Dual Career Athletes

This is a concise and practical introduction to the topic of dual career athletes, those sportspeople who balance professional or elite sport with other career or educational pursuits. This book defines the concept of dual careers in sport and explores its significance for athletes, sports organizations, and wider society. It considers why dual careers are increasingly significant in contemporary sport and analyzes the role of sports organizations in supporting athletes' dual career paths and implementing supportive measures. This book also offers practical tools and programs that sports organizations can use to develop effective policies toward dual careers and to facilitate the dual career development, helping both the athlete and the organization to perform at their best. This book is invaluable reading for any athlete, manager, policymaker, or researcher with an interest in dual careers, career transitions, athlete welfare, organizational behavior, sport management, or sport policy.

Grzegorz M. Botwina is Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Management at the University of Warsaw, Poland, where he serves as Director of the Polish Olympic Studies and Research Centre. He is also a Postdoctoral Fellow at Telfer School of Management in the University of Ottawa, Canada, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Institute for Sport Governance, an independent think tank focused on improving governance in sport organizations. He serves as Board Member at the European Association for Sport Management. He served as the elected President and later Board Member of the Polish Cycling Federation and created the Academy of Sport Management in Poland. He has extensive experience in advising various governmental organizations and sport federations across Europe on the topics of sport policy and governance reforms.

Introduction 1 What is Dual Career of Athletes 2 Theoretical Foundations of Dual Career Thinking 3 Overview of European and International Dual Career Policies 4 Practical Tools and Programs for Dual Career Support in Sports Organizations 5 Dual Career Athlete - The Way Forward