YouRef Erasmus+ Sport project kicks off in Lausanne

On 4-5 December, the International University Sports Federation hosted the first meeting for YouRef, a two-year Erasmus+ Sport project co-funded by the European Union aimed at bridging the gap between educational institutions and sports organisations by training young people to become competent sports officials.

Held in Lausanne, Switzerland at FISU headquarters, the kick-off meeting brought together the consortium partners including the International Federation for Sports Officials (IFSO), Sports Innovation Hub, Universitas: Science, Knowledge & Innovation, the Football Association of Braga (Portugal) and FISU. The meeting brought these stakeholders together to discuss the project design and structure. The first of many meetings for this project included introductions of each organisation, emphasising their unique role within the project and how to engage stakeholders to activate young people in sports officiating.

From sports official to leading development of sports officiating worldwide

Most notably representing IFSO as the organisation’s Secretary General, Charlotte Girard-Fabre was present at the meeting and expressed the importance of the project focusing on a key focus area of IFSO with the recruitment and retention of young sports officials across all sports in today’s sports officiating climate.

A former ice hockey referee going through the refereeing pathways herself in ice hockey at the Winter Olympic Games in 2014 and 2018 respectively, Charlotte Girard-Fabre also holds key positions with the AFCAM (L’Association Française du Corps Arbitral Multisport) – the governing body of sports officiating in France, along with a position with the European Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS). Along with the other partners of YouRef, Charlotte will play a vital role in this project, bringing her experience as an official and global influence at IFSO to make this initiative impactful.

About the project

The YouRef Erasmus+ Sport project aims to connect secondary schools, universities, and local sports clubs by training young individuals in sports officiating to ensure the longevity of sports officiating across Europe and worldwide. It focuses on developing both technical and essential soft skills to prepare students for officiating by enhancing the development of life skills, capacity building, and employability. Over 24 months, the project consortium will assess student involvement in officiating, create a framework for collaboration between schools and sports organisations, and launch a pilot programme to test the framework locally.

Written by Sameer Janmohamed