International sports strategist Geoff Wilson shares practical roadmap with National Federations across Europe

The CEV Development Department hosted an online webinar on strategic planning for its member National Federations, delivered by international sports business consultant Geoff Wilson. The session gave federation leaders a clear, practical framework for setting direction, aligning people and resources, and turning ambition into measurable results.

The webinar, held this past Friday, drew strong interest from across the continent. 75 participants registered, representing 30 National Federations from Andorra to Azerbaijan and from Scotland to Cyprus. Around 20 registrants hold senior leadership roles, including Presidents, CEOs, Secretaries General and Board of Administration members, joined by development officers, national team directors, marketing and communications staff, and coaches.

A roadmap for every federation
Geoff Wilson framed a strategic plan as a roadmap that clarifies where an organisation wants to go and how it will get there. The webinar drew on real examples from National Federations in Europe and showed how to write SMART objectives. Practical templates covered objective setting, annual budgeting, and progress tracking. 

Why CEV Development is investing in federation planning
Strong National Federations are the foundation of a growing Volleyball community. When they know where they are heading, they can attract partners, use limited resources wisely, support their clubs and open the sport to more players, coaches, referees, and volunteers at every level.
This webinar is part of the wider CEV Development programme, which supports member Federations through education, knowledge sharing, and capacity building. By connecting National Federations with leading experts from across the sports industry, CEV Development aims to raise the standard of governance and management across European Volleyball, so that every federation, whatever its size, can plan with confidence and grow the game in its own country.

Geoff Wilson on the webinar
"A strong strategic plan gives a sports organisation clear direction, aligns people and resources, and turns ambition into measurable progress. It is great to see CEV supporting its member federations through this webinar programme, helping them plan confidently for the future. I was delighted to be invited to share my knowledge and experience with Volleyball Federations across Europe," said Geoff Wilson, Global Sports Strategist.

Geoff Wilson is an experienced sports business consultant and former Head of Marketing and Communications at the Irish Football Association. He works with leading international sports organisations, including FIFA, UEFA, AFC, CAF and FIBA, across areas such as strategic planning, sports marketing and communications, fan engagement, digital strategy, governance, league and club development, and capacity building. Wilson has also served on several sports and tourism boards and regularly shares his expertise through consultancy, teaching, and industry programmes. He is the author of Leading a Grassroots Sports Club: A Practical Guide to Managing and Developing Your Club (Routledge).