Balancing sport and academic development: Perceptions of football players and coaches in two types of Norwegian school-based dual career development environments

Abstract

Sports-friendly and elite sport schools seek to support pupils by providing balanced support which is intended to facilitate success both in sport and in academic work. This study investigates how ambitious football players in Norway experience the advantages and challenges of undertaking a ‘dual career’ as student-athletes. Eight players and five coaches (two club coaches and three school coaches) in total were interviewed from two sports-friendly schools and two elite sports schools, and the data were analysed using thematic analysis. In the Elite Sport Programmes, the close integration of the school and club settings enabled coaches and student-athletes to plan and manage the overall workload and development of the student-athletes more easily. In contrast, players in the less structured Sports-Friendly Programmes experienced more concerns related to workload coordination but were also given more responsibility for their own decision making. This helped to facilitate better self-determination among the student-athletes but also increased their risk of overuse injuries. Our results indicate how different dual career development environments offer varying benefits, risks and developmental opportunities for student-athletes.

A Holistic Analysis of Team Dynamics Using Relational Coordination as the Measure regarding Student Athlete Total Load: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…We did not find a notable difference in student athletes’ perceived RC with the roles according to school type (i.e., private elite sports school or public sports-friendly school). In contrast, a recent study of football players and their coaches found that the close integration of the school and club settings in elite sports schools enables better communication dynamics regarding the overall workload compared to less structured sports-friendly schools [ 10 ]. There are several possible explanations for these contradictory findings.…”

“…In 2006, the Norwegian national curriculum introduced elite sports as an optional subject in public schools [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Today, more than 110 private and public schools offer the elite sports program [ 10 ], one of Norway’s most popular programs among high school students [ 8 ]. Although differences exist between the programs offered by private and public schools [ 5 , 10 ], a fundamental similarity is that student athletes in the “Elite Sport” program will likely experience a considerable increase in physiological (i.e., training load) and psychological (i.e., stress associated with academic demands, social commitments, employment, and sports participation) loads after enrolment [ 11 , 12 , 13 ].…”

“…Today, more than 110 private and public schools offer the elite sports program [ 10 ], one of Norway’s most popular programs among high school students [ 8 ]. Although differences exist between the programs offered by private and public schools [ 5 , 10 ], a fundamental similarity is that student athletes in the “Elite Sport” program will likely experience a considerable increase in physiological (i.e., training load) and psychological (i.e., stress associated with academic demands, social commitments, employment, and sports participation) loads after enrolment [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Additionally, most Norwegian high schools keep competitive sports and education separate [ 14 ], and the majority of student athletes will also participate in club training sessions in the evening, in addition to training during school hours.…”

“…For example, effective communication and coordination concerning training, schoolwork, and other life demands is essential to ensure sufficient recovery and reduce the risk of injury [ 11 , 12 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. However, previous research has indicated that the level of coordination and communication between student athletes, schools, and sports clubs varies considerably and depends on local conditions and circumstances [ 10 , 11 ]. Effective communication strategies are critical to put the student athlete at the centre of a holistic, well-rounded development program [ 24 , 25 ].…”

Dual career support among world-class athletes in Sweden: Performance, education, and employment

“…Although the intention of a dual career sport program is to help talented athletes achieve the highest possible level in sports as well as in education, the two aims can be difficult to combine. Several studies ( van Rens et al, 2015 ; Küttel et al, 2020 ; Sæther et al, 2022 ) have found that most student athletes who stated that they wanted to reach the international top level prioritized their sport over their studies when studying at a sport school with a dual career sport program profile, contradicting the intention of such a program. A specific example is found in a study by Ronkainen et al (2018) who showed that ice hockey coaches affected student athletes to prioritized their athletic career over their studies.…”