Top-level football and education

18 October 2012. Time and again, young people and parents ask themselves the question whether talented athletes should primarily bank on a solid training and education and pursue their sporting careers as a sideline, or whether it would be more promising if they focused fully on top-level sports. In some sports, particularly individual sports, top-level sports and education are easier to combine than in others. In team sports, clubs’ schedules often constitute difficult obstacles for parallel full-time vocational training or even a degree course.

Promotion of talented athletes in special schools
Austria’s Skigymnasien – special schools at secondary level that combine top-level sports with academic education – relaunched the debate about the promotion of top-level sport and schooling in Switzerland a few years ago. In the meantime, a few educational institutions have been established in Eastern Switzerland that enable talented athletes to have a parallel development of sports and education. But what about this with regard to football? Is sufficient value accorded to sound vocational training or a degree course, or is the lure of a career in football too strong? Do football clubs exercise their responsibility in this respect, or do they primarily regard young talents as short- and medium-term guarantors of success in their colours?

Football experts in a discussion
These issues will be the focus of the panel members’ debate, both from the perspective of a formerly active footballer – Marco Zwyssig, HSG alumnus and former top-level footballer, and HSG Professor Dr. Wolfgang Jenewein – and from the angle of the officials who bear this responsibility – Pierluigi Tami, manager of the Swiss Olympic Team, and FCSG Chairman Dölf Früh.

This event, which has been organised by Unisport St.Gallen in cooperation with Credit Suisse, will be open to the general public and is free of charge. The panel discussion will take place in the Audimax of the University of St.Gallen at 6.15 p.m. on 25 October and will be chaired by St.Gallen’s TV presenter Beat Antenen. An aperitif will be offered after the panel discussion.

Photo: photocase / designritter