Football Development Institute
Education

Education System

We approach the education of Specialists in a multi-faceted manner

The long-term football Specialists’ education is one of the strategic priorities of the Football Development Institute. First, we lay the ground for a changing awareness in the world of football. Second, we create one of the four key segments of the “Complementary plan” on the basis the Football Development Institute intends to affect the “Football Level Identification Indicators” – and therefore, raise the level of this sport. Third, we enable the education of Specialists based on a non-standard football understanding, the “Football Identity of FDI”. Fourth, we give support in building the individual “Football Identity” of Specialists.

The educational program of Football Development Institute was founded on the “Football Identity of FDI” and the “Club Development Model of FDI”. We impart detailed structured and proven knowledge within the framework of an football interpretation that is unprecedented anywhere else, enriched with proprietary concepts.

We divide the education of Specialists into selective and complex.

Education | Specialists roles

  • Board Member

  • Strategy Specialist

  • Administration Specialist

  • HR Specialist

  • Sports Director

  • Coach

  • Fitness Coach

  • Goalkeeper Coach

  • Analyst

  • Scout

  • Sports Psychologist | Mental Coach

  • Head of the Academy | Youth Development Coordinator

  • other roles in the sports department & Academy

  • Communications Specialist

  • Marketing Specialist

  • Finance Specialist

  • Legal Specialist

  • Compliance Specialist

  • Football Journalist

Educational planes

“Education System”, designed by the Football Development Institute, determines raising the level of a Specialist in many aspects. We present our educational planes:


  • Football intellectual foundations

  • knowledge (expertise) | “Practical Theory”

  • individual “Football Identity”

  • derivative competences

  • practical preparation for a Specialist role

  • professional autonomy

Educational foundations

Educational foundations guarantee conceptual coherence, allow a high level of content to be maintained and serve to implement educational planes. The following foundations are present in all educational projects of the Football Development Institute.


  • “Football Identity of FDI”

  • “Club Development Model of FDI”

  • position profile of a specific specialised role

  • complexity, detailedness, in-depth, complementarity of subject matters and content

  • original definitions, concepts and models

SELECTIVE EDUCATION

Selective education | Education platform of FDI

  • webinars

  • conferences

  • online courses

  • videos and content “on demand”

  • publications

  • consultations


Participation in selective education does not obligate one to specify an educational path or to enter the recruitment process. Any interested person can register for particular events.

The categories of events, services and materials presented above are intertwined, not graded in importance. The form and progression of selective education depends on the preferences of the Specialist. The range of time commitment, the type of events chosen, as well as the topics result solely from the individual configuration.

The proposed content topics always relate to one of following thematic groups:


  • own “Football Identity”

  • management & development of Clubs

  • Complex football concept

  • development of teams & players

  • analysis & scouting

  • communication

  • marketing

  • finance

  • legal

  • psychology

COMPLEX EDUCATION

Complex education

  • Certified specialised courses

  • Advisory

  • Educational internships | task-based

  • Mentoring programs


Complex education has a long-term character, and its beginning requires choosing an educational path and successfully completing the recruitment process.

The chronology of the listed areas involved in complex education follows the order in which the various educational components are activated. The starting point are specialised courses in an extended time form, because the Football Development Institute relies on fully structured knowledge, imparted at a level of detail, with the parallel development of derived competences. For achieving this, time is needed, which cannot limit either us or the course Participants.

NOTE: All course Graduates are eligible for Advisory, while only Graduates with “FDI Prospect” status have the right to apply for the Educational internship and join the Mentoring program. It is granted to selected Participants upon completion of each specialised course.

Participation in events assigned to selective education complements the idea of complex education.

Certified specialised courses

Certified specialised course is the fundamental and key component in the complex education. We create practical content programs grounded in the following aspects as defined by FDI:

 

  • “Football Identity of FDI”
  • “Club Development Model of FDI”
  • rank and character of the specialist role
  • main strategic objectives of the respective role
  • general tasks within a Specialist role
  • positioning in the structure of the Club
  • areas of operation
  • content scope of operation
  • specific subjects
  • decisiveness
  • complexity, detailedness, in-depth, complementarity of subject matters and content
  • original definitions, concepts and models

 

Course duration depends on the specific role of the Specialist. However, in each case, we plan for a sufficiently long perspective, so that we have the ability to design and implement a extensive educational program.

General time structure of the courses:


  • single-level

    • 6 months

    or

    • 12 months
  • two level

    • 2 x 12 months

     

     

Advisory

  • During the specialised course (consultation)

    Advisory support begins already during the course. Participants are given the opportunity to communicate with the selected Expert in order to address additional questions, clarify doubts, supplement knowledge, receive support for the realisation of project tasks, the development of an individual “Football Identity” and the elaboration of the final paper.

  • Individual collaboration

    Advisory services are also available for Graduates of specialised courses. In this case, we are talking about individual collaboration. A Participant of the course, who has received a certificate of its completion, can request a consultation on the selected topic. Consulting consists of an initial conversation, the formulation of a solution by FDI, and then a final consultation.

     

    We advise on our “Club Development Areas”:

    • Club Management
    • Football Intellectual Foundations
    • Football & Management
    • Communication & Marketing
    • Finances
    • Legal & Licensing
    • Technology
    • Infrastructure
    • Psychology
    • Compliance & Integrity

     

    In addition, we provide consulting support in an individually focused context:

    • individual “Football Identity”
    • Complex football concept
    • professional development plan
    • career path
    • self-promotion
    • current professional issues
    • decision-making

Educational internships | task-based

  • During the specialised course

    After each course, the committee of the Football Development Institute selects the two best Graduates, who will be offered an internship at one of the European Clubs. Of course, the internship is precisely matched to the represented specialised role. FDI assigns the internship Participant tasks to be completed, the result of which he will be obliged to present upon his return.

    Being included in the above mentioned duo also means being awarded “FDI Prospect” status.

  • Individual collaboration

    Selected Graduates of specialised courses are promoted to the status of “FDI Prospect”, and as a consequence are qualified to become potential Participants of educational internships in European Clubs. A person with the aforementioned status can apply for cooperation on this field. Each educational internship takes place at a Partner Club of the Football Development Institute, relates to the represented specialised role and requires the solution of content-related tasks.

    In certain cases, the Trainee performs practical implementation of knowledge and derived competences, obtained in the process of FDI education, working on actual tasks in the Club’s operational activities.

Mentoring programs

After each specialised course, the FDI Team conducts a final evaluation of the Graduates, awarding the selected individuals with the status of “FDI Prospect”. Only Specialists holding this title have the right for application to join the mentoring program.

Certified specialised courses form the base for the “Education System” of Football Development Institute, while Mentoring programs are a extension of education and serve as the framework for the individual development of the Specialist. Mentoring takes the format of long-term content-based collaboration, structured on an Individual Specialist Development Plan.

Mentoring programs of FDI are based on the following educational concept:


  • Football intellectual foundations | “Practical Theory”

    • Football philosophy
    • Football concept
    • “Football Identity” of Specialists
    • Work and development of Specialists
    • Club Identity
    • Management and development of Clubs
    • Development of teams and players
    • Communication
    • Marketing
    • Finances
    • Legal
    • Technology
    • Psychology
    • Mass nature of football
    • External influence of stakeholder groups

     

  • Knowledge (Expertise) | “Practical Theory”

    • Club Management
    • Football intellectual foundations
    • Complex football concept
    • Football & Management
    • Communication & Marketing
    • Finances
    • Legal & Licensing
    • Technology
    • Infrastructure
    • Psychology
    • Compliance & Integrity

     

  • Individual “Football Identity”

    • Personal foundation
    • Football intellectual foundations
    • Content module

     

  • Derivative competences

    • Work Model
    • conceptual work
    • operations strategy
    • creation of football models and implementation projects
    • detailed work plan
    • work organization
    • management of time, resources, people
    • communication
    • integration of football models and implementation projects
    • structure of projects
    • execution of projects
    • project controlling
    • project optimization
    • validation of development
    • problem-based analysis
    • decision-making

     

  • Practical preparation for a Specialist role

    • Unemployed Specialists: resolving problem aspects of the past and developing scenarios for the future
    • Specialists employed at the Club: analysis and optimization of current operations

     

    • evaluation of the Work Model
    • reflection on the conceptual work
    • revision of operations strategy
    • analysis of created football models
    • assessment of implementation projects
    • evaluation of work planning and organization
    • verification of the management process (time, resources, people, projects)
    • review on communication
    • analysis of the way football models and implementation projects are integrated
    • opinion on verifying development
    • analysis of ongoing operations
    • problem-based analysis
    • validation of the decisions made
    • evaluation of the Specialist status

     

  • Professional autonomy

    • a complete break from trends and stereotypes in football
    • forming independent thinking
    • creation of high football intellectual, content-related and competence quality
    • Specialist as an Individual
    • concept of controlled development
    • professional development plan
    • career path
    • building professional autonomy
    • making independent decisions