Effective cooperation between sport clubs

1. Introduction

1.1. Introduction to transnational cooperation in karate

Transnational cooperation in karate refers to structured, long-term initiatives jointly undertaken by clubs, federations and partner organisations from different countries, which together plan, implement and promote sports and educational activities. Such cooperation often goes beyond occasional camps or friendly training sessions: it includes the joint development of training methods, the creation of digital tools, the organisation of events involving various social groups, as well as the design and implementation of training programmes for coaches and athletes, including karate seminars conducted by coaches during visits to karate clubs in other countries. Transnational cooperation is carried out by clubs independently, with the support of club members and sponsors, and also through the use of external funding, including European funds. Its primary purpose is to raise the standard of the sport, but also to enhance intercultural exchange, foster mutual respect and break down stereotypes. Through joint activities, competitors, coaches and entire clubs have the opportunity to discover different schools and working styles, learn from one another, and develop linguistic and social skills. Transnational karate projects can also serve as a tool for including people with fewer opportunities, promoting healthy lifestyles, ensuring equal opportunities for women and men in sport, and strengthening the role of karate as an educational and social tool, rather than solely as a form of sporting competition.

1.2. Cross-border cooperation and its importance for karate clubs. Benefits of cross-border partnerships for karate clubs.

Karate clubs derive numerous benefits from transnational cooperation, thereby enhancing their sporting and organisational development. The main benefits that karate clubs can derive from transnational cooperation are outlined below:

1) Sharing knowledge and experience·

• Access to innovative training methods, digital tools and training programmes that are difficult to obtain locally, e.g., through seminars with coaches from other countries.​
• Standardisation of coaching and refereeing rules and licences through membership of federations such as the WKF or the EKF.​

2) Development of talent and skills

• Participation in prestigious international tournaments (WKF World Championships, Karate1 Premier League), athlete exchanges and training camps.​
• Joint Erasmus+ projects such as ‘Karate. More than sport!”, promoting inclusion and the development of a dual-career model, i.e., a model in which an athlete pursues a sporting career in parallel with education and/or professional work, so that, at the end of their sporting career, they have genuine qualifications and the opportunity to work outside of sport.​

3) Funding and resources

• Access to EU funding (Erasmus+ Sport: €30,000–€400,000 lump sum), for events, mobility and digital tools.​
• Staff exchanges (e.g., job shadowing as part of Erasmus projects) and partnerships with universities, non-governmental organisations or local authorities.​

4) Image and visibility

• Increased recognition through European awards, distinctions and strategic partnerships with the WKF/EKF.​
• Attracting new members and sponsors and promoting karate as an appealing form of physical activity among the public.​

5) Participation in long-term partner networks:

• Building long-term relationships with clubs from other countries to facilitate joint tournaments and projects.
• Strengthening the club’s position through networking and the global promotion of karate

2. Core content – a practical guide, challenges and recommendations 

2.1. Main forms of transnational cooperation between karate clubs.

For karate clubs, engagement in transnational cooperation is becoming increasingly important in terms of opportunities to share knowledge, the experiences of coaches and competitors, and to organise joint training sessions and seminars. The ability to develop transnational cooperation between karate clubs is based on three main elements:

• Affiliation with national and international organisations: A key factor enabling transnational cooperation is the affiliation of karate clubs with international structures. In practice, this is most often done indirectly – through membership of national karate associations and federations, which represent clubs at the European and global levels. In Poland, karate clubs can join organisations such as the Polish Karate Union, the Polish Traditional Karate Association and the Polish Kyokushin Karate Association, among others. Membership in these structures paves the way for direct or indirect participation in the work of international federations, such as the World Karate Federation (WKF) or the European Karate Federation (EKF). In Denmark, clubs join the Dansk Karate Forbund (DKF), which is also a member of the EKF and the WKF. In Slovakia, karate and kobudō clubs are united under the Slovak Federation of Karate and Martial Arts (SFKaMA), which is a member of the World Union of Karate-Do Federations (WUKF) and organises international tournaments such as the WUKF European Cup / Slovakia Open. Membership of national associations provides clubs with access to the instructor, referee and competitor licences required to participate in official national and international competitions. It also provides the opportunity to compete in prestigious events, such as the WKF World Championships or the Karate1 Premier League series, thereby opening the door to cross-border sports cooperation. Membership in national and international organisations also facilitates coach exchanges, joint training sessions and long-term partnerships – including with Japanese federations such as the JKA, which has a branch in Poland (Polish Federation of Japanese Karate). The activities of these structures promote the standardisation of rules, facilitate the development of the sport through regular contact with foreign federations, and enhance the international visibility of karate clubs. As a result, clubs benefit from greater opportunities to exchange experiences, raise their sporting standards and promote karate on the global stage.
• Transnational projects: Participation in international projects provides access to new knowledge and innovative training models that are difficult to obtain solely at the local level, while also enhancing clubs’ recognition through European awards, accolades and international partnerships developed as part of these projects. As the following sections of this publication will demonstrate, transnational projects deliver tangible benefits in areas such as knowledge exchange, talent development and public image, while also providing a realistic pathway to accessing EU funding programmes such as Erasmus+ Sport.
• Joint events and seminars: Participating in and organising such events is important not only in terms of developing athletes’ sporting skills and training coaches, but also for building a positive image for clubs, promoting their activities and attracting new athletes. These types of events are typically organised independently by clubs; partners for joint activities are most often selected from among organisations whose representatives have previously met at other events. Furthermore, contacts are frequently established via social media, where clubs maintain accounts and regularly post information about their activities.

2.2. Funding opportunities for karate projects

Under the financial perspective of the European Funds for the period 2021–2027, karate clubs can benefit from a wide range of funding opportunities through the Erasmus+ Sport programme and, for more advanced research projects, also through the Horizon Europe programme. Erasmus+ Sport remains the primary instrument for the karate community, as it combines a straightforward lump-sum approach with a focus on transnational cooperation, inclusion, digital transformation and the promotion of healthy lifestyles through physical activity. Karate clubs can apply both as project coordinators and as partners, provided they have legal personality and the capacity to manage the project, and can demonstrate the project’s impact on the wider community, not just on their own athletes.

For most karate organisations, the most accessible option is a Small-Scale Partnership in Sport, which features a simplified lump-sum budget (€30,000 or €60,000) and a minimum consortium of two organisations from two Erasmus+ programme countries. This type of project is primarily intended for smaller clubs and organisations with limited experience in EU projects that wish to engage in transnational cooperation. A typical karate project in this category may include: organising international training camps, series of joint training sessions and online seminars, short coach exchanges, and developing basic educational materials on topics such as safety, the values of fair play, or the prevention of peer violence. It is important for the project to clearly align with the Erasmus+ priorities in sport, such as social inclusion, gender equality, the green transition (e.g., an environmentally friendly approach to event organisation) and the use of digital tools in education/training.

More experienced organisations may aim for Cooperation Partnerships in Sport, with flat-rate budgets of €120,000, €250,000 or €400,000 and a requirement to include at least three organisations from three different countries in the consortium. In projects of this type, karate can serve as the core around which a broader package of activities is developed: the creation of joint coach training programmes, e‑learning modules, tools for monitoring training loads, methods to support athletes’ dual careers, or models of cooperation between clubs and schools. Partnerships can bring together karate clubs, federations, youth organisations, universities and local government institutions, which enhances the project’s credibility and increases its chances of sustainability, as well as the widespread application of the developed solutions and working methods in practice. The lump-sum budget is used to fund, among other things, partnership meetings, local events, pilot activities, the development of educational materials and digital tools, and the dissemination of results.

Other key Erasmus+ Sport instruments include non-commercial European sporting events and capacity-building projects in the field of sport, which are particularly attractive to karate federations or large networks of clubs operating outside the EU itself. In the first case, funding is available for large-scale karate tournaments, festivals or karate weeks with a European dimension, focusing on volunteering, social inclusion (e.g., sections for people with disabilities), combating discrimination, promoting gender equality, or developing healthy eating and physical activity habits. Capacity-building projects in the field of sport (funding rates of up to 80%, amounts ranging from €100,000 to €200,000) enable the implementation of development activities in non-EU partner countries, such as the establishment of karate structures in schools, instructor training programmes in disadvantaged regions, anti-violence campaigns, and social reconciliation initiatives using karate as a tool to build trust and social skills. In these projects, activities are primarily focused on building the capacity of organisations from two regions not associated with the Erasmus+ programme – the Eastern Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans – but organisations from associated countries (including Poland, Slovakia and Denmark) can participate as partners, sharing knowledge and experience and jointly developing solutions to be implemented in countries not associated with the Erasmus+ programme.

An important complement to these initiatives are the sports staff mobility projects managed by the national Erasmus agencies, which enable karate coaches and other sports staff to undertake short-term placements abroad (Erasmus+ Sport Staff Mobility programme). One example of activities within such projects is job shadowing, which lasts from 2 to 14 days and enables staff to observe work at partner clubs, participate in training sessions and analyse training systems, while longer placements (15–60 days) allow staff to deliver sessions, co-create training programmes and test new methods. These projects are particularly useful for federations and clubs planning to reform their training systems and wishing to adopt models used in countries with a high level of elite sport.

In addition to Erasmus+ Sport, karate can also feature in youth projects (KA1), where it serves as a tool for non-formal education. Youth exchanges can combine daily karate training with workshops on intercultural communication, violence prevention, self-confidence building or career planning, thereby enhancing the project’s social impact.

When it comes to applying for grants to implement projects involving karate clubs, under the Erasmus+ programmes, karate clubs can find information on current calls for proposals both at the central European Union level and through their national programme agencies. Current Erasmus+ calls for proposals, including those in the field of sport (e.g., cooperation projects, small partnerships, capacity-building activities), are published on the EU Funding & Tenders portal and on the websites of the Erasmus+ National Agencies in the individual Member States, where detailed participation conditions and application deadlines are provided. Below are links to central calls for proposals and to calls for proposals organised by the Erasmus National Agencies in partner countries – Poland, Denmark and Slovakia. Further practical information on searching for calls for proposals is provided in Section 2.5.

2.3. Barriers to transnational cooperation between karate clubs and methods of prevention:

Table

1: Barriers to transnational cooperation and ways to minimise them

Barrier	How to prevent / minimise
Limited human and financial resources of karate clubs	Already at the project planning stage, allocate a budget for coordination (staff, administration); include team members other than coaches (volunteers, competitors with relevant knowledge/experience); divide tasks between partners in line with their actual capabilities; in Erasmus projects, involve a partner with staff resources and experience (e.g., an NGO); for independent seminars and trips, develop cooperation with sponsors, maintain active social media profiles, reach out to companies/individuals who can support the club; maximise funding for project activities.
Linguistic and cultural differences	Establish a working language (e.g., English); use written translations and email communication; provide brief summaries after meetings; at the start of the partnership, organise a session on ‘Getting to know our club customs’ (online or at the first camp); for projects, explore the possibility of allocating part of the budget to interpreting/simultaneous interpreting for larger meetings.
Lack of clear objectives and division of roles	Before submitting the application, set out the shared sporting and social objectives; prepare a simple ‘role map’ (who is responsible for what); adopt this as an internal partnership agreement binding on all parties.
Insufficient experience with EU projects / bureaucracy	Select an experienced coordinator or add a ‘mentor’ organisation to the consortium; use ready-made templates (participant lists, reports); attend training sessions provided by National Agencies; start with smaller projects – this project could serve as an example of such an approach.

2.4. Examples of transnational cooperation between karate clubs:

 In  recent years, karate clubs from various EU countries have been involved in several interesting transnational projects:

• The currently ongoing project ‘Karate more than sport: A reinforced cooperation to promote karate as a tool for health, personal growth and social integration within the European youth.[1]’, funded under the Erasmus+ programme, Small-scale cooperation partnerships in the field of sport action. As part of the project, this Karate Programme is being developed, targeting young people, especially those from disadvantaged groups, and has been created through collaboration between karate experts and coaches, with the participation of young people from Poland, Slovakia and Denmark. The programme will serve as an educational tool promoting health, personal development and social integration, focusing on the inclusion of disadvantaged individuals, groups at risk of exclusion, mental training, motivation, stress in sport, and effective cooperation between clubs (including transnational cooperation). It will be developed through online consultations with karate coaches, a sports psychologist and experts, and implemented via coach training and an open international training session held in Poland. The outcome will be an open-access e-learning resource, ‘Karate. More than sport!”, featuring a virtual coach, video guides and infographics, translated into Polish, Slovak, Danish and English, and ready for replication at other clubs and institutions.
• Project IKONS – Inclusive Karate: A New Perspective to Decrease Sedentary Lifestyle and Increase Self-Confidence in Down Syndrome[2].  This is an Erasmus+ Sport initiative (2019–2021), coordinated by the Università degli Studi di Roma ‘Foro Italico’ (Italy). The partners include sports and karate organisations, such as the Inclusive Karate Federation (IKF, Belgium), the Romanian Karate Federation, Karate Bregenz (Austria), an association from Hungary, the Italian federation FIJKAM, and other non-profit organisations promoting inclusion. Activities included contextual surveys, a ‘Train the Trainers’ course in Belgium on adapting karate for people with DS (pictograms, colours), pilot training sessions (43 weeks, 80 sessions) in five countries, and longitudinal studies assessing the impact on motor and cognitive functions. The outcome is a validated inclusive karate protocol that improves coordination, muscle strength, postural stability, cognitive functions and social integration in individuals with Down syndrome (aged 15–40), with a focus on increasing physical activity and self-esteem.
• Project: ‘KATAUTISM – Judo programme for the inclusion of autistic children at primary school does not concern karate but judo; however, as a transnational collaboration between judo clubs, it may serve as a valuable source of inspiration for karate clubs planning their own initiatives. The project is being implemented in collaboration with partners from five European countries, with the Italian Judo Federation acting as coordinator. KATAUTISM focuses on preparing judo coaches to work with children on the autism spectrum through specialised training, adapted training methods, and the development of teaching materials and e‑learning content. This demonstrates how martial arts clubs and federations can collaborate to develop innovative solutions for the inclusion of children with autism, and a similar model – comprising international partnership, coach training and a shared methodology – can also be successfully applied to karate projects.

2.5. Online platforms supporting transnational cooperation involving karate clubs.

2.5.1. European Commission Funding and Tenders Portal:

This is the European Commission’s portal, where calls for proposals announced by the European Commission are published. Some of the calls, mainly under the Erasmus programme (Capacity building in the field of sport, Cooperation partnerships in the field of sport, Small-scale cooperation partnerships in the field of sport), are calls for applications for funding to implement sports projects, including karate projects. In addition to submitting project proposals, the portal enables organisations to search for project partners and to express their interest in participating as partners in projects led by other organisations. On the pages for specific calls, it is possible to add an announcement from your organisation and indicate whether you are seeking a partner for your project (by selecting the ‘Expertise request’ option) or whether your organisation is interested in joining an existing or emerging consortium as a partner.

How to find the right call:  

1. Go to the Funding and Tenders portal: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/home–
2. Go to the ‘Funding’ tab (top left) and select ‘Calls for proposals’; you will then be taken to the tab containing all the calls for proposals announced by the European Commission in recent years.
3. To limit the search to currently open and planned calls, go to ‘Submission status’ and select only ‘Open for submission’ and ‘Forthcoming’, which will filter out calls that have already closed. In the ‘quick search’ field shown below, you can enter the topic you are interested in or a keyword that will enable the website to identify the most relevant calls for proposals; for example, you can enter ‘sport’, ‘education’, ‘science’, etc. It is advisable to use a fairly general search criterion, as this will enable you to find a larger number of calls under which you could potentially establish transnational partnerships. The recommended keywords to help find opportunities for karate clubs are primarily ‘sport’, ‘Erasmus’, ‘youth’, ‘education’ and ‘inclusion’.
4. Next, select the call that interests you. After clicking on the name of the call, you will be redirected to a page where you can find information about the call, as well as the ‘Partner search announcements’ section located in the middle of the page. 
5. By clicking the ‘Edit’ button, we will be redirected to a page where we can add information about our organisation, indicating whether we are seeking partners for our project or whether we are interested in joining another organisation’s project as a partner. To do this, you need to click the ‘Add’ button at the top right of the page. You can then enter a few sentences about your organisation and your expectations regarding the partnership or project, and indicate what your organisation could potentially contribute to the project as a partner, what you specialise in, what experience you have, and the extent of your knowledge on the subject of the call. Once this information has been added, all organisations visiting the call page will be able to see our organisation’s interest in the project and contact us via the Funding and Tenders Portal system (messages sent to us will be delivered to the email address provided when registering our organisation on the portal and will also appear on our profile on the FTOP portal).   

Furthermore, if the club is interested in a particular call, it is advisable to review the announcements posted by other organisations in the Partner Search Announcements section. Organisations looking for partners for their projects often add their profiles there. If we are interested in an announcement or piece of information, we can send a message to the organisation that posted the announcement by clicking the ‘Contact’ button.  On the other hand, by clicking the ‘Organisation’ button, we will be redirected to a more detailed profile of the organisation, where we can view information about the projects it has carried out (both as lead partner and as partner), the organisations it has collaborated with on projects, and its other announcements. This will give us an opportunity to see what our potential partner does and will enable us to identify other potentially interesting calls for funding applications.

Websites of the Erasmus+ National Agencies

Calls for proposals relating to mobility (including the mobility of sports teams) and cooperation partnerships for youth, school education and adult education, in which karate clubs can participate, are announced on the websites of the national Erasmus+ agencies. On the websites of the national agencies, you should look for calls under the tabs ‘Sport’, ‘Cooperation Partnerships’ and ‘Small-scale Partnerships’, where karate clubs can apply as applicants or partners. Below are links to the relevant websites:

• Poland – Erasmus+ National Agency: https://erasmusplus.org.pl/
• Slovakia – Erasmus+ National Agency: To explore the possibilities of applying to the Agency, please visit: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/opportunities/possibilities-by-country/en_slovakia·
• Denmark – Erasmus+ National Agency: https://ufsn.dk/tilskud-puljer-og-bevillinger/tilskud-til-internationalt-samarbejde-om-uddannelse/erasmusplus/

2.5.2. eTwinning (schools + karate)eTwinning

is a collaboration platform for schools, pupils and teachers who carry out joint online educational projects using digital tools. For karate clubs, it is particularly important that they can collaborate with local schools (e.g., as a supporting partner) and incorporate elements of karate and physical activity into international projects related to health, social inclusion, violence prevention or the promotion of an active lifestyle.

The eTwinning community comprises teachers of all subjects working with pupils aged 3–19, as well as librarians and educational counsellors, who, together with karate clubs, can develop projects that combine formal education and extracurricular sport. The programme has been running since 2005 and covers over 40 countries, enabling karate clubs (via schools) to easily find partners from other countries, e.g., for joint sports days, online youth exchanges, or campaigns on traditional sports and health.

The eTwinning platform (part of the European School Education Platform) can be found at: < https://school-education.ec.europa.eu/en/etwinning>

Through the platform, it is possible to make contact with nurseries, primary and secondary schools from EU countries, as well as from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Turkey, among others, and from selected neighbouring countries (e.g. Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine, Tunisia). This enables school-based karate clubs to organise projects with partners from very different geographical and cultural backgrounds.

Through the platform, collaboration projects are carried out at no cost – after registering, teachers have access to free tools (TwinSpace, forums, chats, resources) that can be used, for example, for:

• Joint online training sessions (video),
• Workshops on the values of sport, fair play and gender equality,
• Projects on traditional sports and martial arts.

The tools are safe for pupils, which is important for karate clubs working with minors – the environment is closed and access-controlled. On the European Platform for School Education, the eTwinning section offers project kits, examples of practices and resources that can be adapted for sports projects involving karate clubs. Practical information can be found on the eTwinning website and at the National Support Services, while numerous webinars and examples are available on the official eTwinning Europe YouTube channel.

2.5.3. EPALE (adults, trainers, instructors)EPALE

is a European, multilingual, open social platform for professionals in the field of adult education – educators, trainers, instructors, counsellors, researchers and policymakers. For karate clubs, this is a particularly useful tool if they work with adults (players, coaches, volunteers, parents) and wish to develop sports-based educational, training or community projects.

The platform is available at:

<https://epale.ec.europa.eu/pl>

EPALE enables you to:

• Search for project partners (e.g., Erasmus+ Sport, adult education) – using the ‘Partner search’ tool,
• Establish cooperation between adult education organisations, including sports clubs operating as providers of non-formal training,
• Exchange experiences related to working with adults through sport (inclusion, health, activation of people aged 50+, integration of migrants, etc.).

The platform offers publications, open educational resources, descriptions of working methods, a catalogue of online courses, information on European and national events, and inspiring examples of projects in which sport and physical activity serve as educational and social tools. On the platform, karate clubs can:

• Promote their activities (e.g., Erasmus+ Sport projects, local programmes for adults),
• Publish articles on innovative training methods and the use of karate in adult education,
• Establish contacts with other organisations and experts from across Europe.

Users can comment on the activities of other organisations, share knowledge and establish long-term partnerships, which helps karate clubs to move beyond the local level and join the European cooperation network. Additional guidance, webinars and project examples are also available on the official ‘EPALE – Adult Learning in Europe’ YouTube channel, which facilitates the rapid implementation of ideas for projects involving sport and martial arts.

3. Summary

Transnational cooperation between karate clubs delivers tangible, long-term benefits that go beyond one-off trips or camps. It enables the systematic exchange of coaching expertise, the development of talent, and access to prestigious tournaments and training courses, which tangibly elevates the club’s sporting standards. Thanks to projects funded through Erasmus+ Sport (small partnerships, larger cooperation partnerships, staff mobility), clubs can finance camps, seminars, digital tools and activities that include people with fewer opportunities, without placing an excessive burden on their own budget. Participation in partner networks and international federations enhances the club’s recognition, makes it easier to attract sponsors and builds credibility within the local community. Furthermore, collaborating with partners from different countries develops the language and social skills of competitors and coaches, and helps karate to be seen as a tool for education, health promotion and integration, rather than merely as a form of sporting competition. The Heket Foundation continuously monitors opportunities for transnational initiatives; if you are interested in collaborating on a specific karate-related idea, we would be happy to explore funding possibilities. I hope that this publication will enable you to learn about the opportunities for strengthening transnational cooperation between karate clubs, both within and beyond the project, and that the ‘Karate – More than Sport’ project will mark the beginning of long-term cooperation in promoting karate and using the sport as a tool for social integration and the promotion of healthy lifestyles.