SCALE - Special dual Career paths Against early Leaving from Education and training

Education dropout is still a considerable problem in Europe, with about 10% of youngsters leaving school or training. SCALE aims to use football to fight dropout in students/players aged 14-19. Specific goals are: 1. establishing flexible school-football dual career paths to facilitate school achievements and reduce dropout within young players, thus empowering institutional networks between schools and football teams 2. sensitizing football teams and schools on the need to jointly find effective ways to reduce school dropout 3. instructing coaches in educating young players on the importance of school attendance and achievement, and more generally to be active citizens in the EU society 4. addressing the need for professional, semi-professional and non-professional football teams to take care of players’ school achievements in formal institutional policies. To do so, we formed a partnership with National football federations from Malta, Romania, Italy, Moldova, and Azerbaijan, a training centre and a European vocational school association, with the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia as the academic partner. The project is endorsed by UEFA and the UEFA Foundation for Children, which provided letters of support. The project’s main outcome will be the SCALE guidelines defining how to create and implement dual career paths that favour youngsters’ full commitment in both football and school within diverse EU contexts. The sustainability of SCALE will be guaranteed by (a) the introduction of specific football policies safeguarding school achievement at the National level (by the involved football associations), and (b) a powerful dissemination sustained by UEFA and the UEFA Foundation to their 55 associated football federations, which could extend the dual career experience on a large-scale in EU. SCALE relies on the role of football in addressing relevant societal problems, thus raising sport’s potential for social change.