UCAM, through its Faculty of Sports Sciences, is holding an international seminar within the European project AFTERMATCH 2.0 Reload, funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Sports call, which aims to support the dual career of athletes. The event was inaugurated today and will run until Sunday 23 March at the Centre for High Performance Sport of the Region of Murcia, with the participation of ten international experts and a group of tutors and mentors from Spain.

This seminar, coordinated by the dean of the UCAM Faculty of Sport, Lourdes Meroño, together with the coordinator of CAFD of the Cartagena Campus, Juan Alfonso García, is one of the key actions within the project, which seeks to promote the employability of athletes once their sporting career is over. For the head of CAFD, the aim is to train people with previous knowledge who in turn ‘can become references to guide athletes in their transition to professional life after their retirement’. 

Attendees have the opportunity to participate in practical workshops on diagnosing the needs of clubs and athletes, as well as interactive sessions on creating dual career pathways. In addition, personality tests are carried out and specific tools are used to analyse needs at both organisational and individual level. Participants can also enjoy complementary activities, such as cultural and sporting visits, including a tour of the old city centre of Cartagena and the seminar complex. The aim is to provide a complete experience that combines training, reflection and practical activity.

The symposium is made up of experts from Spain, Poland, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Azerbaijan, Cyprus and Slovenia, who contribute through their experience in the creation of educational materials. Moreover, it is conducted in English, is free of charge and provides participants with a certificate accredited by the project. 

The Aftermatch Reload 2.0. project aims to create a training manual for future mentors to assist athletes in this process. The project focuses on the development of competences and skills in both grassroots sport and professional output, while complying with EU guidelines on physical activity and employability of athletes.