Luxembourg’s Ministry of Sports Presents Draft Law to Establish IPESS

On Thursday 25 September 2025, Luxembourg’s Minister of Sports, Georges Mischo, officially presented the draft law establishing the Initiative for the Promotion of Employment in the Sports Sector (IPESS).

The main objectives of the 2023-2028 coalition agreement are strengthening the organisational capacities of sports federations and clubs. According to Luxembourg’s Ministry of Sports, these organisations face growing demands in governance, quality coaching, and administrative and financial management. In this context, the IPESS aims to support the sports sector by providing professional and tailored resources.

At the moment there are nearly 1,300 clubs and 140,000 licensed members in the Luxembourg sports sector, supported by 17,200 volunteers. However, the Ministry noted that the initiative addresses the challenges of volunteering and professionalisation, pointing to a decline in long-term volunteer commitment. The IPESS seeks to create a framework that provides the sector with professional human resources on a paid basis.

The Luxembourg Badminton Federation (FELUBA) and the Luxembourg Judo Federation (FLJudo) have already tested a pilot project in this context, reporting growth in licensed members and stronger organisational capacities. Building on these positive results, the IPESS aims to extend this framework to the entire Luxembourg sports movement.

The two main missions of the IPESS are to provide services such as coaching, coordination, administration and management to clubs, federations and later municipalities, and to train professionals so they can progress in the sector and eventually be recruited directly. This dual role aims to support sustainable, high-quality employment and enhance the attractiveness of professions linked to sport.

The Ministry added that the IPESS will offer targeted services such as competitive coaching support (Train), health and fitness activities (Fit), administrative management and event organisation (Admin), and advice, training and capacity-building for clubs and federations (Development and Training/Consult). These will be provided at a cost-based rate to ensure both quality and sustainability.

The governance of the IPESS will be ensured by a board of directors responsible for defining strategic directions and ensuring good management, bringing together institutional and sectoral representatives. The institution will also rely on qualified and specialised staff recruited to meet the sector’s needs, who will form its operational force and ensure the quality of services.

The IPESS is intended as a strategic tool to complement and strengthen existing actors without replacing them, developing progressively to provide reliable and tailored services for the sector.

“With IPESS, we are giving our sports network the means to structure itself, to professionalise and to secure its future. But we are going further: we are making a lasting investment in employment in the sports sector, by creating new professional opportunities and strengthening the stability of structures. It is an investment in health, social cohesion and the attractiveness of our sports movement,” concluded Minister Mischo.