Motivations (for) and Outcomes of Continuing Professional Education in Football Management: an Exploratory Study

Abstract

Abstract Introduction . Whereas changing roles and environments in sport industry create a need for the continued professional development of sport managers, there is a clear knowledge gap about the latter phenomenon. Therefore, the study aims to explore the sport managers’ motivations for a continuing professional education experience and the outcomes of such an experience for their careers and the development of their organisations. Material and methods. Because of its exploratory nature, the study is based on the qualitative analysis of semi structured interviews with sport managers who have participated in one of the Polish editions of the UEFA Certificate in Football Management programme. Results. Sport managers share multiple extrinsic motivations (mainly of professional development and networking in football environment). In terms of the benefits for the managers’ careers, there is an improvement in their career capital (mainly through the development in football specific knowing-why and knowing-whom), whereas the effects on career success are predominately subjective (improved perceived marketability). The benefits for the sport organisations are very heterogeneous, which results from substantial differences, mainly in learning culture and supervisor’s support, among the organisations. Conclusions . The main contribution of the study is the exploration of the football and sport specific context of continuing professional education. The research offers some practical implications for stakeholders interested in fostering professionalization of sport industry.