The SHOOTER Project (booSting tHe digitalisation Of eurOpean baskeTball fEdeRations) is a groundbreaking initiative funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ program. Our mission? To digitize how grassroots basketball federations manage competitions, referee appointments, licensing, statistics, and operations.
Led by the Catalan Basketball Federation, and joined by the Bulgarian Basketball Federation, Basketball Ireland, and the Kosovo Basketball Federation, with technology expertise from Optimal Way and B.link, the project is building a smarter, more transparent future for European basketball.
1. What are the goals
The SHOOTER Project is reshaping the way federations operate by targeting four key objectives:
Professionalization: Equip federations with powerful digital tools.
Efficiency: Cut down administrative time, allowing more focus on growing the game.
Transparency: Automate critical processes like referee appointments to ensure fairness.
Through this initiative, grassroots basketball becomes greener, faster, and more connected, with better experiences for clubs, players, referees, and fans.
2. The OW Platform: Smart, Modular, Tailored
At the heart of the SHOOTER Project is OWBasket, an advanced platform by Optimal Way designed to centralize and automate competition management across federations.
With OWBasket platform, federations can:
Manage competitions, schedules, and player licenses.
Automate referee assignments, tax handling, and evaluations.
Provide real-time updates, live stats, and rankings to fans.
Offer easy online registration for teams and officials.
Leverage AI-driven insights to optimize competition structures.
Customizable and scalable, OWBasket adapts to the digital maturity of each federation, making it the ultimate Digital Toolbox for grassroots sport.
3. Understanding Local Needs
Each participating federation has its own starting point in digitalization.
That’s why SHOOTER began with an in-depth analysis of the digital landscape in Catalonia, Bulgaria, Ireland, and Kosovo.
This analysis phase helped us assess existing digital tools and gaps in order to understand unique regional challenges and co-create tailored solutions based on real needs.
By embedding local insights, we ensure a sustainable, step-by-step digital transformation roadmap for each federation.
4. How Different Stakeholders Will Use the OW Platform
Federations:
Centralize competition, licensing, billing, and statistical management.
Optimize referee appointments with AI.
Monitor operations through smart dashboards.
Referees:
Manage appointments, availability, and payments through one simple platform.
Evaluate performances and access game data for self-improvement.
Teams and Coaches:
Simplify player registrations, licensing, and scheduling.
Access real-time team stats and performance reports.
Fans:
Follow competitions live via updated websites and mobile apps.
Access game results, live statistics, and latest news instantly.
5. Project Timeline
Through OWBasket, SHOOTER is bringing basketball closer to the community while empowering federations with next-gen digital governance tools.
Timeline of the process:
February 2025: The first committee meeting was held in Barcelona, where all partners got to know the OW platform and the plan for the upcoming 27 months of the SHOOTER project.
March - May 2025: Optimal Way performed an overall assessment of the digital maturity level of all four federations.
May 2025: The second committee meeting was held in Bulgaria, the Optimal Way team presented the results of their analysis, defining the challenges the partners will face during the tool development and implementation phase.
