and volunteering coaches through providing a dual career path for them.

GOLF 4 CIRCULARITY model is designed to be an EU-based sports-educational circular model in golf with the ambition to provide for its applicability in similar community outdoor sports as well. The model framework is based on (a) approaches that emphasize on the advance of the environment, economic and social sustainability in grassroots golf clubs with an accent on climate change and circular economy and awareness about the ecological footprint to empower adolescent golf players and coaches during the European green transition period, (b) recognition of the broader EU community grassroots golf ecological system as a facilitator of coaches and players STEM interest with the CE perspective to empower them in the European digital transition, and (c) approaches to increase sports/golf participation among secondary students as well as local communities for promotion an active and environment-friendly lifestyle, social cohesion, and active citizenship. This project model will present a value-based EU golf model with inclusions and sustainability of actions at its core.

The ambition of the project partners is to provide the first of a kind model for European grassroots golf clubs to promote education in and through sports including

▪ 1 Virtual Community of Practice (VCoP) – the project foresees the applying of a totally innovativeapproach for best practices identification and collaborative learning;

▪ 1 blended learning educational program CIRCULAR GOLF MINDS in 2 parts for players aged 14- 19 and coaches;

▪ 1 suite of golf sustainability resources GOLF CIRCULARITY for sports clubs comprising of a digital multimedia toolbox containing activity training resources in circular economy and sustainability and a toolkit on circular and sustainable club practices;

▪ 1 Ecological Golf Training Footprint game which will allow the players and coaches to raise awareness of their ecological footprint based on their everyday habits and activities on the field;

▪ 3 validation of skills methods – Online Green Golf Hackathon, Activity training model for schools and Eco Golf Design Lab, aiming to test the knowledge and skills gained by the CIRCULAR GOLF MINDS program;

▪ 1 wide communication and dissemination campaign including project visual identity, 1 web-based platform and 8 community thematically related sports events and other activities in the sports organisations countries.

All project digital educational and other resources will be open-sourced to allow for the wide reach of all people interested in golf and sustainability, circular economy and STEM related to it.