The 2026 EUF Youth Conference brought together European National Federations to build sustainable youth programs and create opportunities in Ultimate.

National federations from across Europe gathered in Vienna, Austria, from August 8th to 9th at the Austrian National Football Team Campus as the European Ultimate Federation (EUF) held the highly successful 2026 Youth Conference.

Hosted alongside the Under 17 European Youth Ultimate Championships, the event gathered federation leaders, youth practitioners, board representatives and grassroots leaders.

The conference addressed a central question “how can we create sustainable youth programs and opportunities within European Ultimate?” and was designed around a structured progression—moving from a shared vision on the first day to concrete next steps on the next—to ensure attendees could take actionable ideas back to their national federations and communities.

Activities began on Saturday, August 8th, with a focus on moving from vision to sustainable youth projects. Following a welcome and introduction from EUF and Youth Committee representatives Oddi and Gabriele, participants engaged in a short interactive icebreaker. The day featured inspiring case studies on successful grassroots initiatives from Emma Venneker (Jeugd Ultimate Nederland), Max and Sylvia Calza alongside Marco Delavedova  (Libera ASD), Hemma Gritsch (Austrian Youth Project), and Ine Lanckriet (Gentle Ultimate). The first day wrapped up with a panel discussion on good practices moderated by Jakob Dunshirn (Ultimate Voices Europe).

Sunday, August 9th shifted the focus to participation, people and the structural support required for federations. After a brief introduction from Andrea “Oddi” Furlan and Gabriele Sani, WFDF Director of Membership Services and Sport Development, Dillon Richardson presented on the WFDF Academy and Partnerships for Youth Programs. This was followed by presentations on volunteer management and sustainability from German Olympic Sports Confederation Youth’s Caroline Tisson and insights on organizations and youth representation from European Non-Governmental Sport Organization Youth’s Siiri Turonen.

“This conference beautifully demonstrated the unifying spirit of the sport, building collaborations to advance the sport to more participants,” said Richardson. “By sharing case studies, resources and tools, collectively, we’re working together to create opportunities for youth that will sustain the sport’s growth for years to come.”

The collaborative weekend concluded with a panel discussion exploring how federations can support youth projects and empower youth leaders, featuring representatives from ENGSO Youth and local projects. Immediately following, a final action summary allowed participants to commit to concrete next steps to bring their shared vision to life. This approach and overall initiative directly supports WFDF’s strategic goal to assist national federations in promoting youth development as a vital path to growth.

Through participation in events like the EUF Youth Conference, WFDF continues to promote the Flying Disc lifestyle as a catalyst for teaching life skills and fostering healthy, inclusive communities globally.