Implementation of a Dual Career Assistance Programme in a private multisport club

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to describe implementation of a Dual Career Assistance Programme (DCAP) integrating scientific evidence and applied practice in a private multisport club specialised in water sports. In order to respond to the demand made by Club Natació Sabadell (CNS) to the Grup d’Estudis en Psicologia de l’Esport (GEPE) about how to promote an optimal combination of sports and education (i.e. dual career), this work has followed the five phases proposed by Ramis, Torregrossa, Pallarés, Viladrich and Cruz (2019) in the GEPE Model of Evidence-Based Practice (i.e. literature update, needs analysis, intervention, assessment, and monitoring). The five phases of the model were followed to (a) analyse the actions taken by CNS to promote the dual career (CD) of their students-athletes, (b) optimize the resources to promote DC already existing in the club, and (c) organise and train a new team of professionals who will be responsible for counselling students-athletes of CNS. The final result was the establishment of the Equipo de asesoramiento integral al deportista (integral counselling team for athletes), the new service of the club to provide support in reconciliation of sports and studies. This professional experience may serve as a guide for those who intend to develop interventions arising from the demands of specific organisations (e.g. clubs, federations, institutions) and who want to base their intervention on updated scientific literature that offers innovation, rigour, and robustness to their practice.