Project objectives

  • To implement a PDM lifelong learning program (LLP) for DC of youngsters and respective learning activities for supporting PDM’s training.
  • To design and develop digital content, for supporting the deployment of learning activities, through a gamified e-learning platform. This content will be integrated and accessed as a European Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for PDMs embracing a de-centralized model of diversity, open access, equity and quality. The MOOC will become a collaborative community of practice for Coaches in sport academies, Young scientists (students of Physical Education and Sport departments), Physical Education teachers and Former athletes to share, discuss and collaborate information about the development of PDM qualifications.
  • To design and develop a digital PDM toolbox that will be exploited by the PDMs to support the DC of their athletes/pupils. The PDM toolbox will be in the form of digital interactive content and applications for youngsters (a) to be familiarized with and to be aware about the concept of dual career, (b) to develop their skills (e.g., entrepreneurship, soft skills).
  • To organize a pan-European “PDM competition” about entrepreneurship in sports.

Target Group

The main target groups of the project are people interested to become PDM and they are:

  • Coaches in sport academies,
  • Young scientists (students of Physical Education and Sport departments),
  • Physical Education teachers
  • Former athletes

The secondary target group is adolescents/youngsters in all over the Europe.

Athletes’ DC and adolescents career orientation are facing problems in Greece. One of the main problems is that the coaches have not the necessary qualifications to support the athletes. AUTh located in northern Greece, being the biggest University in Balkans would like to play a crucial role to help the local community to tackle this problem as well as to educate its students (that will be future coaches) to deploy effective strategies. Furthermore, AUTh aims to open up education as well as to create lifelong learning programs for teacher in schools of how to boost PDM and apply GOAL4PDM effective strategies for supporting DC. In addition, GOAL4PDM will support AUTh Physical Education and Sport department students which is one of the main target groups. Moreover, AUTh would like to be one of the main players on the ICT usage and exploitation in Education. For that reason, Computers Science Department of AUTh offers dedicated undergraduate and postgraduate programs of studies focused on ICT in education. GOAL4PDM’s objectives are in line with AUTh’s strategy on ICT usage in education and will support AUTh to become one of the key players on the usage of ICT in Sports Education.

One of the missions of the EUC graduates is to boost educational programs related to DC. Therefore, this project fits perfectly into the organization’s strategy. To this direction, GOAL4PDM will support EUC Physical Education and Sport department students which is one of the main target groups. Furthermore, EUC has been selected by Microsoft to be its partner institution for the establishment of the only Microsoft Innovation Center in Cyprus. Microsoft Innovation Centers (MICs) are state of art technology facilities for collaboration on innovative research, technology or software solutions, involving a combination of government, academic and industry participants. GOAL4PDM digital services could support proof of concept for future technological achievements in order to boost physical activity of young people. This objective is in line with EUC aim to teach its students how to apply GOAL4PDM effective strategies for becoming PDMs and supporting DC.
One of the main pillars of AJFSF, which is the biggest female sports association in Spain with 212 members, is to defend the rights of players and give them legal and sport advancement. Furthermore, and AJFSF is worried about the development of its members skills about DC. According to the above, GOAL4PDM digital services aiming to support best practices for DC are in line with AJFSF objectives.

GOAL4PDM main target group (physical education teachers) is represented by the Deutscher Sportlehrerverband (DSLV), which is national the umbrella organisation of the Physical Education Teachers in Germany, representing approx. 10.000 individual members. DSLV’s vision is to promote Physical Education as an important educational area within the school system and the training of young people. Its mission is to guarantee the presence of Physical Education within the curriculum through a continuously adjusted and actualized argumentation and lobby for the position of Physical Education in all countries of Europe. Members of the DSLV teach at schools, universities, sport clubs and private universities. GOAL4PDM will, definitely, support DSLV mission to train their members about DC best practices.
As a leading academic and research center in sports science Lithuanian Sports University (LSU) is preparing hundreds of specialists (physical education teachers, highly qualified coaches, physical therapy professionals, tourism and sports managers, etc.) every year. GOAL4PDM digital services could support LSU aim to teach its students (future physical education teachers and highly qualified coaches) how to apply GOAL4PDM effective strategies for DC.
SJPF defends without distinction of status the rights and interests of the professional football players and currently has over 6000 members (including former athletes). Currently SJPF is working in different services to assist professional players, in areas like education and dual careers, health and performance, employment and social responsibility. According to the above, GOAL4PDM digital services aiming to support former athletes for becoming PDMs are in line with SJPF objectives.

Confederacao Portuguesa das Associacoes de Treinadores (Coaching Portugal) represents one of the main target groups in the proposal (i.e. coaches). Coaching Portugal promotes the sports coaches’ education process. GOAL4PDM digital services aiming to support former athletes for becoming PDMs are in line with Coaching Portugal objectives.

Pielle Matera, Amateur Association (APD), is aiming at developing youth sports and supporting young players. APD coaches are targeting to mobilize youngsters about DC and APD aims to organize seminars to support them. Therefore, APD coaches will, definitely, be supported by GOAL4PDM services like MOOCs and PDM toolbox.

GOAL4PDM will exploit the well-established involvement of young people (students, athletes, young scientists) with Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in order to achieve its main objective.

Furthermore, GOAL4PDM, will support the “Europe 2020 strategy” that stresses the need for transforming educational content for instruction and training in a way that engages, motivates, and immerses people to develop personal experiences of constructing their learning experiences. Hence it is widely contested in Europe that transferring training content from traditional contexts (e.g. multiple-choice tests, grading system, content transmission) will not discern value to the way education and training is moving forward, but rather it will emulate pedagogical modalities already practiced in conventional settings. In congruence to Europe’s observation in not ushering innovation on how training content and pedagogy is used, this is an occurring problem in the field of physical education promotion and sports. In response, therefore, to the significant difficulty of how to design, develop, implement and share highly interactive, process-based content (see for example ET2020 strategy, Europe’s Opening Up Education7), it is imminent to create such content that permeates personal construction of meaning, activity-based learning meaningful assessment and rapid feedback.