From July 30 to August 6, 2024, representatives of our club visited the organizers of a humanitarian tournament in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, to participate in an experience exchange program and gain new insights into organizing and executing such events. During the mobility, special focus was placed on involving the local community in the tournament, as well as on the technical aspects of setting up the arena and organizing workshops for children with special needs.
Before the tournament began, meetings were held with the organizers to discuss key topics such as the history and concept of the humanitarian tournament, the role of the local community and the various aspects of their support, event branding, and specific preparations for younger age categories and children with special needs.
During the tournament, meetings were held with sponsors and community members who support the project. Since our club’s players also participated in the tournament, they were included in these discussions, exchanging information and experiences during breaks. After the tournament concluded, a meeting was held with the director of the city’s sports department, where we had the opportunity to learn how the city supports this humanitarian tournament and recognizes its importance to the local community.
The main insight gained during this mobility is that communities are more willing to actively participate in events if they have a humanitarian purpose. On the other hand, sponsors require a clear vision and strategy, while the city prefers to support tournaments with a history and proven reliability. The organizers introduced us to different approaches to fundraising for humanitarian causes, including financial donations from major sponsors, product donations from small sponsors that are later converted into monetary funds, auctions of local community products, and the possibility for referees, delegates, and medical staff to donate their fees to humanitarian causes. Additionally, the tournament organizers apply for grant funding, which currently covers 40% of the tournament’s costs, with the potential to increase to 60%, thereby increasing the amount allocated to humanitarian goals.
The knowledge and experience gained will enable us to improve the organization of future events in Croatia, with a particular emphasis on strengthening cooperation with the local community, enhancing collaboration with sponsors, and developing a financial model that ensures the long-term sustainability of humanitarian tournaments.