The number of elite athletes engaging in academic-level study has increased in recent years, fostered by the European publication of the Dual Career Guidelines to encourage a balance between sporting life and professional training (1). The process of developing guidelines to ensure the adequacy of Dual Career services for student-athletes became evident as early as 2010 with the study by Aquilina and Henry, who analyzed how European Union (EU) Member States were meeting the educational needs of elite young athletes (2). Particularly, EU Member States' positions on Dual Career policies were characterized, finding four different ways of dealing with them. In countries such as France, Hungary, Luxemburg, Spain, Poland and Portugal, a state-centred arrangement was adopted and supported by legislation; while in Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden, the State acted as a facilitator able to promote formal agreements between educational and sporting bodies. In countries such as Greece and the United Kingdom, national federations and sports institutes could act as facilitators or mediators by directly engaging in negotiations with educational institutions on behalf of the individual athlete. Finally, in Austria, Cyprus, Malta, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia and Italy, a “laisser faire” approach was adopted where no formal structures were in place and any agreements were largely based on individual negotiations. In the Italian context, Aquilina and Henry's study highlighted a problematic situation in terms of guaranteeing flexibility for athletes interested in pursuing a university education, although some sports federations offered financial support to promote the athlete's education (2). Therefore, the Dual Career Guidelines issued by the EU have made it possible to reduce the inequalities between elite athletes in different national contexts by providing the tools to ensure adherence to educational pathways and social inclusion.

The provision of services and facilities to athletes engaged in study programmes should be a prime objective for universities, as it could offer such individuals the possibility of a longer-lasting sports career and embarking on new career paths at the end of their sporting career (3). This is true because properly balancing life as an athlete with life as a student requires constant commitment and a strong motivational drive, qualities necessary to avoid abandoning either career (4). In fact, practising sport at a competitive level involves training, travel and competitions that require considerable physical and mental commitment on a daily basis (5). In addition, study commitments, which include attending classes, taking exams and spending time on preparation, are all factors that determine the outcome of academic life (6).

This constant challenge on two fronts has a major impact on the athlete's life, as relationships with family, peers, partners, as well as with other students and professors, are influenced by the effects of the dual career (7). The importance of the social context in supporting dual-career athletes was highlighted by Tessitore and colleagues who demonstrated a crucial role of athletes' parents in determining their sporting and academic success (8). Nonetheless, reconciling life as an athlete and as a student is not easy, highlighting the need to develop and adopt strategies to safeguard the athletes' educational and professional paths (9).

In this context, the possibility of taking advantage of a regulation that would allow University-registered athletes to manage their commitments more efficiently, in addition to facilitating the dual career of such individuals, could be a decisive factor in favoring the enrolment of additional athletes or sports students in degree programmes (10). Indeed, many professionals are involved in the world of sport, such as referees and coaches, who are constantly working and who could be encouraged to undertake a dual-career degree. In this regard, Fusco and colleagues showed the results of a survey which revealed that elite coaches are highly motivated to join degree programmes in sports science (11). The inclusion of such figures in the University would be a positive change both for these individuals, who could deepen and renew the numerous knowledge acquired in the field, and for academic institutions, which could increase their visibility and reputation in economic and social terms (12).

Importantly, in countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Qatar and the United States, dual career programmes are well established and student athletes are an important resource for Universities (13, 14). For this reason, in April 2022, the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” approved the “Dual Career” Program that allows athletes, coaches and referees of national and international interest to combine a university career with a competitive one. In fact, the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, in collaboration with the University Sports Centre (CUS), offers the student population the opportunity to practise sports at a recreational and competitive level in many disciplines. Specifically, the CUS makes use of the technicians of the degree course in Sport Sciences to guarantee students the opportunity to engage in sports such as football, cycling, basketball, judo and many others, also taking advantage of agreements with external sports facilities to offer comprehensive services. The introduction of the “Dual Career” Program has regulated the status of student-athletes, providing concessions on university fees, compulsory attendance of classes and recognition of university credits, as well as the possibility of suspending studies for a year for important sporting commitments, to reconcile a student-athlete's university career and competitive sporting career. Moreover, since the beneficial effects of competitive and recreational sport are well known and widely documented, the monitoring of students practising sport by Universities could be useful to promote initiatives aimed at encouraging students' adherence to the sport practice. Therefore, we analyzed the results of a survey administered to students enrolled at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” in the academic years 2020/2021, 2021/2022, 2022/2023 and 2023/2024, to (i) determine the number of students engaged in competitive or recreational sporting activities, and (ii) assess the effects of the introduction of the Dual Career regulation.

Figure 1 illustrates the distribution of students according to their participation in sporting activities for each academic year.

Undoubtedly, an increasing number of students have been enrolled at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” in the last four years, with the highest number recorded in the academic year 2023/2024 [Figure 1(a)]. Noteworthy, the percentage of students practising competitive or recreational sport increased in the academic years 2022/2023 and 2023/2024, in association with a reduction in the number of students not practising sport [Figure 1(b)]. Indeed, in the 2020/2021 academic year, 13% of students played competitive sport, 44% of students played recreational sport and 43% of students did not play sport. In the 2021/2022 academic year, 12% of students played competitive sport, 42% of students played recreational sport and 46% of students did not play sport. Although the number of students responding to the survey has increased over the academic years, in the 2022/2023 academic year, there was a clear increase in the number of students practising sport. Specifically, 12% of students played competitive sport, 58% of students played recreational sport and 30% of students did not play sport. In agreement, in the academic year 2023/2024, 19% of students played competitive sport, 62% of students played recreational sport and 19% of students did not play sport.

The comparison between the number of students participating in competitive and recreational sport for each academic year was performed using vertical bar graphs to visually compare data and detect trends over time.

Figure 2 shows a significant increase in the number of competitive and recreational sporting students in the 2023/2024 academic year compared to previous academic years. Indeed, the mean number of students participating in competitive sport was 48.3 ± 10.9 in the 2020/2021 academic year, 54.9 ± 12.1 in the 2021/2022 academic year, 65.8 ± 15.1 in the 2022/2023 academic year, and 214.4 ± 48.6 in the 2023/2024 academic year (***p < 0.001) [Figure 2(a)]. On the other hand, the mean number of students participating in recreational sports was 170.8 ± 33.9 in the 2020/2021 academic year, 185.8 ± 36.4 in the 2021/2022 academic year, 326.0 ± 80.7 in the 2022/2023 academic year, and 698.3 ± 144.7 in the 2023/2024 academic year (2020/2021 and 2021/2022 vs. 2023/2024, ***p < 0.001; 2022/2023 vs. 2023/2024, *p < 0.05) [Figure 2(b)].

A contingency analysis was performed to verify the existence of a significant distribution of competitive or recreational students across academic years, depending on the sport played.

Table 1 summarizes the distribution of competitive students for each academic year and each sport, while Figure 3 visually displays this data, allowing an immediate comparison between sports and years. Interestingly, the number of students playing 11-a-side football and 5-a-side football increased steadily over the four academic years. High student numbers were also recorded for basketball, gymnastics, swimming and volleyball, with higher participation in the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 academic years. For all other sports, the number of competitive students remained the same or changed less markedly between the four academic years considered. Overall, the contingency analysis found that the differences in the number of students participating in competitive sports were statistically significant (χ² = 357, ****p < 0.0001), indicating that the observed increase was not due to chance.

Table 2 summarizes the distribution of recreational students for each academic year and each sport, in addition to Figure 4 which visually illustrates this data and allows for immediate comparison between sports and years.

Contingency analysis shows that gym is the most popular recreational sport, with increasing participation per academic year. High numbers of students were also registered for swimming, while 11-a-side football and 5-a-side football were among the most popular recreational sports, with higher participation in the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 academic years. About the other sports, less marked variations or no variations were observed in the number of recreational students between the four academic years considered. Overall, the increase observed with the contingency analysis is not due to chance, as statistically significant differences were found in the number of students playing recreational sports (χ² = 1495, ****p < 0.0001).

Another objective of our study was to examine the distribution of Dual Career student-athletes at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, after the approval of the appropriate regulation in April 2022. Therefore, our analysis focused on the distribution of student-athletes in the academic years 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 and the breakdown by macroarea of enrolment, evaluating the trend of Dual Careers in the last two academic years.

Specifically, Figure 5(a) depicts the number and relative percentage of student-athletes who activated Dual Careers in each of the last two academic years. Importantly, the percentage of students who took up Dual Careers increased from 20%–80% in the most recent academic year.

In addition, Figure 5(b) shows the distribution of student-athletes among the five macroareas of the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, with marked variations between the two academic years considered. Unsurprisingly, the highest number of student-athletes with Dual Careers was recorded in the Medicine and Surgery macroarea, with an increase from 3–29, respectively, in the academic years 2022/2023 and 2023/2024. A similar trend was also observed in the Economy and Engineering macroareas. Regarding the Humanities and Philosophy and Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences macroareas, the number of student-athletes increased slightly in the most recent academic year, while no changes were found in the Law macroarea.

Sport has a significant impact on the quality of life of individuals with psycho-physical and social effects, as it promotes the wellbeing of body and mind and encourages interaction and comparison between athletes (15). For this reason, Universities' monitoring of students engaged in sporting activities can provide relevant information and induce Universities to adopt strategies aimed at promoting and guaranteeing participation in sport during the university career. Therefore, our study aims to obtain an estimate of students involved in sport activities and to evaluate the effects of the introduction of a Dual Career regulation at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”.

Our preliminary results show that the Dual Career regulation has been positively received, as the number of student-athletes enrolled in the University has increased in almost all macroareas since its introduction. Particularly, the marked increase in the number of student-athletes enrolled at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” in the 2023/2024 academic year has shown that the facilities established by the regulations to protect athletes have promoted a greater enrolment in degree courses in the Medicine and Surgery and Economy macroareas. In addition, a significant increase in the number of students engaged in both competitive and recreational sporting activities was observed, at the same time as a reduction in the number of students not practising sport.

In this regard, the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” promotes numerous initiatives in sport and health aimed at both the prevention of pathologies and the adoption of a healthy lifestyle based on regular physical activity to encourage students to take up sport. Undoubtedly, a regulation to protect athletes engaged in degree programmes is essential for those who decide to embark on a Dual Career, as this requires a constant commitment and scrupulous organization of resources, including time and energy, ensuring the success of both paths (4). In fact, the success of a sports career is strictly dependent on the individual's technical characteristics, which are developed with high training volumes, especially in individual disciplines such as swimming, gymnastics and martial arts (14, 16). On the other hand, individual sports offer athletes the possibility of customizing training schedules according to the athlete's needs, while team sports impose constraints related to the needs of the community. In this context, several studies have examined Dual Career paths at various Universities, highlighting time management as the factor that most concerns student athletes. In fact, in addition to the time they must devote daily to training and academic life, the time needed to travel from one location to another must also be considered (17, 18). Therefore, the possibility of flexible working hours, guaranteed by the Dual Career regulation, makes it possible to overcome time management obstacles, favoring full and harmonious adherence to both careers.

In addition, athletes face significant financial burdens to support the university course, paying fees and books, and the sports course, which includes the costs of training, equipment and participation in competitions, including accommodation and meals (19). In this respect, the partial exoneration of university fees guaranteed by the regulation, in addition to reducing the economic pressure to which student-athletes are subjected, could promote an economic gain for the Universities through the visibility they produce. In fact, although most student-athletes do not enjoy the notoriety that allows them to generate income on their own, the involvement of followers through shares on social networks can increase the popularity of the University and encourage the dissemination of values related to sport (19, 20).

Finally, the social and relational impact that the Dual Career programme entails in the lives of individuals should be considered, as the difficulties associated with managing time, energy and financial resources often result in a sacrifice in interpersonal relationships on the part of the student-athlete. In this context, evidence has shown the importance of support from parents, siblings and coaches on a personal, sporting and university level to achieve success in all areas involved (8). Noteworthy, the period of social isolation experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic altered the balance between the athlete and the social context, reducing both the possibility of training in appropriate sports environments and support from teachers (21). In other words, the health crisis faced during the pandemic highlighted the delicate balance between sporting practice, quality of life and emotional state to which student-athletes are exposed, as well as the importance of a proactive social fabric to ensure continued engagement in both sport and study (22). In fact, the return to the daily routine in the post-lockdown period emphasized a real difficulty in resuming training and recovery cycles, as it was reported that elite athletes tended to spend more time resting and less time training than in the pre-lockdown period (23). Therefore, the life of the student-athlete is a constant physical, psychological and emotional challenge that requires ad hoc protection to ensure the individual's success.

Overall, our preliminary results of the survey administered to students enrolled in the academic years 2020/2021, 2021/2022, 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 showed that, following the introduction of an ad hoc Dual Career regulation, an increasing number of student-athletes and sports students enrolled at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”. This result shows that the facilities provided by the regulation, which are necessary for the continuation of both paths, are indeed required by athletes embarking on a university career. Noteworthy, the regulation introduced in April 2022 seems to meet the needs of student-athletes, although further surveys will have to be conducted to assess their level of satisfaction. Nevertheless, preliminary results show that the main barriers encountered by athletes have been overcome by the Dual Career regulation, promoting higher enrolment in tertiary education courses.

In conclusion, the constant commitment of the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” in promoting and disseminating the importance of a lifestyle based on physical activity and the values associated with sports has had a positive impact on the student population, encouraging their participation in various sports disciplines. Further monitoring surveys will be necessary to verify the effect of the events and activities promoted by the University on student sports participation.

The high number of students responding to the survey has resulted in a substantial amount of data that requires thorough and targeted analysis. Therefore, the present study presents preliminary results with some limitations that must be considered when interpreting the results. Firstly, no differentiated analysis was conducted based on the age and gender of the students, limiting our understanding of potential differences that could influence academic performance and participation in sports activities. For student-athletes, the specific sport practiced was not considered. In addition, the subdivision of sports according to type (individual, couple, team) requires a more in-depth and targeted investigation to provide an adequate stratification of the entire student population. Undoubtedly, these elements represent an area for future investigation for a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomena studied. Furthermore, the analysis of interactions between demographic, sports, and academic variables would offer a more integrated and detailed understanding of the factors that influence students’ experiences and performance.