Abstract:
BACKGROUND : Institutions of higher education are hubs for student-athletes pursuing dual
careers, in sports and higher education. The concepts of dual careers, transition models and
support systems for student sports provide the conceptual framework for this study.
OBJECTIVES : The study investigated the dual sports career experiences of South African track
and field student-athletes who studied at universities in South Africa and the United States of
America (USA). Objectives determined satisfaction in terms of student-athlete support systems
in their chosen localities.
METHOD : This qualitative study used a purposive sample of 12 participants from a general
population of South African junior track and field athletes who pursued dual careers. Data
were collected through semi-structured interviews.
RESULTS : The respondents found the US National Association Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) sports system superior to the South African sports system. The dual-career studentathletes transitioning through the last two stages of the South African Long-Term Athlete
Development model reported a lack of support that negatively impacted the success of their
dual career balance.
CONCLUSION : The South African context of student sport is not generally conducive to creating
and enabling a dual sports–academic career environment because of insufficient contextual,
processional and sports-specific factors. The participants perceived the NCAA system of
student sport as holistic and supportive of their dual-career development.
CONTRIBUTION : This study adds to the limited pool of knowledge relating to the dual-career
development of student-athletes, and provides a base line for future research studies.
Description:
DATA AVAILABILITY : The data utilised and/or generated during this research are
available upon reasonable request. Researchers, scholars,
and individuals interested in accessing the data may contact
the corresponding author or the responsible institution to
initiate the data sharing process.
