Introduction

The overall aim of this project is to develop a FIFPro Online Academy for Professional Footballers.

The project will meet the objectives of the Preparatory Action by promoting education and training in sport. In particular it aims to provide “dual career” training for young sportsmen and sportswomen at an early stage though high quality local training.  It will do this by developing an International on-line Academy, targeting Professional Footballers in the partner countries and providing them with opportunities to study on-line wherever they are undertaking their football training.  The purpose is to ensure that young footballers in particular have opportunities to access training and education in vocational areas to help them gain employment at the end of their sporting careers.  

Another aspect of the project is that will encourage beneficiaries taking part in community work/internships either during or at the end of their sporting careers.  This could involve them working with sports organisations, football clubs or organisations associated with sport.  The community work/internships provides the beneficiaries with the necessary practical experiences to enable them to gain employment opportunities.  This will also help the FIFPro Online Academy to further expand its knowledge in the needs of educational systems and the needs of potential new beneficiaries.

Specific objectives

• Analysis the needs amongst professional footballers across 11 EU Member States to establish potential alternative career choices for potential beneficiaries once their sporting careers ends.
• Identify the ways on which the proposed international FIFPro Online Academy can complement and meet the needs of the different educational systems in 11 member States.
• To set up an international FIFPro Online Academy for professional footballers to cover 11 partner EU Member States which will be used by approximately 250 beneficiaries every year.
• To give professional footballers the opportunity to prepare for their second careers.

Detailed description

The overall aim of this project is to develop a FIFPro Online Academy for Professional Footballers to cover the 11 partner EU Member States to provide “dual career” opportunities for pro footballers. The partners will be: SPINS, Slovenia Players Association; PFA, Scotland, United Kingdom; Asociatia Fotbalistilor Amatori si Nonamatori, Romania; NISO, Norway; VVCS, Netherlands; AIC, Italy; PFA, England, United Kingdom; JPY, Finland; Spillerforeningen, Denmark; UNFP, France; SFS, Sweden; PFAI, Ireland . The transnational network developed to deliver this project will be essential to provide the ultimate beneficiaries with the opportunities they previously could not have accessed.  The network is also relevant due to the fact that it provides opportunities for the passing on of good practice from one country to another thus further improving the quality of the provision being developed.  FIFPro has already undertaken initial research to ensure that this project is new in terms of the breadth and type of coverage within the European Union within the football world.  It is for this reason that FIFPro thinks the project will be truly innovative.

First stage of this 16 month project will be to undertake a needs analysis amongst pro footballers across the partners.  This will be done utilising the partnership network through questionnaires to establish potential alternative career choices for potential beneficiaries once their sporting careers end.  In addition, the project will hold transnational conferences and workshops of the pro footballers unions from the partner countries to help share information, good practice and ideas.

Second stage of the project is to undertake an analysis of the educational systems across 11 partner countries.  This will be essential in order to identify the ways in which the proposed FIFPro Online Academy can complement and meet the needs of the different educational systems.  The analysis will be undertaken via the network of partners and will involve a mixture of empirical and desk research.

The first two stages will enable the partners to work together to develop the FIFPro Online Academy.  The FIFPro Online Academy is expected to be used by 250 individual beneficiaries per year from 2011. It will provide training and education leading to Bachelor of Arts (BA) level qualifications in areas such as Marketing, Sports Management, Economics, E-Management, Office and Business English, Office Management, Office and Sales Management, Innovation Management and Communication Skills.

The project will have a dedicated website (www.fifpro-onlineacademy.org)  with internal and external areas.

By the end of the project the infrastructure for the FIFPro Online Academy will be established and educational institutions in the partner countries signed up to facilitate the academy. The partners will recruit 250 players to enrol in the first courses by the end of the project.

European Added Value

The project will provide considerable European Added Value as it will facilitate labour mobility within the European Union.  One of the great advantages of the Academy is that beneficiaries will be able to continue their studies uninterrupted even if their careers result in them moving from one country to another.  This is especially needed within the football world as players can often be transferred from one country to another as part of their developing career.  European mobility will also be promoted by the fact that the project will produce a needs analysis of educational systems across 11 EU countries.  The methodologies used can be used by other sporting sectors thus providing the basis for potential labour mobility outside the football world.

The project will benefit considerably by working at an European level rather than a national one in that it will gain from the experience, skills and knowledge of a wider range of organisations from 11 different EU countries.  In addition to the experience, skills and knowledge of the partners, the project will benefit from access to the networks of those partners.

A further benefit of working at the European level is the impact of the project.  As football is a truly European wide sport, the involvement of as many European countries as possible will increase the potential impact of the project for pro footballers, players unions, training organisations and educational establishments.  There is an increased potential for a multiplier effect from the project as a result of working at the European level.

Long Lasting Impact

The project will have considerable sustainability.  Once the FIFPro Online Academy is expanded it will be relatively easy to maintain.  The funding via this project will help to overcome the initial difficulties in expanding the Academy.  Future use of the Academy and even further expansions will either become self-financing or additional support within the European Football World will help maintain the work of the project.   

Organisation

This project will be led by Fédération Internationale des Footballeurs Professionnels (FIFPro).  The Transnational Steering Group (TSG) consists Dejan Stefanovic (SPINS, Slovenia), Rasmus Haagensen (Spillerforeningen, Denmark), Tony Higgins (PFA, Scotland), Frederique Winia, Suzanne Bakker (both FIFPro), Alan Irwin (external researcher, UK). The TSG will have the role of providing overall direction for the project.