Vilka når elitfotboll? : En undersökning om elevers väg till elitlagen genom NIU-fotboll

Sammanfattning: Abstract  Within the Swedish upper secondary school there are special sports courses with the aim of giving the students an opportunity to combine studies and their specific sports. In this essay, the outcome of a NIU football secondary school education and the ability of the schools to educate elite players is studied. Aim The aim of the study was to investigate the correlation between special education and future elite careers. The study will be answered by the following questions: How many elite-level players have completed a NIU football education? Do the schools differ in terms of the number of students who reach elite level? Does the geographical location of schools affect how many that reach elite levels? Does the association with elite teams influence how many student´s that reach the elite level? Is there a difference between men and women?  Method A quantitative approach has been used to study 2400 male and female football players.The collection of data has been conducted through contact with all 68 NIU schools and the Swedish football federation, which provides the information about the players' team affiliations and level.   Results 51.8% women, 53.8% men, and 53% of the total elite-level players have undergone NIU football education. The observed schools differ in the number of pupils who reach elite football. 5,68% ±5,47% of pupils per school reaches elite football, concerning men 4,62% ±6,08% and women 8,31% ±10,66%. An independent t-test analysis (p<0,05) showed no significant differences depending on geographic location for total players (p=0,747), males (p=0,817) or females (p=0,807). Schools association with elite teams showed significant differences (p<0,05) for the total number of players (p=0,006) and males (p=0,004). However, there was no significant difference in females (p=0,462). Conclusion A NIU education seems to increase the chances of reaching elite level. When it comes to the schools´association with elite teams, the results indicate that it is beneficial for boys but not girls. However the geographic location does not impact the result. Finally, future studies are needed to demonstrate the reasons why some schools deliver more players to elite level.