Employability of athletes in the view of dual-career supporters

For elite athletes, reconciling sporting and professional careers is a key challenge (Ryan, 2015). The aim of the European project B-WISER, coordinated by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, was to optimize the employability of active and former elite athletes. The first part (WP1) of the project aimed at identifying the roles, contributions and interactions of different stakeholders who provide support to active and former elite athletes with regard to their employability and/or employment. In the course of an online survey, data from six European countries (Belgium, Italy, Sweden, Slovenia, Spain, Germany) were collected. The questionnaire, which comprised a total of seven question blocks, contained questions on flexibility and coaching offers of stakeholders as well as questions on special challenges, barriers and resources of the athletes. Respondents were asked to distinguish between elite athletes in three different career phases: active (D), former (R), and preparing for first-time employment (P). Around 80% of the N = 169 stakeholders stressed the need for special support for active and former elite athletes in the workplace or in employment preparation. Individual (43.02%) and group counselling (7.2%), as well as support-in-job placement (21.49%), were mentioned as coaching offers. The greatest barriers to employability in the three career phases include time constraints and a lack of long-term perspective. Former athletes seem to receive less support. Perceived challenges and barriers show the necessity of a proactive promotion, constant control and revision of athlete-specific promotion structures and support offers of the dual career.