The professional development program, created with fresh, gamified and competitive content, will combine online and in-person academic training, adapting to the players’ competition load
The acb and Johan Cruyff Institute have agreed to launch an academic program that will help the professional development of players and former players of the competition. With this agreement, the acb joins forces with an entity of the prestige of Johan Cruyff Institute to develop for the first time a specific training program aimed at the needs of players in Liga Endesa.
The program, starting in November and already open for registration, will teach students the foundations of management and personal development, with notions of marketing, finance, economics and business, among other relevant subjects, and prepare them for future comprehensive training in sport management.
The program will be adapted to the training demands and competition load of the players, with a first part online requiring a weekly dedication time of 3 hours (30 minutes per day) and a face-to-face part concentrated in two days that will also include some personal mentoring. The acb will tutor the entire process, with continuous monitoring, sessions and workshops at the Association’s headquarters to learn about the league’s management model.
“Helping players to continue their professional training while they compete in the league and thus prepare their future is important and joining an entity of the prestige of Johan Cruyff Institute is a guarantee” – Antonio Martín, acb’s president
The program will be adjusted to the situation, experience and knowledge of the students, with an approach based on fresh, gamified and competitive learning, which will involve intense, short-duration and highly focused content and effort on the part of students. Depending on the profile of the players taking the program, it will be taught in Spanish, English, or in both languages. There will also be the possibility of contacting and carrying out internships in companies collaborating with Johan Cruyff Institute or the acb that value the skills and experience of a professional athlete.
The acb will finance 50% of the cost of the program for acb players. In addition, considerable discounts have been agreed with Johan Cruyff Institute for higher level training such as master’s degrees and postgraduate diplomas, available for those players interested.
Antonio Martín, president of the acb, highlighted “the importance of helping players to continue their professional training while they compete in the league and thus prepare their future once they finish their sports career”, and also the relevance of “joining an entity of the prestige of Johan Cruyff Institute, a guarantee in training”.
“The program will allow players to combine their sports career with practical and flexible learning and develop the skills and knowledge necessary to manage their present and future careers” – Víctor Jordán, Johan Cruyff Insitute academic director
According to Víctor Jordán, academic director of Johan Cruyff Institute, “the professional development program for acb players is a pioneering joint initiative in Spain that responds to the need to prepare them for their professional future. The program will allow players to combine their sports career with practical and flexible learning and will offer them the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to manage their present and future careers.”
