European Athletics, the continental sporting body, has published its strategic priorities for 2016 which include the launch of a Europe vs USA match and the publication of a wide-ranging report on grassroots athletics.

The Leading Change report presented by European Athletics president Svein Arne Hansen highlighted a number of projects the organisation has been working on and will attempt to implement in the coming 12 months.

Talks with the USA federation are “making good progress” with regards to creating a Europe vs USA match for 2019 and beyond in the years without major events in Europe. The Event & Competition Commission, led by chair Toralf Nilsson, is expected to announce the initiative in the first part of 2016.

Grassroots school and club programmes were flagged as an area of priority within the document. Last November, European Athletics staged a conference devoted to club systems and youth athletics which was accompanied by a major piece of research. Its findings will be published in early 2016.

Elsewhere, the body has earmarked new competitions for under-23 athletes, the introduction of post-career scholarships and the commissioning of increased public research. The “projects to address” in 2016 all fell under five areas of priority: member federations; commercial strength; athletes; competition; relevance [of the organisation].

“It has been less than nine months since the Member Federations elected me to lead European Athletics from 2015 to 2019,” said Hansen.

“In that period the Council, our professional staff and the volunteers appointed to advise and assist us have begun working together on the many changes needed to transform our organisation, secure its future and help position our federations and the sport for long-term success.”