Facilitating change in the educational experiences of professional footballers: The case of Scottish football

Abstract

This paper evaluates the delivery of learning opportunities for footballers within the Scottish professional football industry. Theoretically, the paper draws on Prochaska and DiClemente's ‘stages of change’ model and Miller and Rollnick's ‘motivational’ and ‘brief intervention’ techniques to scrutinize Scottish professional football's engagement with lifelong learning cultures within its labour force. Empirically, a two-level research strategy was employed. First, elite interviews were undertaken with strategic stakeholders drawn from the professional game in Scotland. Second, a single case study of a Scottish League Division One club was undertaken, including short interviews with a range of players and club officials. The study found that by introducing carefully designed interventions aimed at particular stages of change, professional footballers can be encouraged to participate in meaningful learning activities for the duration of their football careers. Success is dependent upon motivational techniques being introduced at the most apposite time and with appropriate resources.