01↗ACES ACADEMY MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGYManagement and strategy
European City of Sport Manager
Plan, manage, fund and measure a European City of Sport year.
THE FUTURE OF MUNICIPAL SPORT STARTS HERE
Develop people. Transform sport. Shape the future of cities.
Municipal sport needs new answers. ACES Academy connects local experience with applied knowledge: management, data, artificial intelligence, inclusion and social impact. Training for people ready to turn ideas into action.
✦An initiative by ACES Portugal
with the expertise of GADES Sports
with the expertise of GADES Sports
KNOWLEDGE → ACTION → IMPACT
↗
OUR PURPOSEMore active cities.
Stronger communities.
Stronger communities.
SPORT
CITY
FUTUREACES ACADEMY / PORTUGAL
CITY
FUTUREACES ACADEMY / PORTUGAL
✦ Training with real-world application
ACESDesporto para todos
AprenderCompetências para agir
PartilharExperiência que aproxima
More active people.
Cities with a brighter future.
Cities with a brighter future.
LEARN. APPLY. TRANSFORM.
Your next step starts
with a new skill.
Training designed for the people
who bring sport to their communities.
01↗ACES ACADEMY MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGY
02▥ACES ACADEMY DATA AND IMPACTData and impact
Sport Impact Manager
Use data to demonstrate the social, economic and territorial impact of sport.
03✦ACES ACADEMY INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGYInnovation and technology
AI for Municipal Sport Managers
Apply artificial intelligence to management, communication, planning and reporting.
04◎ACES ACADEMY INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGYInnovation and technology
Digital Twin of a Sporting City
Digital representations of infrastructure, events and users for better decisions.
05◈ACES ACADEMY DATA AND IMPACT
06↗ACES ACADEMY MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGYManagement and strategy
Sport Legacy Manager
Ensure major events deliver lasting benefits for the community.
07▥ACES ACADEMY PLACES AND COMMUNITIESPlaces and communities
Sport Tourism Experience Designer
Create tourism experiences through sport, local places and culture.
08✦ACES ACADEMY PLACES AND COMMUNITIESPlaces and communities
Active Municipality 24/7
Turn parks, beaches, trails, squares and schools into active spaces.
09◎ACES ACADEMY DATA AND IMPACTData and impact
ACES Sport Observatory & SROI Lab
From data to social value: collect, analyse and monitor the impact of sport.
10◈ACES ACADEMY MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGYManagement and strategy
European Sport Funding Lab
Build a European sport project through practical application.
11↗ACES ACADEMY DATA AND IMPACTData and impact
Sport City Control Room
Practise decision-making with real data. From analysis to action.
12▥ACES ACADEMY MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGYManagement and strategy
From Event to Legacy
Before, during and after: create a legacy plan for your municipality.
13✦ACES ACADEMY INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGYInnovation and technology
AI Sport City Lab
Build a municipal sport policy using AI and a final project.
No courses found.
OUR AMBITION
Knowledge makes a difference when it reaches people.
A more active city starts with people ready to listen, plan and act. Training teams helps improve services, engage new audiences and sustain projects that matter to the community.
ACES Academy, an ACES Portugal initiative powered by GADES Sports, connects knowledge, data, training and impact. From managing an event to evaluating municipal policy, the aim is to build skills that can be applied in practice.
powered by GADES SPORTSWHO WE ARE
Sport for everyone. Knowledge to make it happen.
ACES Portugal — the Portuguese Association of European Cities of Sport — promotes sport for all and supports Portuguese municipalities in their applications for recognition by ACES Europe. Inclusion, equal opportunities and community wellbeing are central to its mission.
ACES Academy brings that commitment into training, powered by GADES Sports. A place for municipal teams, sports managers, clubs and professionals to learn, share experience and improve their work.
Discover ACES Portugal ↗WHY TRAINING MATTERS
Better prepared people. Stronger communities.
Make better decisions
Turn information into priorities, realistic plans and better use of available resources.
Reach more people
Design activities that consider different ages, abilities and barriers to participation.
Improve everyday practice
Strengthen planning, team coordination and the quality of sports services.
WHO IS IT FOR?
For those who make sport happen.
Municipal sport technicians and managers, elected officials, club and association leaders, coaches and professionals who want to develop their skills and contribute to more active communities.
YOUR LEARNING JOURNEY
From the first question to practical application.
Choose your course
Read the objectives, format and available dates. Choose the training that fits your needs.
Take part and share
Manage your enrollment in your participant area and receive session information by email.
Keep learning
Access the materials made available for your course and your certificate when issued. Apply what you learn in your organisation.
A FRAMEWORK FOR DIFFERENT NEEDS
One skill. A professional pathway. A municipal project.
The reference proposal organises learning into three levels. Each programme must have its own approved objectives, schedule and conditions.
Solve a specific challenge.
Individual courses focused on a skill: planning, data, artificial intelligence, funding or community participation. A practical starting point for improving daily work.
Connect skills into a pathway.
Thematic pathways combining courses and a final practical project. The aim is to bring learning together around a professional role or area of responsibility.
Work on your community’s priorities.
A proposed institutional approach combining training, assessment and an action plan. Content is adapted to the municipality’s context and the people responsible for implementation.
ACES SPORT OBSERVATORY & SROI LAB
Understand participation. Measure outcomes. Recognise social value.
How many people take part? Who is still left out? What changes after an investment or programme? The observatory proposal brings together indicators on participation, wellbeing, inclusion, facilities, events and tourism to support better informed decisions.
The SROI Lab explores the social value generated by sport. It requires clear assumptions, evidence and transparent methods: a useful evaluation explains both its findings and its limits.
Explore the training catalogue ↗KNOWLEDGE IS THE FIRST STEP.
Join the Academy ↗