PLAN B: How to simplify the transition from a sporting career to a new life? Pablo José Acosta Lorenza Guerra Seragnoli Pooja parikh Nicole resch Supervised by Gianfranco Piantoni July 4th. 2007 1 INDEX INDEX ................................................................................................................................. 1 A. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................. 1 B. ORGANIZATION OF SPORT............................................................................................. 3 C. The Career of an Athlete...................................................................................................... 5 I. Life Cycle ...........................................................................................................................................5 II. Stages ................................................................................................................................................6 1) Start of a Sport Career ...................................................................................................................6 2) Development..................................................................................................................................7 3) Mastery in Sport ............................................................................................................................7 4) The Decline Phase .........................................................................................................................8 5) Adaptation to a New Life phase ....................................................................................................8 III. Retirement in the context of the Life Cycle.....................................................................................9 1) Definition and Special Aspects in sport ........................................................................................9 2) Reasons for Retirement .................................................................................................................9 3) Doping as a reason for retirement................................................................................................11 4) Where to locate retirement in an athlete’s life cycle (Ideal stage) ..............................................14 D. THE TRANSITION PROCESS.......................................................................................... 15 I. Psychological Models for Transition in Sport..................................................................................15 1) Gerontology.................................................................................................................................15 2) Thanathology...............................................................................................................................16 3) Recent frameworks related to transition......................................................................................17 II. When does transition start? .............................................................................................................19 2 III. Challenges of Transition................................................................................................................20 1) Internal Challenges......................................................................................................................21 2) External Challenges.....................................................................................................................22 E. Examples of Programs to support transition.......................................................................... 23 I. UCI Program.....................................................................................................................................23 II. IOC Program ...................................................................................................................................24 1) ACP Mission & Vision................................................................................................................25 2) Methodology................................................................................................................................25 III. Other programs ..............................................................................................................................26 IV. FIFA...............................................................................................................................................29 F. Best practices of Examined Programs & General Challenges................................................... 29 G. PLAN B Consultant Program............................................................................................. 31 I. Objective...........................................................................................................................................31 II. Levels of Implementation................................................................................................................32 1) Why & Where to implement the program? .................................................................................32 2) When & How to implement the program? ..................................................................................34 III. Requirements to become a Transition Consultant .........................................................................36 IV. Curriculum for CP .........................................................................................................................36 1) Communication Program.............................................................................................................36 2) Psychology Program....................................................................................................................39 3) Management Program..................................................................................................................42 4) Law Program ...............................................................................................................................45 V. Teachers and Time Frame...............................................................................................................46 VI. Financing the PLAN B CP ............................................................................................................47 VII. Role of the Consultant and Advantage for Athletes.....................................................................48 3 H. CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………………52 I. APPENDIX .................................................................................................................... 53 J. REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 65 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special thanks to Prof. Gianfranco Piantoni from the Scientific Board of the CIES for his kind support and collaboration. And our gratitude to our families and colleagues of the International FIFA Master 2006-2007 Edition. The following people also made this Paper possible: Mr. Richard Bunn Professor Jean-Louis Juvet Professor Alberto Madella Ms. Ameline Gerbel Mr. Richard Grey Mrs. Nolvenn Laine Mr. Fabián Pérez Q. Mr. Jefferson Pérez Q. Dra. Romina Plataroti Mr. Luis Fernando Saritama 5 ABSTRACT OVERVIEW & OBJECTIVE commentate on TV for my sport; as a matter of fact sport is what I know best, and there is It is said the best time to end things is when not much more I know well. So, how would they are their peak. I earn money other than that? I am only 30 Thomas Oelsner -a cross country skier and years old and I do not have enough savings Paralympics winner- faced the challenge of to retire for good. I will have to make a retiring from sport after the Winter Games living ….but I will think about this issue in Salt Lake City in 2002. He explained his later. situation during an interview: No, I am not ignoring the subject of ´I am an Olympic athlete, a medal winner. transition after sport but there will come a What else could I want from life? Let’s say I better time to think about it. Let’s go and would end my sporting career now… what enjoy the success I have right now in sport! ’ do I do next…? Ah, I know. I will sleep in; go on vacation with my family since I did *** *** *** not get to spend much quality time with them in the last couple of years. I could give Can the athlete be blamed for thinking as interviews, attend a course to learn how to shown in the example shown above? Maybe cook Thai food, maybe start learning some of us do. another language. Yes – sounds great. I According to a recent survey conducted at always wanted to do those things, but the Italian Olympic Committee, only twelve because I dedicated my life to my sports percent of the athletes use the existing career I have not had time to do it yet. transition programs. This is an example of Honestly, being a professional athlete has the situation that prevails worldwide and been a full time job for the last 15 years. I shows the need to close the gap between an am really looking forward to have some active sport career and a successful time to rest and think about what I would retirement. Therefore through this project a want to do in the future. The future …? new program has been developed, called the Hmm… Maybe I should study? No – I am Plan B Consultant