Towards the Professional Development of SLOs

ongoing

Towards the Professional Development of SLOs (TPDS) is a transnational project to change the ways in which Support Liaison Officers (SLOs) in football are trained. Pioneering novel educational tracks for this profession, setting and testing occupational standards and ensuring long-lasting programming in higher education, will make football the world's largest sport, ready to play its role in creating value-driven, safe and healthy societies. Workplan: (1) Assess the needs of clubs and organisations in order to co-design use cases adapted to different countries and define the roadmap for implementation on the South American Continent with the support of good practices coming from Germany; (2) Define Occupational Standards of SLOs in Europe and contribute to the toolkit that will foster their employability; (3) Finalise, deliver and test 3 use cases (piloting teaching modules) tailored with participants in three European Countries (France, Poland, Sweden); (4) Spread, present, and assess with external stakeholders/organisations use cases in order to produce refined toolkit and recommendations for employability of SLOs in Europe and the definition of a Roadmap for the South American Continent, (5) Effectively produce project outcomes, reach stakeholder in and outside of Europe and ensure sustainability beyond the duration of the project in and outside of Europe. The project creates new learning pathways for SLOs in Europe, with a view to also initiate this work in South America. It does so in close cooperation with key stakeholders in European football, including leagues and associations, in countries with a large football sector. Ultimately, it seeks to ensure that football is a space for values and security, and that fans, and their professional liaison at the clubs and leagues, foster a culture of cooperation.