In the EU, the number of athletes in need of dual career support services adds up to more than 120.000 in every Olympic cycle. Within competitive systems, European sport schools play a crucial role in the development of athletic talent. For this reason, the Schul- und Leistungssportzentrum Berlin (SLZB), the Berlin Senate Department for Education, Youth and Families, the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community and TW1N aim to foster the establishment of a European Network of Sport Schools (ENOSS).
The quality of services of sport schools in cooperation with policy makers and sport bodies is of vital importance for the sustainable pathways of aspiring athletes, in amateur as well as in professional sports. In 25 out of the 28 EU member states, sport schools at secondary level offering specific dual career support to talented athletes can be found.
This means that this type of schools represent one main common ground of dual career delivery in the European Union. However, despite the history of sport schools in the EU, a specific network between these schools on European level does still not exist. Time for change, time for making the next step.
1st ENOSS Conference in Berlin
From 7-8 November 2019, the 1st ENOSS Conference was held in Berlin, Germany. Like-minded professionals in education and sport from 16 European countries followed the invitation of the ENOSS consortium to network and exchange best practice. Day 1 was dedicated to “The Healthy Sport School”. Acknowledged experts (such as Markus Flemming, Andreas Hülsen or Laurent Carnol) shared insights into their routine with talented athletes, spanning the topics of sport psychology, dual career and nutrition.
Day 2, conducted in the spectacular location of the Olympic Stadium of Berlin, pursued the mission to initiate a European Network of Sport Schools. In his opening keynote, TW1N Founder & CEO Wolfgang Stockinger emphasized the necessity of strategic European cooperation considering the more and more international talent environments. In the belief of the ENOSS consortium, systematizing the connections and learning arenas between sport schools will substantially contribute to improve service quality within these specific institutions, facilitate the mobility of both talented athletes and practitioners, and inspire the development of trans-national projects.
In the form of expert work groups, the international delegates concretized the requirements for the development of a European network. Upcoming, the SLZB and TW1N will process the collected inputs to identify the implementation options for a formalisation of a European Network of Sport Schools in 2020. If you are interested in becoming a future member of ENOSS, please get in touch with us via the ENOSS website.





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References
- Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (2016): Study on the minimum quality requirements for dual career services. Research report