Sport & Rights Alliance

What Sport & Rights Alliance does

The Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA) is a Dutch Stichting (foundation) established in 2015 and headquartered in Amsterdam that functions as a civil-society coalition advancing human rights in and through sport. It coordinates the work of ten Core Partners — Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), ILGA World, Transparency International, the World Players Association, Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Football Supporters Europe, and The Assist — alongside a wider Strategic Partner network. Its core products are policy submissions, advocacy campaigns, multi-stakeholder convenings, and survivor-support programs, most notably the Athletes Network for Safer Sports, which provides a coordinated platform for athletes affected by abuse to engage with governance reform efforts.

The Alliance's work targets international sport governing bodies (notably FIFA, the IOC, and regional federations), host states of major events, and commercial sponsors. Documented deliverables include contributions to FIFA's human-rights provisions, influence on Japan's 2025 Basic Act on Sport revision, a partnership with UNESCO on Global Policy Standards, and the Dignity 2026 campaign tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Its thematic workstreams cover athlete welfare and safe sport, workers' rights in the sport supply chain, governance reform, freedom of expression and media freedom, and inclusion of marginalized groups including LGBTQ+ athletes and fans.

The Alliance is funded by private foundations — including the Adidas Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Oak Foundation, and Svenska Postkodlotteriets Stiftelse — and operates on an explicit policy of declining government funding. A lean Secretariat of approximately five staff coordinates coalition activity, with most field execution carried out through partner organizations. The organization does not have commercial customers in the conventional sense; its "beneficiaries" are athletes, workers, journalists, fans, and marginalized sport communities, while its "funders" are a small set of institutional donors.

Name

Sport & Rights Alliance

Legal name

Stichting Sport & Rights Alliance

Website

https://sportandrightsalliance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Sport & Rights Alliance is a Dutch non-profit coalition of ten international NGOs that advocates for human rights in sport, serving athletes, workers, journalists, fans, and marginalized communities through policy campaigns targeting FIFA, the IOC, host states, and sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Human Rights Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Compliance, Governance & Integrity Services (Safeguarding, Anti-Doping, Match Integrity) (MPAKAKAM)

Keywords

• Sports human rights advocacy
• Sport governance reform
• Athlete rights protection
• Civil society coalition
• Anti-corruption sport policy

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Contributions and Project-Specific Donations: The organization is funded by contributions from private organizations and foundations worldwide. Core Partners provide in-kind contributions through expertise and leadership. The organization explicitly does not solicit or accept donations from governments. Funding supports advocacy, research, campaigns, and coalition activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Sport & Rights Alliance is a global civil society coalition of leading NGOs and trade unions that advocates for human rights, labor rights, and anti-corruption standards in world sport. It conducts research, mobilizes campaigns, negotiates directly with sport governing bodies such as the IOC, FIFA, and UEFA, and runs the Athletes Network for Safer Sports to support survivors of abuse in sport.

Product overview

The Sport & Rights Alliance operates as a global coalition of NGOs and trade unions rather than a traditional product company. Its core offerings consist of advocacy programs and initiatives: the Athletes Network for Safer Sports serves as the primary program providing support, resources, and advocacy coordination for athletes affected by abuse; the Emergency Fund offers financial assistance for legal, emotional, physical, or digital support; and the Advisory Council provides strategic guidance. The organization's activities include campaigns (such as 'Keep the World in the World Cup' and '#Hello Campaign'), research publications, policy advocacy, and coalition building across sporting events. All offerings are advocacy and support-focused rather than commercial technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Athletes Network for Safer Sports: An international network of people and organizations connected by lived experience of abuse in sport, dedicated to creating safe spaces, amplifying voices, and advocating for systemic change.

Products and services

• Athletes Network for Safer Sports An international network of athletes, allies, survivors, victims, and whistleblowers dedicated to creating safe spaces for people affected by abuse in sport, promoting healing, amplifying voices, and advocating for systemic change. It serves abuse survivors, athletes, and allies worldwide, coordinated by SRA's Network Coordinator.
• Emergency Fund A fund providing individuals impacted by violence in sport with resources to access legal, emotional, physical, or digital support services. It serves survivors and individuals affected by abuse or violence in sporting contexts.
• Core Partners Coalition (Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, ITUC, ILGA World, Transparency International, World Players Association, BWI, RSF, Football Supporters Europe, The Assist) A coalition-based advocacy service uniting ten leading international human rights, labor, anti-corruption, sport integrity, and LGBTQ+ organizations to pressure global sport governing bodies (IOC, FIFA, UEFA, FIBA) on human rights, labor rights, and anti-corruption standards. Served by sport governing bodies and event hosts as targets of advocacy and supported by institutional donors.
• 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup Human Rights Campaign A coordinated human rights campaign assessing and pressuring FIFA and host countries (USA, Mexico, Canada) on discrimination, exclusion, and misuse of power around the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup. It serves affected athletes, fans, workers, journalists, and marginalized communities by amplifying their concerns to FIFA and host governments.
• #Hello Campaign for Safe Hotline A public awareness and petition campaign calling for a safe, accessible hotline for athletes affected by abuse in sport. It targets sport governing bodies to establish confidential reporting mechanisms.

Quantifiable outcome

• Secured official FIFA recognition of Afghan Women's National Team after years of exile (April 2026)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, key project and strategic.

• Amnesty InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore Partner providing expertise in human rights. Leverages public interest in sport to broaden awareness for human rights causes. Witnessed increased human rights violations during mega sporting events including suppression of expression, forcible evictions, and exploitation of migrant workers. Steve Cockburn serves as Head of Business and Human Rights representing Amnesty on SRA leadership.
• Human Rights WatchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore Partner conducting on-the-ground research in 100+ countries documenting human rights abuses in sport for over two decades. Recent reports document worker deaths in stadium construction, anti-LGBT discrimination, gender equality violations, press freedom crimes, corporal punishment of child athletes, and sexual abuse. Minky Worden serves as Director of Global Initiatives.
• International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore Partner working to expose corrupt governance, abuses in sports supply chains, labour and child rights violations. Played key role in Qatar breakthrough. Ambet Yuson serves as General Secretary.
• ILGA World (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore Partner identifying sport as place where people feel excluded, shamed and bullied. Sport is strategic opportunity to promote change in conservative countries. Gurchaten Sandhu serves as Director of Programmes.
• Transparency InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore Partner exposing corruption in sport and management malpractices. Published Global Corruption in Sport report (2016). Tor Dølvik serves as Special Adviser.
• World Players AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore Partner bringing together 85,000 players across 100+ associations in 60+ countries. Committed to Universal Declaration of Player Rights and Project CARE for child athlete rights. Walter Palmer serves as Executive Director.
• Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore Partner grouping 365 trade unions representing 12 million members in 117 countries. Promotes workers rights in context of sustainable development. Kacey Long serves as Interim Executive Director.
• Reporters Without Borders (RSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore Partner protecting journalists and defending right to reliable information. Brings expertise on journalist safety, media freedom, and press freedom at sport events. Antoine Bernard serves as Director of Advocacy and Assistance.
• Football Supporters Europe (FSE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore Partner drawing attention to discrimination, racist abuse, policing violence against fans and supporters with disabilities. Key focus on remedy for fans affected by sexual and gender-based violence. Ronan Evain serves as Executive Director.
• The Athlete Survivors' Assist (The Assist)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore Partner founded in 2018 by 40+ survivors of sexual assault. Prioritizes survivor voices to fuel mission of supporting survivors and stopping systemic sexual abuse in sport.
• UNESCOkey projectStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating on athlete voices at heart of global safe sport standards. SRA led two-phase consultation with impacted people for UNESCO's Global Policy Standards. Joanna Maranhão co-chairs UNESCO's Global Safe Sport Taskforce.
• Humans of Sportkey projectStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on debunking IOC FAQ analysis regarding sex testing policy. Produced scientific, legal, and child safeguarding analysis of IOC policy on female category.
• Dignity 2026strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic Partner for 2026 World Cup campaign on human rights issues. Part of coalition calling for accountability from FIFA and host countries.
• Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic Partner providing safety guidance for journalists covering 2026 World Cup. Advised on immigration official questioning risks for media professionals.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Reporters Without Borders (RSF): Core Partner of SRA focused on press freedom; provides expertise on journalist safety at sport events. Overlaps on the press freedom dimension of sport governance.
• Human Rights Watch: Core Partner of SRA; conducts on-the-ground sport-related research in 100+ countries documenting worker deaths, anti-LGBT discrimination, gender equality violations, and abuse. Directly comparable on the sport-and-human-rights research and advocacy axis.
• Amnesty International: Core Partner of SRA with a dedicated Business and Human Rights portfolio; documented mega-event abuses including migrant worker exploitation and suppression of expression. Overlaps on global sport human rights advocacy and campaigning.
• World Players Association: Core Partner of SRA representing 85,000+ athletes across 100+ player associations in 60+ countries; advocates for player rights, child safeguarding (Project CARE), and the Universal Declaration of Player Rights. Closely intertwined with SRA and overlapping on athlete advocacy.
• International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC): Core Partner of SRA and the global labor umbrella; played a key role in the Qatar worker rights breakthrough. Directly comparable on labor-rights-in-sport advocacy, particularly for mega-event supply chains.
• Transparency International: Core Partner of SRA and the lead anti-corruption organization globally; published the 2016 Global Corruption in Sport report. Directly comparable on the anti-corruption-in-sport agenda.
• Football Supporters Europe: Core Partner and the pan-European fans' rights body; addresses discrimination, policing, and sexual/gender-based violence against supporters. Comparably positioned as a sport-rights advocacy organization with a specific constituency lens.
• Centre for Sport and Human Rights: Independent multi-stakeholder body also focused on embedding human rights across world sport; pursues policy alignment, remedy mechanisms, and engagement with sport governing bodies — overlapping mission and tactics with SRA. Most direct comparator in the sport-and-rights niche.

Emerging players

• Athlete Ally: US-based nonprofit focused on LGBT+ inclusion in sport; complements SRA's ILGA-led work with athlete-led education and visibility programs. Partial overlap on inclusion agenda, narrower geographic and thematic scope.
• Terre des Hommes International Federation: Child rights federation whose Children Win campaign uncovered abuse around mega sporting events; Andrea Florence (SRA Executive Director) previously worked there. Thematically adjacent on child safeguarding in sport, broader portfolio beyond sport.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Sport_Rights
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sport-rights-alliance
• Instagraminstagram.com/sportandrightsalliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sport & Rights Alliance