Magda Maraš Berić backs a simpler digital future for Europe’s clubs

In elite sport, digital transformation usually brings to mind performance data, wearables and advanced analytics. But for many grassroots clubs across Europe, daily life is much less glamorous. Administration is still often handled manually, communication is scattered, and there is rarely enough time to get everything done.

That is the gap the DATA project wants to close. DATA, short for Digital Administrative and Training Assistant, is designed to make club life more manageable rather than more complicated. Magda Maraš Berić of the Rijeka Sports Association says the focus is simple: a digital tool should ease the workload, not add another layer of tasks.

Her message carries weight because it comes from experience. A former professional volleyball player, Maraš Berić has spent the last decade working inside the Rijeka Sports Association, where she has seen both the sporting side and the administrative pressure clubs face. Over the last three years, her involvement in Erasmus+ Sport projects led naturally to DATA, with Rijeka serving as the coordinating partner.

The real test is not the idea itself, but whether clubs will truly use it.

One of the project’s strongest points is its practical mindset. Research, workshops and cooperation with partners from different countries have all pointed to the same lesson: if a platform is too complex, busy clubs will leave it behind. Volunteers and part-time staff do not have space for systems that demand repeated input and constant extra attention.

That is why DATA is being shaped around different users inside the same club environment. Coaches, managers, athletes and parents all need different things, and the platform is being built with that reality in mind. The aim is to turn fragmented information into something organised, useful and easier to handle.

The team also knows that introducing new technology can be uncomfortable. Instead of forcing change, the project offers support through workshops, practical demonstrations and online training courses on SportAcademy. After around a year and a half of development, the pilot phase is now approaching.

For Maraš Berić, that next step matters most. Feedback from clubs should show whether the project can become something genuinely useful across Europe’s grassroots sport landscape, helping organisations save time, improve communication and cut paperwork.

Source: EJU.net

Image source: EJU / European Judo Union