A case study of a Sports School Scholarship Programme: Student-Athlete Perceptions of the Talent Development Environment and Dual Career Development Environment

Abstract
Purpose: Sports scholarship programmes are a common feature internationally for organisations to attract and retain sporting student-athletes. The current study presents student-athlete perspectives of the talent development environment (TDE) and dual career development environment (DCDE) of a sports school scholarship programme. Methods: A case study design was adopted to analyse student-athlete perspectives of a sports scholarship programme using the talent development environment questionnaire (TDEQ-5) and dual career competency questionnaire (DCCQ-A). Results: Overall, the TDE was perceived positively, with long-term development and alignment of expectations the highest subscales. Support network was the lowest perceived subscale. All dual career (DC) competencies were considered important by student-athletes however, results showed that student-athletes possession of DC competencies were significantly lower than importance in 88% of competencies. Emotional awareness was the subscale that required the most development. Conclusion: Student-athletes perceived the TDE positively yet felt the sports scholarship programme could develop their DC competencies further. Organisations offering sports scholarships should ensure stakeholders recognise the demands of a DC by monitoring the value of such programmes. Resources should be allocated to target the holistic development of its student-athletes preventing sports scholarships solely being an organisational marketing strategy.