The challenges faced by female athletes in building dual careers have long been overlooked, but projects like Aurora Adriatic (2020–2021) and WIN – What Women Need are paving the way for a more inclusive and empowering future. By equipping athletes with the skills to balance sport and professional development, these initiatives highlight the transformative power of education, mentorship, and community support.

Aurora Adriatic: Building Foundations for Dual Careers
The Aurora Adriatic project, co-funded by Erasmus+ and managed by FT Komet (the tutor club of FT Novi Jelkovec), aimed to address the lack of professional skills among staff and athletes in grassroots sports clubs. Using a learning-by-doing approach, the project offered modules in nutrition, sport psychology, internal administration, and external relations.

A core focus was enabling participants to manage sports organizations independently, creating sustainable models for club development. Clubs such as Female Football Club Breznica from Montenegro and Female Football Club Tiverija from North Macedonia played pivotal roles, underlining the need for structured dual-career pathways — especially for women transitioning from competitive sport to roles in coaching or management.

Breznica and Tiverija: Champions of Women’s Sports
Despite limited resources, both clubs have been essential to advancing women’s football in their regions.
Breznica, a four-time champion of Montenegro’s women’s football league, has hosted multiple UEFA qualifiers and championed grassroots development.
Tiverija, known for its youth academy in North Macedonia, has consistently produced top-level players while promoting gender equality.

However, both clubs faced major challenges:

• Retention of talent: Many players struggled to stay engaged in sport after their competitive careers ended.
  
  
• Skills for transition: Female athletes often lacked the chance to develop managerial or entrepreneurial skills for post-athletic careers.
  
  
• Access to resources: Limited funding and training options restricted the ability to support dual-career paths.
  
  

Aurora Adriatic created space to address these gaps, helping former athletes gain practical skills in coaching, management, and club operations.

Connecting to WIN – What Women Need
The WIN project builds on this groundwork, responding to the broader needs of women in sport. Focused on empowerment through education, mentorship, and international collaboration, WIN emphasizes:

• Leadership development: Enabling women to take on decision-making roles in sport.
  
  
• Mental health and well-being: Providing tools to manage the pressures of dual careers.
  
  
• Networking opportunities: Creating transnational links to share knowledge and drive innovation in women’s sports.
  
  

By aligning with Aurora Adriatic’s dual-career focus, WIN offers a comprehensive support framework that accompanies female athletes throughout both their sporting and professional journeys.

A Vision for the Future
The synergy between Aurora Adriatic and WIN shows the power of combining education, mentorship, and cross-border collaboration to elevate women in sport. For clubs like Breznica and Tiverija, these projects provide a blueprint for sustainable change, ensuring that female athletes thrive both on and off the field.

As the WIN project expands, it holds the potential to reshape the future of women’s sport in Europe, nurturing a generation of leaders ready to inspire transformation—within their communities and far beyond.