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As a sporting career at the highest level is relatively short, many elite athletes choose to de-velop a new professional career after their sporting career. Perseverance and dealing with ad-versity are typically pointed out as competencies former elite athletes possess and which may pave the way for also being a valuable employee. Given this perception, career development re-search engaged in identifying athletes and career support providers’ perspectives on the chal-lenges, barriers, and resources relevant to athletes pursuing another vocational career (e.g., B-WISER, 2018). Nevertheless, research considering the perspective of employers regarding ath-letes as employees is scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the perceptions of em-ployers (not) to employ active and/or former elite athletes. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews with 58 employers (42% female) from six Euro-pean countries (Belgium = 14, Germany = 3, Italy = 15, Slovenia = 14, Spain = 8, Sweden = 4) were conducted. Employers from both the public (38%) and private (62%) employment sector were sampled and represented sport-related (26%; e.g., Olympic Committees, sport research institutions, sport policy institutions) and nonsport-related (74%; e.g., audit and tax services, sales) organizations. Thematic data analysis revealed athlete-related and employer-related reasons to both employ and not employ athletes. The main reasons put forward by employers to employ athletes in-cluded life skills, awareness and recognition, sport affinity and organizational policy. On the other hand, gaps in both athletes’ personal and vocational development (e.g., lack of job specific skills, lack of availability, unrealistic expectations, lack of job search competencies) were seen as reasons not to employ athletes. Additionally, some practical reasons (e.g., limited availability, no financial or legal advantage) made employers believe that athletes do not make good em-ployees. In general, however, it should be noted that employers’ decision to or not to employ a new workforce is mainly based on the person itself and the competencies accompanied with the person, rather than on the title of athlete. This is the first study to explore the broader spectrum of employers’ perspectives on athletes’ employability. Findings can provide a basis to develop methods and promote the added value of employing elite athletes.

Athletes’ transition into a new, post-athletic career represents a challenging part of athletes’ careers. Due to the diverse combination of demands that athletes may face when retiring (e.g., adjustment to the new social status, changing social network, physical deterioration), an increasing demand is being placed on athletes’ sporting entourage to provide athletes the necessary support both during and after the sporting career (e.g., Gledhill & Harwood, 2015, Wylleman et al., 2020). While research is clear on the value of coaches in supporting athletes throughout different transition processes, studies investigating coaches’ perspectives on athletes’ career development towards a new, post-athletic career is scarce. This study therefore aimed to gain an insight in coaches’ perspectives on athletes’ preparation for and transition to a new, post-athletic career. A qualitative study design using eighteen semi-structured interviews with coaches was adopted. Participating coaches included active or former coaches (100% male) who supervise or supervised elite athletes competing at minimum national level in team sports (56%) or international level in individual sports (44%). Inductive thematic content analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) allowed us to gain a detailed picture of meaningful patterns within coaches’ perspectives on supporting athletes in their preparation for and transition to a new, post-athletic career. While most of the coaches believed that certain preparation pathways, such as a dual career ‘elite sport and study or work’ hold multiple benefits (e.g., competency development, sense of security, welcome distraction from the elite sport demands), others expressed their fears of a dual career distracting elite athletes too much from their sporting goals. Nevertheless, the majority of coaches indicated to be willing to support athletes in their preparation for a a new, post-athletic career. Examples of support indicated by the coaches were, amongst others, adapting the timings of training moments to an athlete’s study scheme and using the coach’s network to facilitate an athlete’s job search. However, while reaching out to elite athletes in their preparation for a new, post-athletic career seemed obvious to most coaches, it was perceived that it is not a coach’s responsibility to foresee guidance and help during the transition itself. Generally, coaches found they lack the necessary competencies to adequately support athletes in the transition phase. Study findings can serve as a basis to raise awareness within coaches on the importance of athletes’ holistic development and to develop methods for coaches on how to integrate such holistic perspective in their coaching.

Introduction: Elite athletes typically retire from sport at a relatively young age which implies that, after their sporting career, most engage in a new professional career. When entering the job market, many athletes rely on the potential transfer of competencies developed throughout their athletic career (e.g., leadership). This study aimed at identifying (1) the competencies athletes perceive as giving them a competitive advantage on the job market, and (2) the matches and mismatches between athletes’ and employers’ perceptions on this potential competitive advantage. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining the Athletes Competency Questionnaire for Employability (ACQE) and focus groups and interviews. In total, 954 elite athletes (54% active, 46% former) completed the ACQE, consisting of 28 items structured within four higher-order competencies (i.e., Career & Lifestyle Management, Career Communication, Career Resilience, Career Engagement & Flexibility). Participants selected five items they felt (would) give them the biggest competitive advantage on the job market. Second, five focus groups and six semi-structured interviews with 58 employers were conducted on the topic of athletes’ employability. Qualitative data were analysed inductively using thematic data analysis. Results: Athletes report that they gain a competitive advantage from ‘Career Resilience’ and ‘Career & Lifestyle Management’. Employers largely support the athletes’ perceptions and confirmed that athletes’ strongest competencies can be an added value for their company. A mismatch between athletes’ and employers’ perceptions was identified for ‘Career Communication’. While employers view athletes as strong communicators and networkers, athletes indicated that building a professional network is their greatest weakness. Conclusion: This is the first study to identify and compare athletes’ and employers’ perceptions regarding employability. Findings highlight that, in addition to developing facilitating structures, employers and career support providers should focus on assisting athletes in developing competencies to maximize their chances on the job market.

Inleiding / Introduction Ondanks hij het belang van een brede persoonlijke ontwikkeling niet miskende, bleek Johan Cruijff, één van de grootste voetballers aller tijden, onvoldoende voorbereid op de post-voetbal carrière. Zoals zijn korte ondernemerscarrière liet uitblijken, liep Johan nogal snel buitenspel in zijn nieuwe carrière. Om dergelijke scenario’s te vermijden, ijveren onderzoekers (bv. Lavallee, 2019; Stambulova, 2003; Wylleman, 2019) om voetballers niet enkel te coachen en monitoren in hun sportieve ontwikkeling, maar ook in hun competentieontwikkeling op andere vlakken. Smismans en collega’s (2020, in press) ontwikkelden daarom de Athletes’ Competency Questionnaire for Employability (ACQE), een instrument om de competenties van topsporters noodzakelijk ter optimalisatie van hun inzetbaarheid in een nieuwe carrière in kaart te brengen. Na initiële validatie bij 954 topsporters uit verschillende disciplines, werd de ACQE in deze studie gebruikt bij profvoetballers. Doelstelling / Aim Het doel van deze presentatie is tweeledig: (1) uitlichten in welke mate professionele voetballers de competenties beheersen die noodzakelijk zijn om hun inzetbaarheid in een nieuwe carrière te optimaliseren en (2) de praktische toepasbaarheid van de ACQE ter ondersteuning van professionele voetballers in hun transitieproces kaderen. Methode / Method Deze studie maakt deel uit van het Erasmus + Sport Project ‘Mind the Gap’, gecoördineerd door FIFPRO, de internationale vakbond die zich wereldwijd bezighoudt met professionele voetballers. Participanten werden gerekruteerd via e-mail door de verschillende spelersorganisaties die deel uitmaken van FIFPRO (bv. Vereniging van Contractspelers Nederland, Professional Footballers Association England). Een totaal van 89 voormalige en 193 huidige professionele voetballers uit 33 verschillende landen (bv. België, Brazilë, Congo, Nederland) vulden de online ACQE bestaande uit 4 factoren en 28 items (i.e., vaardigheden, kennis, attitudes) in (20% vrouwen). Na het beantwoorden van algemene vragen (bv. geslacht, leeftijd, diploma), werden de participanten gevraagd volgende vraag te beantwoorden voor 28 competenties (bv. tijd efficiënt gebruiken, tegenslagen gebruiken als positieve stimulus) aan de hand van een 5-punt Likert schaal: In welke mate beheers je deze competentie? De scores omtrent de beheersing van competenties werden vervolgens gebruikt ter uitvoering van confirmatorische factoranalyse (CFA) om na te gaan of de vier-factorstructuur van de ACQE in overeenstemming is met de data. Resultaten / Results Participanten rapporteerden een gemiddelde tot sterke beheersing van de 28 competenties (M=3,65  0,14). Voormalige voetballers toonden een sterkere gemiddelde beheersing (M=3,81  0,17) van de competenties dan huidige voetballers (M=3,58  0,13). De competentie waarvoor de sterkste beheersing werd gerapporteerd betrof het samenwerken met collega’s, gevolgd door het kennen van de eigen sterktes en zwaktes, en doelgerichtheid. Deze volgorde bleef onveranderd bij het uitfilteren van actieve voetballers. Voormalige voetballers, daarentegen, gaven de derde beste score aan de competentie ‘zich kunnen identificeren met de cultuur van de organisatie’ qua beheersing. CFA toonde acceptabele 2- (p < .05), RMSEA (inclusief het betrouwbaarheidsinterval; .059 (.052 - .069) en SRMR-waarden (.05) voor de 4- factorstructuur (i.e., carrière - & lifestyle management, carrièrecommunicatie, carrière resilience, carrière engagement en flexibiliteit) met goede factorladingen. Conclusie & Implicaties / Conclusion & Implications De resultaten suggereren het belang om te investeren in verdere competentieontwikkeling om zo de overgang naar een nieuwe carrière te faciliteren. Deze studie kan worden gebruikt om belanghebbenden (bv. spelers, spelerorganisaties) te informeren en bewust te maken van de meerwaarde van competentieontwikkeling tijdens en na de profcarrière voor een vlotte overgang van voetbal naar een nieuwe carrière. De ACQE kan gebruikt worden door player development managers als tool voor competentiegericht advies en de ontwikkeling van evidence-based trainingsmodules voor voetballers, alsook door voetballers als zelfevaluatietool ter identificatie van de eigen ontwikkelingsnoden.

De Brandt, Koen1; Wylleman, Paul1; Defruyt, Simon1; Smismans, Sofie1; Morris, Robert2; Deason, Emily2; Taelman, Kristel3 1Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium; 2Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom; 3Sport Vlaanderen, Belgium; koen.de.brandt@vub.be Aim & Research Questions This presentation discusses environmental factors that impact athletes’ dual career (DC) experiences by (1) identifying and classifying common types of dual career development environments (DCDE) across Europe, (2) identifying the criteria European DCDEs use to assess the effectiveness of their environment, and (3) case studying a Belgian DCDE using a holistic ecological approach (Henriksen & Stambulova, 2017). Background & Literature Review One of the key challenges athletes face is combining elite sport with other pursuits such as education and/or work. A recent review of Stambulova & Wylleman (2018) illustrates that research on athletes’ dual career (DC) pathway has increased dramatically over the past decade, but also addresses that research is lacking that considers the “whole” dual career environment. In response to this research gap, the Erasmus+ Sport project “Ecology of Dual Career” (ECO-DC) was launched in 2018 with the support of the European Commission. ECO-DC aims to develop a taxonomy of European DCDEs, identify their criteria of effectiveness, study cases of (un)successful DCDEs, and develop recommendations and tools to assist DCDEs (ECO-DC, 2018). The research presented focuses on the European results of ECO-DC’s first work package and the Belgian results of the second work package. Research Design, Methodology and Data Analysis To address the first two objectives, researchers from seven countries (i.e., Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and United Kingdom) initially performed online document research on the different DCDEs in their country, and afterwards conducted face-to-face interviews and/or focus groups with national DC stakeholders. Thematic analysis was used to develop a taxonomy of DCDEs and classify their effectiveness criteria. To address the third objective, a Belgian elite sport school was selected as a DCDE case. Data were collected through 22 semi-structured interviews with athletes and related DC actors in policy, sport, school, boarding school, and athletes’ private life. Participants were asked to reflect on different micro (e.g. key relationships) and macro (e.g. DC culture) aspects of the DC environment. Interviews were enriched with onsite observations and document analysis. Case study findings were summarized in two working models based on the holistic ecological models of Henriksen & Stambulova (2017): the DCDE model and the DC Environment Success Factors (DC-ESF) model. Research Findings and Discussion 533 In total, 57 DCDEs across the seven countries were identified, resulting in eight types of DCDEs: sports friendly schools, elite sport schools/colleges, professional and/or private club programs, sport friendly universities, combined dual career systems, national sport programs, defence force programs, and players union programs. Seven key features were considered when categorizing the environments (e.g., the athletic career stage supported, the educational level targeted, the nature and scope of the DCDE, if the DCDE was centralized or decentralized). The criteria DCDEs use to assess their effectiveness were categorized under ‘overall satisfaction of DC’, ‘wellbeing’, ‘academic achievement’, ‘sport achievement’, ‘program flexibility’, ‘athlete resources and skills’, ‘dropout from DC’, and ‘facilities and service provision’. The case study analysis is on-going, and final results will be available beginning of May 2019. Preliminary findings show that the DCDE manages to successfully support athletes’ DC pathway based on strong environmental preconditions (e.g., proximity and quality of facilities), processes (e.g., close and flexible collaboration between different actors, clear agreements and borders, individualized support), and a clear DC philosophy that puts emphasis on sport performances with athletes’ holistic development and wellbeing as key conditions. The DCDE and DC Environment Success Factors (DC-ESF) models will be presented at the conference. Conclusion, Contribution and Implication In conclusion, this series of studies implemented a holistic ecological approach to investigate DCDEs across Europe, and therefore advances the existing DC literature that tends to focus on the individual experiences of DC athletes. A taxonomy of DCDEs was developed, which can serve as a framework to compare characteristics of similar DCDEs and function as a base for future in-depth case studies. The effectiveness criteria identified not only covered measures related to athletes’ athletic and academic development, but also their psychological, psychosocial, and financial development, which adds emphasis to the importance of a holistic approach to evaluate DCDEs. We anticipate that the results of the case study will further support the holistic ecological approach to DCDEs and assist in developing recommendations and practical tools to monitor and improve the effectiveness of DCDEs. References Henriksen, K., & Stambulova, N. (2017). Creating optimal environments for talent development: A holistic ecological approach. In J. Baker, S. Cobley J. Schorer, and N. Wattie (Eds.) Routledge handbook of talent identification and development in sport (pp. 271-284). London and New York: Routledge. Stambulova, N. B., & Wylleman, P. (2018). Psychology of athletes’ dual careers: A state-of- the-art critical review of the European discourse. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 42(August 2018), 74–88. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.11.013

Aim and Research Questions The general aim of this study is to optimize athletes’ vocational development during as well as after their athletic career by developing an instrument that measures athletes’ competencies required to successfully prepare for and engage in a new professional career. The specific objectives of this study are to (1) describe the development of the Athletes’ Competency Questionnaire for Employability (ACQE), (2) generate an initial competence framework using factor analysis, and (3) provide insights into the practical use of the ACQE competence framework. Theoretical Background and Literature Review Achieving top performances and international success in elite sport requires athletes to invest their personal and time resources to such a degree that being an elite athlete becomes equivalent to a profession (Conzelmann & Nagel, 2003). However, the ‘elite athlete profession’ is not a ‘lifetime job’ and typically lasts only for a relatively short period of time (on average 28 to 30 years; Wylleman & Rosier, 2016). Retirement from elite sport therefore leads athletes to a new professional career, rather than out of the workforce (Martin et al., 2014). In order for athletes to successfully prepare for and engage in a new professional career, Wylleman and Rosier (2016) emphasized that athletes require effective competencies such as career planning, life management, and interpersonal skills. While qualitative research (e.g., Torregrosa, Ramis, Pallarés, Azócar, & Selva, 2015)identified a range of competencies athletes require to successfully prepare for and engage in a new professional career, no specific instrument is available to date that measures athletes’ competencies required to optimize their vocational development. Such an instrument can be useful to obtain conceptual clarity about athletes’ vocational development, provide targeted feedback and set up effective interventions. Therefore, the ACQE was developed and used as part of the Erasmus+ Sport Project ‘Be a Winner In elite Sport andEmployment before and after athletic Retirement’ (B-WISER). Research Design, Methodology and Data Analysis The development of the ACQE was based on (1) literature review targeting relevant (dual) career transition (e.g., De Brandt et al., 2018; Wylleman & Rosier, 2016) and employment research (e.g., Van Der Heijde & Van Der Heijden, 2006), (2) expert review (i.e., renowned international experts from the sport, education and employment sector), and (3) a pilot study with 45 active and former elite athletes. 530 Within the ACQE, a list of 31 competencies important for athletes to successfully prepare for or securing a new professional career (e.g., lead a group of people, cope with stress effectively) was composed. Active and former elite athletes were asked to assess their perceived possession of those 31 competencies by answering the question ‘To what extent do you possess this competence?’, using a 5-point Likert-type scale (“1 – Very poor possession” to “5 – Very strong possession).Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) was performed on the scores of athletes’ perceived possession of the competencies in order to investigate the factor structure of the ACQE and generate an initial competence framework. Results/Findings and Discussion After ethical approval, a total of 954 active and former athletes from six European countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden) completed the ACQE (Mage=26.74, SD=9.9; 45.7% female). On average, athletes reported the strongest possession for ‘goal-orientation’ (M=4.26, SD=0.72) and the lowest perceived possession for ‘creating a professional network’ (M= 3.28, SD=0.94). ESEM resulted in a 28-item four-factor model of the ACQE with an acceptable to excellent degree of fit to the data (RMSEA = 0.058 – 0.051, CFI = 0.957, TLI = 0.94, arange= 0.71 – 0.85, rrange= 0.35 – 0.56). The four factors identified were: (1) Career & Lifestyle Management (e.g., self- discipline to manage the demands of different life domains) (2) Career Awareness & Communication (e.g., understanding own career interests and options), (3) Career Self- efficacy and Resilience (e.g., using setbacks as a positive stimulus) and (4) Career Engagement & Adaptability (e.g., being flexible and changing career plans if necessary). Adequate internal consistency scores (arange= 0.71 – 0.85) and correlation coefficients (rrange= 0.35 – 0.56) were observed for the four factors of the 28-item model, reflecting the four factors are distinct, yet related. Conclusion, Contribution and Implication The results of this study provide a first response to the lack of quantitative research in the topic of elite athletes’ transition to a new professional career. Practically, it is suggested that the ACQE can be used as an evidence-based tool for career support providers in sport, education and employment to structure and operationalize their work with athletes. More specifically, support providers can use the framework in their work to (1) target athletes’ competencies, strengths and points of improvement in preparing for or securing a new professional career, and (2) empower athletes’ by introducing the framework to athletes as a self-evaluation monitoring instrument in preparing for or securing a new professional career.

Enhancing the employability after sport retirement is a key challenge for elite athletes (Torregrosa et al, 2015). The aim of the European project “Be a Winner in elite sports and Employment before and after athletic Retirement” (B-WISER), coordinated by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, was to optimize the employability of elite athletes. There is a lack of empirical data and specific actions regarding the employability and employment of elite athletes during as well after athletic career. The second part (WP2) of the project was aimed at identifying the competencies required and developed by elite athletes in three final stages of their careers: active (D), former (R), and preparing for first-time employment (P). 954 17-to-69-year-old elite athletes (Mage=26.3, SD=10.0; 46% female) from six European countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden) filled the Athletes’ Competency Questionnaire for Employability. Participants reported average-to-strong possession of their competencies (M=3.77). Former elite athletes who were employed perceived the strongest possession of their competencies (M=3.90). Overall, participants reported the strongest possession for goal orientation, dedication to succeed in different life domains, and collaboration with colleagues. Participants reported the weakest possession for their ability to create a professional network, to identify themselves with the culture of their organisation, and the understanding of their own career interests and options. The findings can be used as an evidence base for stakeholders (e.g., career counselors, employers, sport federations, educational institutions) to target specific competencies in different career stages, addressing athletes’ strengths and weaknesses in preparing for and/or securing employment.

Het sterke prestatiekarakter van topsport impliceert een grote persoonlijke- en tijdsinvestering, mogelijks resulterende in een sterke atletische identiteit en een beperkte holistische (‘whole-person’) ontwikkeling (bv. Martin, Fofarty, & Albion, 2013). Topsporters worden namelijk niet enkel geconfronteerd met uitdagingen, vereisten en betrekkingen binnen de sport, maar ook op psychologisch, psychosociaal, academisch/werk-, en financieel vlak. Verschillende studies (bv. Pink, Saunders, & Stynes, 2015) benadrukken daarvoor het belang van een holistische ondersteuning voor topsporters. Een kwaliteitsvolle holistische ondersteuning is volgens de Europese Commissie (2012) gerelateerd aan gezondheids-, ontwikkelings- en sociale voordelen, verbeterde toekomstperspectieven, en een positieve aanpassing aan het leven na topsport. Het doel van deze studie was daarom het ontwikkelen van een framework dat de belangrijkste domeinen, inclusief bijhorende rollen en competenties, in het verlenen van holistische ondersteuningdoor carrièrebegeleiders in het voetbal kadert. Na het verkrijgen van ethische goedkeuring werd getracht een framework te ontwikkelen via twee stappen: (a) 15 semi-gestructureerde interviews werden afgenomen met praktijkexperten binnen het domein van holistische spelersondersteuning en (b) een focusgroep (i.e., Delphi-methode) met 4 ervaringsexperten ter finalisatie van het framework. Thematische, inductieve inhoudsanalyse (Braun & Clarke, 2006) werd gebruikt ter identificatie van de belangrijkste domeinen en de daarbijhorende rollen en competencies van carrièrebegeleiders. Een framework bestaande uit zeven focusdomeinen, zijnde ‘wie ben ik, betrokkenheid van topsporters, opleiding en ontwikkeling, carrière, welzijn, financieel en organisatie’ werd geïdentificeerd. Binnen elk domein werden kernrollen en – competenties (bv. opstellen van een persoonlijk ontwikkelingsplan in samenspraak met de speler, reflectievaardigheden), alsook optionele rollen en competenties (bv. gebruiken van psychometrische tools, beoordelingsvaardigheden) onderscheiden. Verder toonden de data het belang van een aantal algemene, domeinoverschrijdende rollen en competenties (bv. communicatievaardigheden). Praktische implementatie van het framework kan bijdragen in de selectie, rekrutering, training, ontwikkeling en evaluatie van carrièrebegeleiders in het voetbal.

Balancing education, elite sport and a satisfying social life can be challenging to student-athletes (Gledhill & Harwood, 2015). The time pressure associated with engaging in a dual career (DC) can jeopardise the quality of athletes’ relationships with f riends and family and in some cases lead to severe loneliness (e.g. Debois et al., 2015; Geraniosova & Ronkainen, 2015). To support student-athletes proactively in coping with these and other challenges, the role of DC support providers has become increasingly important (Wylleman, De Brandt, & Defruyt, 2017). As part of the Erasmus+ Sport "Gold in Education and Elite Sport" project, the objective of this study was to gain insight in how DC support providers try to support student-athletes to attain a satisfactory social life. Using a convergent parallel research design (Creswell & Clark, 2011), data was gathered from N = 265 DC support providers from nine European Member States participating in an online survey, as well as from N = 28 DC support providers from four European Member States via four focus groups. Results of the quantitative part of this study showed that DC support providers perceive that student-athletes need (to develop) planning, time management and social competencies to cope with this scenario. From the focus group analyses, several support strategies to enhance these competencies proactively, as well as to optimise student-athletes’ social environment, were distilled and will be presented. The current findings provide insight in how DC support providers (try to) enhance student-athletes’ coping with social challenges.

High-quality holistic career support can provide (semi-)professional football players with health-related, developmental and social benefits, enhanced future-employment prospects and positive adaptation to life after sport (European Commission, 2012). The aim of this study was therefore to identify the roles and competencies of player-development managers (PDM’s) in (semi- )professional football. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 player-development experts (73% male, 27% female) from 12 different countries (Australia, Cyprus, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland). Using deductive thematic content analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), the specific roles of a PDM were categorised into the different levels of the Holistic Athletic Career (HAC) model (Wylleman & Rosier, 2016) and competencies were categorized into the underlying attributes of a person (i.e. skills, attitudes, knowledge, experience; Roe, 2002). The roles and competencies were inductively identified within the deductive categories (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The study revealed that on an athletic level, a PDM’s role is limited, especially as a player’s priority is placed on football performance. On an academic/vocational level, a PDM’s role is supporting players to pursue a successful dual career and to prepare for a post-football career. When it comes to the financial, psychosocial and psychological level, the role of a PDM is signposting players to relevant others if help on any of those levels is needed by a player. Knowledge of the football environment, as well as psychological, communication, organisation and cooperation skills, and a professional attitude were considered essential competencies in order to fulfil the aforementioned roles.

Flemish athletes’ dual-career pathways in higher education are characterized by a decentralized system, with student-athletes having to commute between their home, training centre, and university (De Brandt, Wylleman, & De Knop, 2015). Therefore, in order to facilitate the combination of elite sport and academics, Flemish universities offer specific arrangements to student- athletes (e.g. individual study routes, legitimate absence from practical courses, setting alternative exam dates, e-learning) to support their development. The current presentation focuses on one specific dual-career environment, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), which has provided holistic support (i.e. academic, sporting, logistic, performance, and lifestyle) to 991 student- athletes of different performance levels since 1987. The specific objectives of the presentation are to (1) explain the organization of and support provided by "Topsport and Study", (2) highlight the research carried out and measures taken to assess its effectiveness on a holistic level (e.g. athletic, academic, and psychological monitoring), and (3) illustrate how research findings are implemented in its daily DC support provision. VUB’s department "Topsport and Study", aims to provide maximum flexibility so that student-athletes can optimally develop within their own elite sports environment. The university received international recognition in the EU Guidelines on Dual Careers of Athletes (European Commission, 2012) for its individualized study pathway for student-athletes within the Bachelor and Master programs of Physical Education and Movement Sciences, which enabled elite student-athletes to apply the theoretical knowledge and applied skills acquired in their degree programs to the analysis, evaluation, and continued development of their own dual career.

The “Gold in Education and Elite Sport” (GEES) project was initiated in 2015 with the support of the Erasmus+ program of theEU. Coordinated by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Institut National du Sport, de l'Expertise et de la Performance (INSEP,France), the project brought together a consortium of 40 internationally renowned dual-career (DC) researchers and expertpractitioners from 17 research centres and elite sport organisations from nine EU Member States (Belgium, France, Italy,Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK). GEES focused on research in order to assist (1) 15-to26-year-old athletespreparing for a successful DC ‘education and elite sport’ pathway, and (2) DC support providers to optimise the quality of theirsupport and initiate new sustainable services. To address these aims, GEES provided data on (1) n = 3,500 athletes'competencies to successfully manage their DC ‘education and sport’ pathway, (2) n = 330 DC support providers to supportathletes during their DC pathway, and (3) instruments and methods to assess and develop the quality of DC services. This firstof two presentations on the GEES project focuses on the competencies athletes require to effectively cope with the multi-leveldemands of their DC pathway. The presentation’s objectives are to introduce the Dual Career Competency Questionnaire forAthletes (DCCQ-A) in order to (1) explain how student-athletes’ competencies are evaluated using the DCCQ-A, (2) highlight themain findings obtained with the DCCQ-A in 3,500 European student-athletes, and (3) provide examples of how the (results ofthe) DCCQ-A can be used in practice.

Athletes with (a view on) continued employment upon athletic retirement encounter fewer difficulties adapting to their end-ofathletic- career transition (Stambulova, Stephan, & Jäphag, 2007). Recent research therefore generally focused on developing and enhancing support for athletes in their vocational development (Cosh & Tully, 2015). However, employers’ perspectives on the added value of (former) elite athletes as employees are lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was t o identify employers’ perceptions on (1) the added value of employing elite athletes, (2) ways to maximize athletes' added value, and (3) ways to compensate for possible disadvantages. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of N = 65 employers in six European countries and analysed using inductive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Results revealed that employers see affinity with sports, facilitated cooperation with sports organisations, developed competencies such as goalorientation, dedicationand self-discipline, and commercial purposes as main reasons to hire (former) athletes. The need for flexibility, lack of key competencies, occupational delay, legal frameworks, the fact that sport is their priority, and the possibility of injury, are perceived as reasons to not hire (former) athletes. Based on these reasons, employers suggested several strategies to maximize athletes’ added value and compensate for disadvantages, including career counselling, exit interviews, financial management, apprenticeships, network events, online platforms and ambassadors. The findings can serve as a basis to develop methods and promote the added value for the world of sport, employers, governmental agencies and policymakers with regard to employing active and former elite athletes.

Competent professional dual career (DC) support is important in assisting student-athletes to cope with the challenges of theirDC pathway (European Commission, 2012). However, no researchers up to date focused specifically on what competentprofessional DC support exactly means. As such, during the GEES project, DC support providers were defined as “professionalconsultants, related to an educational institute and/or an elite sport organization – or certified by one of those – that providesupport to elite athletes in view of optimizing their dual career/combination of elite sport and education” (Wylleman, De Brandt, &Defruyt, 2017, p.18). Furthermore, to gain more insight in the actual meaning of competent DC support, the second work packageof the GEES project focused on developing a competency instrument, the Dual Career Competency Questionnaire for SupportProviders (DCCQ-SP), measuring the importance and possession of competencies of DC support providers. The DCCQ-SPconsists of 33 competencies (i.e. skills, knowledge, attitudes) divided into six competency factors: (1) advocacy and cooperationcompetencies, (2) reflection and self-management competencies, (3) organisational competencies, (4) awareness of studentathletes’environment, (5) empowerment competencies, and (6) relationship competencies. The current presentation’s objectivesare to (1) introduce the DCCQ-SP, (2) illustrate how the importance and possession of DC support-providers’ competencies areevaluated using the DCCQ-SP, (3) highlight the main findings obtained with the DCCQ-SP in N = 330 European DC supportproviders, and (4) provide insight in how the findings of this study and the DCCQ-SP can be applied in practice.

Throughout their athletic careers, elite athletes need to develop athletically, simultaneously being confronted with developmental challenges in the psychological, psychosocial, academic/vocational, or financial domain (Wylleman & Rosier, 2016). Development in these domains does generally not occur in a smooth continuous manner, but is rather characterised by a sequence of predictable (i.e. normative) and/or unpredictable (i.e. non-normative) transitions. Furthermore, development is concurrent, reciprocal and interactive, meaning that transitional demands in one domain can impact athletes’ functioning in other domains as well. While successfully overcoming transitional challenges can provide the impetus for further development, failure to do so can lead to mental problems, stagnation in development and even dropping out of sports (Alfermann & Stambulova, 2007). Therefore, both coaches and practitioners should assist athletes in preparing for and coping with the transitional challenges they encounter (Wylleman, Rosier, De Brandt, & De Knop, 2017). This symposium will present research on how athletes, from various sports and countries, can successfully overcome different developmental challenges in different domains, including the psychological support provided to Dutch baseball players in their cultural transition to the United States; the roles and competencies of player-development managers in European football; changing former elite athletes’ irrational beliefs about healthy physical activity; psychological counselling of high-potential and elite athletes through the use of planned disruptions; and the support provided to student-athletes in their social life.

Taking into account the lack of empirical data and specific actions regarding the employability/employment of active and former elite athletes, a consortium of universities, national Olympic and Paralympic committees and elite sport centres from six EU Member States (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden) together with international experts in elite sports, career counselling, employment and HR, initiated the project "Be a Winner In elite Sport and Employment before and after athletic Retirement". B-WISER was launched in 2017 with the support of the Erasmus+ Sport program of the EU. The project aims to optimise the employability of athletes in three specific career stages: (1) when they are active in elite sport (D-phase), (2) when they have retired from elite sport and prepare for first-time employment (R-phase), and (3) when they are employed in their postathletic career (P-phase). B-WISER addressed this aim by identifying (1) the practices, roles, challenges and effectiveness measuresrelated to "elite sport and employment" of n = 169 surveyed stakeholders, (2) the barriers faced and competencies required by n = 954 active and former elite athletes across the DRP stages, and (3) the perceptions of n = 65 employers on the value of hiring athletes, expressed in four focus groups and six face-to-face interviews. Finally, a toolbox for career counsellors with ten evidence-based tools was developed based on the empirical data. The tools aim to increase athletes’ awareness about their competencies and enhance the matching with employers. B-WISER raised awareness across Europe on the importance of optimizing athletes’ employability.

Which Competencies Do Active And Former Elite Athletes Require To Optimise Their Employability And Employment? De Brandt, Koen1; Wylleman, Paul1,2; Defruyt, Simon1; Smismans, Sofie1 1Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium; 2NOC*NSF, the Netherlands; koen.de.brandt@vub.be Aim. The objectives of this presentation are (1) to identify the competencies that active and former European elite athletes require to optimise their employability and employment using an instrument named the Athletes’ Competency Questionnaire for Employability (ACQE), and (2) provide examples of how the (results of the) ACQE can be used in practice. Theoretical Background. Given that only few elite athletes are sufficiently financially rewarded to make a living out of their sport, many engage in a dual career (i.e. combining elite sport with study or work) and/or make the transition to the labour market when they (plan to) terminate their athletic career (Stambulova, Stephan, & Jäphag, 2007). In order to successfully prepare for and engage in their post-athletic career, research has shown that elite athletes require effective competencies (e.g. life management, resilience, career planning) to cope with the concurrent and possibly conflicting demands they face at different levels of their development (i.e., athletic, academic/vocational, psychological, psychosocial, and financial; Wylleman & Rosier, 2016). While qualitative research identified a range of competencies that athletes require to cope with the challenges of preparing for and engaging in a post-athletic career (Torregrossa et al., 2015), few have further investigated the competencies active and former athletes require to optimise their employability and employment using quantitative research methods. Specifically, no instrument is available to date that examines athletes’ range of competencies across different nations, sports and systems. In response to this lack in methodology, the Athletes’ Competency Questionnaire for Employability (ACQE) was developed and used as part of the Erasmus+ Sport project “Be a Winner In elite Sport and Employment before and after athletic Retirement” (B-WISER). Methodology. With institutional ethics approval, 954 17-to-69-year-old elite athletes (Mage=26.3, SD=10.0; 46% female) from six European countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Slovenia) completed the ACQE. Participants included three groups of elite athletes in specific career stages: 703 active elite athletes (74%), 43 former elite athletes preparing for a first employment (5%), and 208 employed former elite athletes (22%). First, participants evaluated their perceived possession of 31 competencies (e.g., self-discipline to manage the demands of different life domains) on a 5-point Likert scale (“1-very poor possession” – “5-very strong possession”). Second, participants were presented the same 31 competencies, and selected the five competencies they felt (would) give them a competitive advantage in the labour market (i.e., in comparison with employees without an elite sport background). Apilot study with 65 elite athletes was performed before the main study to evaluate if the list of competencies was relevant for athletes’ employability or employment. SPSS was used to analyse the collected data. Exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) will be performed in Mplus to investigate the factor structure of the ACQE. Results. Participants reported average-to-strong possession of their competencies (M=3.77, SD=.86). Former elite athletes who were employed perceived the strongest possession of their competencies (M=3.90).Overall, participants reported the strongest possession for their ability to be goal-oriented, dedication to succeed in different life domains, the ability to collaborate with colleagues, and self-discipline to manage the demands of different life domains. Those four competencies were among the top five competencies for strongest possession for all three groups of athletes. Participants reported the weakest possession for their ability to create a professional network, the ability to identify themselves with the culture of their organisation, and the understanding of their own career interests and options. Athletes’ perceived possession of their ability to remain self-confident after mistakes was especially lower in former athletes preparing for a first-time employment. Participants perceived their ability to be goal-oriented, the self-discipline to manage the demands of different life domains, and the ability to cope with stress effectively as the top three competencies that they felt gave/would give them a competitive advantage in the labour market. The ESEM results will be presented during the conference. Conclusion. This study identified athletes’ perceptions of their competencies to optimise their employability and employment during three specific career stages. The findings should be used to inform and create awareness among stakeholders (e.g., career counselors, employers, sport federations, educational institutions) about the importance of athletes’ competencies, and openup ways to promote and optimise the added value of employing active and former elite athletes. Policy makers should be aware that career support services should not only focus on providing facilitating measures (e.g., flexible employment contracts) but also (and perhaps even more) on assisting athletes in developing their competencies required to optimise their employability and secure sustainable employment. Finally, notwithstanding further validation, the ACQE seems to hold considerable promise as a formative self-assessment tool for athletes and identification-support tool for practitioners to detect athletes’ strengths and weaknesses, and can serve as a facilitator for competency-driven consulting and the development of targeted evidence-based training modules for athletes and support providers.

Introduction Research has shown that talented and elite athletes face challenges combining their sport career with education and are thus in need of developing a dual career ‘education and sport’ pathway in order to avoid to be forced to choose between education and sport (European Union, 2012). Taking into account that dual career ‘education and sport’ pathways may assist athletes not only to perform well and compete at international level, but also prepare them for highly qualified employment on the European labor market, a strong need exists not only to fully understand the way in which talented and elite athletes are able to start and successfully a dual career ‘study and elite sport’ or ‘employment and elite sport’. Research has shown that the development and impact of a dual career pathway should be considered developmentally as well as holistically (e.g., Stambulova, & Wylleman, 2015; Wylleman, Reints & De Knop, 2016). From a developmental perspective, the dual career is not uniform and consistent in nature but actually consists in different stages and transitions. From a holistic perspective, research has shown that athletes are not only confronted with challenges at academic and athletic level, but in fact face throughout their dual career concurrently challenges and (possibly conflicting) requirements at psychological (e.g., stress related to exams, increased need for independence and self-regulation), psychosocial (e.g., residing in a student-home, integrating in a new social network), financial level (e.g., tuition fees, private mentoring), and legal level which will influence the progress athletes will make throughout their dual career (cf. Figure 1). As an introduction to the symposium ‘Dual career athletes support: research-based and applied views’, this presentation will use a developmental and holistic perspective to focus on the challenges talented and elite athletes may face during their dual careers.

Introduction A within-career transition faced by a majority of athletes when undertaking a dual “study and elite sport” career, is the normative transition to a combination of elite sport and higher education (Wylleman, Alfermann, & Lavallee, 2004). While there is a significant body of European research on the demands (e.g. Brown et al., 2015), required resources (e.g. De Brandt, Wylleman, Torregrossa, Defruyt, & Van Rossem, 2017; MacNamara & Collins, 2010), possible benefits (e.g. Aquilina, 2013), and potential costs (e.g. Cosh & Tully, 2014) of athletes’ dual career in higher education, little research is available on the actual outcomes of European athletes’ dual career pathways, in particular with regard to student-athletes’ academic performances. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the academic performances of elite student-athletes during their first three years at a Flemish university. Method The academic performances of 111 elite student-athletes (mean age at entry into university = 18.1, SD = 0.6; 60% male – 40% female) were monitored over the course of their first three years at a Flemish university, which was purposefully selected based on its support provision to student-athletes. The study efficiency rate and dual career dropout rate were used as indicators of student-athletes’ academic performance. The study efficiency rate is calculated as the ratio between the number of credits acquired and the number of credits taken (Raad Hoger Onderwijs, 2013). Dual career dropout rates were studied in view of dropout from academia (i.e. leaving the university) or sport (i.e. losing elite student-athlete status). Possible differences for gender, type of sport, athletic level, study subject, type of secondary education (i.e. general, technical, or vocational preparation), and dual career background (i.e. whether or not athletes attended an elite sport school in secondary education) were examined. Using SPSS 23.0, dropout rates were calculated after year 1 and 2 for different groups of student-athletes, and differences in distributions examined using Chi-squared tests. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were performed to compare study efficiency between different groups within the same study year (i.e. cross-sectional), while multiple Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were performed to examine within-subject changes in study efficiency between year 1, 2, and 3 (i.e. longitudinal). Results Results showed that one athlete in three dropped out of their dual “university and elite sport” career in the first three years. Dropout from academia was more prevalent than dropout from sport, especially after the first year. Those who dropped out from their dual career had significantly lower study efficiency rates than non-dropouts. Furthermore, five academic “risk” groups were identified. Student-athletes who were male, participated in team sports, competed at a higher athletic level, had a technical or vocational preparation in secondary education, or attended an elite sport school demonstrated not only higher dropout rates from academia, but also generally lower study efficiency rates, and significant declines in study efficiency over time. Discussion The study contributes to a stronger knowledgebase on student-athletes’ academic performances in a European context, and emphasizes the importance of a systematic monitoring of athletes’ dual career pathways. Student-athletes’ premature dropout from elite sport and academia identified in this study may reflect a key societal concern that many students across Europe drop out before obtaining a higher education degree (European Commission, 2015). Furthermore, the different patterns in study progress (e.g. consistency, declines, and dropout) for different subgroups of student-athletes highlight the importance of taking into account the diversity among student-athletes (and by extension all students), supporting previous calls for individualized and tailor-made approaches among learners (EuropeanCommission, 2015). Recommendations for higher education institutions to optimise their monitoring and support processes for student-athletes will be suggested during the presentation. References Aquilina, D. (2013). A Study of the Relationship Between Elite Athletes’ Educational Development and Sporting Performance. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 30(4), 374–392. Brown, D. J., Fletcher, D., Henry, I., Borrie, A., Emmett, J., Buzza, A., & Wombwell, S. (2015). A British university case study of the transitional experiences of student-athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 21, 78–90. Cosh, S., & Tully, P. J. (2014). “All I have to do is pass”: A discursive analysis of student athletes’ talk about prioritising sport to the detriment of education to overcome stressors encountered in combining elite sport and tertiary education. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 15(2), 180–189. De Brandt, K., Wylleman, P., Torregrossa, M., Defruyt, S., & Van Rossem, N. (2017). Student- athletes ’ perceptions of four dual career competencies. Revista de Psicología Del Deporte, 26(4), 28–33. European Commission. (2015). Drop-out and Completion in Higher Education in Europe. Brussels, Belgium. Retrieved from http://www.nesetweb.eu/ MacNamara, Á., & Collins, D. (2010). The role of psychological characteristics in managing the transition to university. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 11(5), 353–362. Raad Hoger Onderwijs. (2013). Advies over studierendement [Advice on study efficiency]. Brussels. Wylleman, P., Alfermann, D., & Lavallee, D. (2004). Career transitions in sport: European perspectives. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 5(1), 7–20.