Elite basketball players from across
Europe, including Paris Olympians, are preparing for life outside of the court by
studying a newly designed Postgraduate Business
and Management course focusing upon the Business of Sport at Northumbria
University, Newcastle.
The players were taking part in FIBA Europe’s Time Out 3.0 education programme that helps professional basketball
players build careers when they retire from the sport. FIBA Europe, the
European office of the Basketball World Governing body FIBA, has been
working in partnership with Northumbria’s Newcastle
Business School to deliver the programme since it was launched in 2017.
This year’s cohort of 44 students from
28 different nationalities included recent Paris Olympic medallists Valeriane Ayayi of France, Netherlands' Arvin
Slagter and Vega Gimeno of Spain. They will aim to follow on from the 128
previous participants that have successfully completed the programme previously - combining
their basketball careers with studying for a Postgraduate Certificate in Business
and Management.
FIBA Europe President Jorge Garbajosa and FIBA Executive
Director Europe Kamil Novak both gave opening words to welcome the participants
via Zoom, to mark the launch of the workshop.
"The TIME-OUT program ensures that the skills and
experiences gained as athletes are not just left behind but are carried forward
into new careers and opportunities," commented Mr Garbajosa.
"As someone who transitioned from the court to a new
role in leadership, I understand the challenges that come with this change –
and I'm sure that TIME-OUT will help with this transition."
Vincent
Robson, Business Development Manager at Northumbria, added: “Partnering
with an organisation like FIBA Europe and working with some of Europe’s top
professional basketball stars, some of whom have just represented their country
and won Gold Medals in the Paris Olympics or European Championships and play in
top European leagues is hugely prestigious. Northumbria has worked closely with
FIBA to design effective and flexible academic courses that offer enhanced
career opportunities to as many elite players as possible across Europe. The
success of TIME-OUT and the positive outcomes for students reflects the strength
of Continuing Professional Development courses that we run at Northumbria with
our partners.”
