2026 Talent Acquisition Playbook
How sports & outdoor talents really decide where to apply in 2026
The sports and outdoor industry has long attracted talent through passion alone. That era is over.
The sector has professionalised fast. Brands have scaled globally, competition for expert profiles has intensified, and the best candidates now have more options than ever. Passion still matters, but it’s no longer enough to attract the people you need.
To win the talent race in 2026, organisations must invest deliberately in their employer brand. Not when a role opens. Continuously.
This study shows you how.
A data-driven study based on 200+ professionals across Europe.
Many organisations believe they are doing employer branding when they post a job offer. But for talents, employer branding happens long before that. It is built over time, through visibility, consistency, and the signals an organisation sends when it is not actively hiring. By the time a role is published, candidates have often already formed an opinion, and sometimes already decided.
That's why we conducted this study
Most organisations think they’re doing employer branding when they post a job. Candidates have already formed their opinion long before that.
To understand exactly how, and what it means for talent acquisition in 2026, SPORTYJOB surveyed 200+ professionals across Europe and gathered real-world practices from HR teams at Columbia and Amer Sports.
The result: a clear, grounded analysis of what truly shapes candidate decisions. Before the first application is ever submitted.
200+ professionals
Across Europe
Columbia and Amer Sports
Real HR teams
Real-world practices
Not theory
By downloading this study, you will understand:
- why 1 in 3 candidates has already ruled you out before your job post goes live
- which information sources candidates actually trust, and which ones they ignore
- the exact signals that make experts hesitate, disengage, or walk away
- how expectations shift between junior profiles and senior experts
- what "always-on" employer branding looks like in practice
- the 6 concrete actions HR teams can take right now to stay visible year-round
This is not about trends.
It’s about aligning your talent acquisition strategy with how candidates actually think and decide.
This study is grounded in real practices and real insights from leading players in the industry.
With contributions from HR teams at Columbia and Amer Sports, the findings are connected to concrete employer branding and talent acquisition decisions, not theory.
Download the full study and access the complete analysis, including:
Free – no credit card required
Ready to put these insights into action?
Download the study, and as a bonus, get 10% off your next job posting on SPORTYJOB for 30 days. A concrete first step to increase your employer brand visibility while the insights are fresh.
Build clarity. Build credibility. Stay visible as an employer all year long.
Employer branding doesn’t start when you post a job.
It starts long before, and it never really stops.
Understanding how talents form opinions is now a strategic advantage.