Awards are career catalysts for young talents in association football

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research question Despite the potential importance of awards as a possible career catalyst, research on awards is still in its infancy, specifically in sports management. Here, we address this shortcoming in the sports economics and management literature by exploring data from youth association football. Research methods Estimating different probit regression models, we analyze whether an early career award, the so-called Fritz Walter Medal, significantly affects the awardee’s career trajectory in a highly competitive environment, i.e. German youth football, where performance differences are often still hardly perceivable. Results and Findings We find that receiving an award seems, per se, to be a robust positive signal for a player’s future career success. Intriguingly, though, both the award characteristics and the awardee’s age only add limited explanatory power. Implications Our empirical results indicate that winning a prestigious award can represent a reliable status-oriented signal for individuals, especially young gifted talents entering highly competitive job markets.