June 2026 at ISG: Responsibility, Data and New Standards in Sport
June at ISG strongly demonstrated that responsible sport management increasingly requires not only good intentions, but also data, transparency and concrete tools. At the centre of our activities were the publication of the CSR report on Betclic 1 Liga clubs, the conclusion of the first edition of the CSR in Sport Academy, as well as topics related to greenwashing, climate change, event accessibility and the financial stability of clubs.
It was a month in which one message became particularly clear: responsibility in sport is no longer just a slogan. It is increasingly becoming an area that must be measured, reported and implemented in everyday management.
CSR Report on Betclic 1 Liga Clubs 2024/2025: Responsibility Is Growing Beyond the Ekstraklasa
The most important event of the month was the publication of a new report on the social responsibility of Betclic 1 Liga clubs for the 2024/2025 season, prepared by the Institute for Sport Governance and Sportimpakt.
The analysis covered four areas: society, environment, governance and, for the first time, financial responsibility. This year’s results show that responsibility in Polish football is developing not only at the Ekstraklasa level. More and more 1 Liga clubs are organising their internal processes, increasing transparency and implementing social initiatives with a more long-term character.
The average level of responsibility reached a historic high of 30%. The greatest progress is visible in the area of society, showing that clubs are increasingly engaging in educational, health-related, integration and local initiatives. The leaders of this year’s analysis were Warta Poznań and Miedź Legnica. Warta stood out particularly in the environmental area, while Miedź achieved the best results in the areas of society and governance.
Polonia Warszawa and Ruch Chorzów also ranked among the top clubs, having made clear progress in recent seasons. This is an important signal that social responsibility is no longer limited to a few individual clubs, but is increasingly becoming part of a broader trend toward the professionalisation of Polish football.
CSR in Sport Academy: The End of the First Edition
In June, we concluded the first edition of the CSR in Sport Academy – a series of nine webinars dedicated to responsible sport management, CSR, ESG, governance, finance, accessibility and the organisation of sports events.
The final two sessions highlighted two particularly important areas of responsibility. Jakub Szlendak discussed responsible financial management in sports clubs, emphasising that sporting decisions are very often also financial decisions. Participants were introduced to practical tools such as a 13-week cash flow forecast, a liabilities register, a revenue source map and regular financial risk reviews.
The final webinar was led by Marek Plawgo, who presented experiences related to organising an athletics event in line with the Athletics for a Better World standard, using the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial Diamond League as an example. The session showed that ESG is becoming a standard for organising top-level sports events, and that responsibility begins already at the planning stage.
The CSR in Sport Academy showed that there is a real need in the sports sector for practical knowledge about responsibility. The collected recordings, transcripts and webinar summaries remain available as a knowledge base for people and organisations that want to implement CSR and ESG in practice.
The End of Greenwashing? New EU Rules Are Changing ESG Communication
In June, another important topic was the new EU directive on greenwashing. Its aim is to limit false or misleading environmental claims and increase the transparency of ESG communication.
The new rules are intended to restrict the use of broad terms such as “eco”, “green”, “environmentally friendly” or “climate neutral” when they are not supported by reliable evidence. Organisations operating in the EU market will have to verify their communications more carefully, base environmental claims on recognised scientific evidence and analyse the full life cycle of products and services.
For the sports sector, this is a very important change. Clubs, federations, sponsors and event organisers are increasingly communicating their sustainability-related activities. The new rules mean that simply declaring something “green” will no longer be enough. Data, procedures and transparent reporting will be required.
Greenwashing in sport may now mean not only legal and financial risk, but also a loss of trust among fans, partners and sponsors.
Major Sports Events: Climate, Accessibility and Legacy
In June, we also continued analysing major sports events from the perspective of ESG and good governance. Particular attention was given to the FIFA World Cup 2026 and Women’s EURO 2025.
The 2026 World Cup will be the largest tournament in history, with 48 national teams and matches played across three countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico. However, the scale of the event also creates a major climate challenge. Estimates suggest that the tournament’s total carbon footprint could reach up to 9 million tonnes of CO₂e, with fan air travel expected to be the largest source of emissions.
At the same time, host cities such as Dallas are developing their own sustainability strategies, covering areas such as infrastructure, climate action, circular economy, biodiversity protection and social education. This shows that major sports events can be treated not only as tournaments, but also as opportunities to build partnerships and strengthen local communities.
Women’s EURO 2025, in turn, provided important examples in the area of accessibility. Audio description was available at all 31 matches, 1,384 accessibility tickets were sold, and 53 accessibility volunteers worked across the stadiums. This shows that modern sports events must be designed with the diverse needs of fans in mind from the very beginning.
Sport in the Face of Climate Change and Declining Physical Activity
June also brought topics related to the relationship between sport, climate and public health. This year’s Roland Garros showed that high temperatures are becoming a real challenge for sports event organisers. Players competed in temperatures exceeding 30°C, and many had to use additional cooling methods and medical support.
Climate change is increasingly affecting not only participant comfort, but also safety, competition calendars and the way sports events are designed. Responsible sport management will require adaptation procedures, better scheduling and investment in infrastructure resilient to extreme weather conditions.
At the same time, we analysed the global decline in physical activity. Sport is losing future participants and fans if an increasing share of society is not regularly active. This is not only a health challenge, but also an economic and social one. Cities, infrastructure, schools and local sports organisations play a key role here, because physical activity does not begin in a stadium, but in the everyday spaces where people live.
Good Governance and Inclusion: Sport Open to Everyone
In June, we also returned to a fundamental question: are sports organisations truly open to everyone?
The guide “Aqua Welcome: Empowering Newcomers Through Aquatic Physical Literacy” showed that barriers to participation in sport go far beyond financial issues. People starting life in a new country often face language barriers, cultural differences, a lack of information, limited social networks and the feeling that a given space was not designed with them in mind.
This is an important lesson for the entire sports sector. Accessible sport is not only about infrastructure, but also about communication, atmosphere, procedures and the conscious design of participant experiences.
In this context, we also continued communication around the GGCS project, which shows that good governance is not bureaucracy, but the foundation of organisational stability. Clear roles, risk management, protection of documents, transparent decision-making and the real translation of strategy into daily work are all essential elements of professional sport.
Summary
June 2026 at ISG showed that responsibility in sport is increasingly based on three pillars: data, transparency and the implementation of concrete solutions.
The sport of the future will not only have to look good in communication. Above all, it will have to prove its responsibility in practice.
