INTRODUCTION: The aim of the TALENT project is to promote equality in education, prevent exclusion, support dual careers (sport and school), create new role models for the benefit of young talents and prepare them for lifelong learning and professional sport from an early age. It is promoted by a European consortium of 7 partner institutions and runs from December 2022 to May 2025. It consists of five work packages. In the first work phase, developing the WP2 (from December 2022 to October 2023), under the coordination of UNIPA, NIS University, KMOP and EAS standards for talent recognition were identified and validated. METHODS: Initially, 12 focus groups were conducted with teachers (77 teachers) and coaches (73 coaches) on creating talent identification standards; subsequently, workshops were held with dual career experts to validate these standards. This was a key piece of work that enabled the establishment of clear guidelines and protocols to identify and support talented young people in their dual careers. RESULTS: A final list of 41 shared statements was identified: 20 related to teachers and 21 related to coaches. For example, teachers emphasized the need for multidisciplinary approaches and early identification of talent, while coaches underlined the importance of psychological readiness and collaboration with schools and families. DISCUSSION: These statements not only provide structured reference points for talent identification but also highlight actionable needs across educational and sport systems. As such, they represent a solid foundation for developing standard operating procedures in talent recognition and dual career support.

Center of Excellence of Split Dalmatia County Split Croatia

Department of Movement Human and Health Sciences University of Rome Foro Italico Rome Italy

Department of Neuroscience Biomedicine and Movement University of Verona Verona Italy

Department of Sport Sociology and History Faculty of Sports University of Ljubljana Ljubljana Slovenia

European Athlete as Student Network Ghaxaq Malta

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences University of Split Split Croatia

Faculty of Kinesiology University of Split Split Croatia

Faculty of Sport and Physical Education University of Niš Niš Serbia

Faculty of Sport and Physical Education University of Sarajevo Sarajevo Bosnia Herzegovina

Health Promotion and Wellbeing Unit KMOP Education and Innovation Hub Athens Greece

Incubator of Kinanthropology Research Faculty of Sports Studies Masaryk University Brno Czechia

School of Sciences University of Central Lancashire Cyprus Nicosia Cyprus

Science and Research Centre Koper Institute for Kinesiology Research Koper Slovenia

Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit Department of Psychology Educational Science and Human Movement University of Palermo Palermo Italy

Zobrazit více v PubMed

Gomez J, Bradley J, Conway P. The challenges of a high-performance student athlete. Irish Educ Stud. (2018) 37(3):329–49. 10.1080/03323315.2018.1484299 DOI

Izzicupo P, Di Baldassarre A, Ghinassi B, Abelkalns I, Bisenieks U, Sanchez-Pato A, et al. Exploring dual career quality implementation at European higher education institutions: insights from university experts. PLoS One. (2022) 17(11):e0277485. 10.1371/journal.pone.0277485 PubMed DOI PMC

Vidal-Vilaplana A, Valantine I, Staskeviciute-Butiene I, González-Serrano MH, Capranica L, Calabuig F. Combining sport and academic career: exploring the current state of student-athletes’ dual career research field. J Hosp Leis Sport Tour Educ. (2022) 31:100399. 10.1016/j.jhlste.2022.100399 DOI

Ericsson KA, Krampe RT, Tesch-Römer C. The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychol Rev. (1993) 100(3):363–406. 10.1037/0033-295X.100.3.363 DOI

Côté J, Baker J, Abernethy B. Practice and play in the development of sport expertise. In: Tenenbaum G, Eklund RC, editors. Handbook of Sport Psychology. 3rd ed. Hoboken, NJ, US: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (2007). p. 184–202.

Abbott A, Button C, Pepping GJ, Collins D. Unnatural selection: talent identification and development in sport. Nonlinear Dyn Psychol Life Sci. (2005) 9(1):61–88. PubMed

Pummell E, Harwood C, Lavallee D. Jumping to the next level: a qualitative examination of within-career transition in adolescent event riders. Psychol Sport Exerc. (2008) 9:427–47. 10.1016/j.psychsport.2007.07.004 DOI

Stambulova NB, Ryba TV, Henriksen K. Career development and transitions of athletes: the international society of sport psychology position stand revisited. Int J Sport Exerc Psychol. (2021) 19(4):524–50. 10.1080/1612197X.2020.1737836 DOI

Commission E, Directorate-General for Education Y, Sport, Culture. White Paper on Sport. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union; (2007).

Commission E, Directorate-General for Education Y, Sport, Culture. EU guidelines on Dual Careers of Athletes—recommended Policy Actions in Support of Dual Careers in High-performance sport—approved by the EU Expert Group “Education & Training in Sport” at its Meeting in Poznań on 28 September 2012. Luxembourg: Publications Office; (2013).

Commission E, Directorate-General for Education Y, Sport, Culture. Study on the minimum Quality Requirements for Dual Career Services—Final Report. Luxembourg: Publications Office; (2016).

Parliament E, Union D-GfIPot, Guidotti F, Capranica L. Qualifications/dual Careers in Sports—research for CULT Committee. Luxembourg: European Parliament; (2016).

Stambulova NB, Wylleman P. Psychology of athletes’ dual careers: a state-of-the-art critical review of the European discourse. Psychol Sport Exerc. (2019) 42:74–88. 10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.11.013 DOI

Gould D, Carson S. Life skills development through sport: current status and future directions. Int Rev Sport Exerc Psychol. (2008) 1:58–78. 10.1080/17509840701834573 DOI

Capranica L, Doupona M, Abelkalns I, Bisenieks U, Sanchez-Pato A, Canovas-Alvarez FJ, et al. Understanding dual career views of European university athletes: the more than gold project focus groups. PLoS One. (2022) 17(2):e0264175. 10.1371/journal.pone.0264175 PubMed DOI PMC

Capranica L, Guidotti F, Gonçalves C, Blondel L, Bovis M, Costa R, et al. Development of an online multilingual educational programme for parents of dual-career athletes: a participatory design. Front Psychol. (2022) 13:855531. 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.855531 PubMed DOI PMC

Knight CJ, Harwood CG, Sellars PA. Supporting adolescent athletes’ dual careers: the role of an athlete’s social support network. Psychol Sport Exerc. (2018) 38:137–7. 10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.06.007 DOI

Ryba T, Stambulova N, Ronkainen N, Bundgaard J, Selänne H. Dual career pathways of transnational athletes. Psychol Sport Exerc. (2015) 21:125–34. 10.1016/j.psychsport.2014.06.002 DOI

Gjaka M, Tessitore A, Blondel L, Bozzano E, Burlot F, Debois N, et al. Understanding the educational needs of parenting athletes involved in sport and education: the parents’ view. PLoS One. (2021) 16(1):e0243354. 10.1371/journal.pone.0243354 PubMed DOI PMC

Stambulova N, Wylleman P, Torregrossa M, Erpic SC, Vitali F, de Brandt K, et al. FEPSAC position statement: athletes’ dual careers in the European context. Psychol Sport Exerc. (2024) 71:102572. 10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102572 PubMed DOI

Nikander J, Tolvanen A, Aunola K, Ryba TV. The role of individual and parental expectations in student-athletes’ career adaptability profiles. Psychol Sport Exerc. (2022) 59:102127. 10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.102127 DOI

Sargent Megicks B, Till K, Rongen F, Cowburn I, Gledhill A, Mitchell T, et al. Examining European talent development environments: athlete, parent and coach perceptions. J Sports Sci. (2022) 40(22):2533–43. 10.1080/02640414.2023.2172800 PubMed DOI

Thompson F, Rongen F, Cowburn I, Till K. What is it like to be a sport school student-athlete? A mixed method evaluation of holistic impacts and experiences. PLoS One. (2023) 18(11):e0289265. 10.1371/journal.pone.0289265 PubMed DOI PMC