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Education and Development

Education is a player’s right, not a privilege

Combining a playing career and education can cause stress and fatigue if the balance is not right, which might lead to an increased injury risk. Luckily, many player associations offer support to help players overcome these barriers and successfully combine a professional playing career with education.

What you should know

There is more than formal education

There are various forms of education: degrees, diplomas, or skill development. All forms help players to develop and one is not necessarily better than another.

Benefits of study

Studying while playing professionally has many benefits for players, such as reducing the pressure of football, increasing preparedness for the transition into a post-playing career, and developing other identities.

It will not be easy to study while playing professional

An education takes time and effort and managing multiple demands is very challenging.

2.3 Education And Development
Player story

Martin Dobrotka: "I wanted to do more than just play football"

Martin Dobrotka has been a professional footballer for over 20 years. The two-time Slovakian league winner, now at Polish second-tier side Arka Gdynia, has a PhD in Political Science, and is a member of the supervisory board of player association Unia Futbalovych Profesionalov (UFP). 

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