Does completing school take something away from a young player’s football development – or could education actually contribute to success on the pitch?

At the EDU-DC International Conference on Dual Career, taking place on 25 September 2026 at BayArena in Leverkusen, our third workshop will explore the relationship between school education and the development of professional football players.

School Education: A Success Factor for Sport Career?!

By Bayer Leverkusen

The workshop will be led by Frank Ditgens, Head of Education at Bayer Leverkusen, and Malte Kalsbach, Head of Innovation & Special Projects and Dual Career Lead at Bayer Leverkusen.

Using examples including Kai Havertz, Florian Wirtz and Montrell Culbreath, the speakers will introduce Bayer Leverkusen’s pedagogical profile of a successful youth player and the five factors the club identifies as important for making the breakthrough into professional football.

Participants will also discover concrete examples of how education and elite football can work side by side – from the tailored school timetable developed for Kai Havertz to Bayer Leverkusen’s Elite School of Football.

But there is no single European model. Educational systems, expectations and opportunities differ significantly from country to country. That is why this workshop will go beyond presenting the Bayer Leverkusen approach: participants will also work in small groups to reflect on the role education plays within their own clubs and national contexts.

Can school education become part of the pathway to sporting success rather than an obstacle to it?

Join us in Leverkusen and explore the question together with the team working with young players at Bayer Leverkusen.