Role of an manager in a dual career of athletes

Abstract

Many athletes begin their career at a very young age, joining then with varying degrees of success the role of an athlete and a student. In the initial stage of their sporting career it is hard to predict whether it will develop to the level of a career which will ensure a player with funds for a long period of time. Therefore, in parallel with their career, athletes should develop other competencies that will allow them at the end of a career switch smoothly to life after the end of the adventure with sport. During a career athletes can count on various types of support that help them achieve sporting goals, or those outside of the sport. Support usually comes from coaches, parents, sponsors, or even sports managers. Young athletes (especially those playing team sports) more often sign contract with an intermediary or sports manager, who for many years is responsible for leading their careers.

In this article the author focuses on the role of a manager in a non-athletic development (education and professional development) of a player that he represents. The silhouette of sports managers will be presented as well as competences, their responsibilities and the expectations which they face during their work. Based on the interviews with the players and sports managers, it will be possible to demonstrate if  the expectations of both parties are satisfied and, in particular, to what extent the expectations of athletes to managers in the area of support of their non-sport development are met. It has been shown that care and range of actions of a sports manager varies depending on the stage of player's career. They perform a number of activities not directly related to sport, which provide tranquility and peace of mind that allow for even greater focus on the development of their sports careers. Managers want to increase the importance of their work in the life of an athlete.