Specific programme: ERASMUS-SPORT-2021-SSCP
UPV/EHU Partner Status: Beneficiary
UPV/EHU PI: RAUL MARTINEZ DE SANTOS GOROSTIAGA
Project start: 01/05/2022
Project end: 30/06/2023

Brief description: Being a professional athlete is one of the most amazing careers for young people; for those who get to live and experience the life of a pro athlete it’s a dream come true. From a very young age as an amateur sports star to retirement as a professional, an athlete’s life is full of passion, fulfilment, adrenaline, excitement, and emotion. However, it’s a short career with the average span across all sports lasting 4-5 years. Specially for the first few years after retirement, life post-sport can be tough; trying to find a new passion, a new goal, a new career, a new purpose can be daunting and overwhelming. However, it doesn’t have to be that way! There are numerous options to prepare for life after sport.

One of the biggest action that can be done is to start a side business or project whilst still being a pro athlete. Not only does it give a chance to make extra income but more importantly is to build skills and knowledge that will prepare a athlete for life after sport. It gives chance to validate different ideas – if a athlete is able to make an income whilst doing it on the side, it can be much more effective do once dive into it full time.

The main goals of “SIDE HUSTLING” philosophy are: a) to build and strength the awareness of athletes regarding possible development directions during and after their sports career; and b) to suggest the directions to look for solutions and development opportunities in the context of continuing involvement in sport after the end of an active professional career.

An international team of experts, using the experience of partners, will prepare a handbook with best practices and tips, which will describe the most successfully individual strategies and success-stories: 90 young athletes will benefit directly from the project.The results of the project will be disseminated throughout Europe. As a disemination activity, a serie of seminars will be prepared in Poland, Spain and Greece.