Development of elite athletes begins at a young age, but often the training, games, and programs in place do not support long-term athlete excellence. "Athlete development models: An essential variable in achieving elite athlete excellence," presents a domestic and international perspective on athlete development models and their relationship with the other defined variables of achieving elite athlete success. Matthew Robinson, Sport Management Professor and Director of the International Coaching Enrichment Certificate Program, discusses the role of the coach and administrators in the creation and implementation of athlete models. Instructors teaching students interested in professional coaching or youth development, athletic directors and administrators, coaches, parents, and others involved in the growth of athletes will benefit from learning how current models can be adjusted to better serve young athletes and promote elite athlete excellence.
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Matthew J. Robinson, PhD, is a professor and director of the sport management program in the Alfred E. Lerner College of Business at the University of Delaware. Dr. Robinson is also a member of the legal studies faculty and has a secondary appointment with the School of Education at the university and serves as director of the International Coaching Enrichment Certificate Program (ICECP) funded by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Solidarity fund. Dr. Robinson serves as president of the Delaware Sport Commission, which was founded in 2009 for the purpose of attracting regional, national, and international sporting events to the state of Delaware for the purpose of economic development. He also serves as director of management education for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
Through external and internal funding sources, Dr. Robinson has implemented international sport initiatives in Turkey, Senegal, Ireland, Cape Verde, and India. The initiatives have included the education of international graduate students; sport outreach programs in these countries; travel abroad by UD faculty, staff, and students; and goodwill tours to the United States by sport delegates from Turkey, Senegal, and India. Dr. Robinson has partnered with U.S. embassies in Turkey, Senegal, Jordan, Afghanistan, and Ireland to implement programs and has worked with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Corruption on sport outreach programs. He has also collaborated with basketball federations in Turkey, Ireland, India, and Senegal; the Olympic Committee in Turkey; and the National Basketball Association (NBA). Dr. Robinson served as Islamic sport coordinator for the U.S. Department of State in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in the area of sport diplomacy in 2007 while on sabbatical from the university. In two years, the ICECP program that Robinson directs hosted 54 national-level coaches from 40 countries on the University of Delaware campus and at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
Dr. Robinson is president and owner of CPTM Sport Enterprises LLC. He has consulted in the areas of economic impact, marketing research, strategic planning, feasibility studies, and capital improvement planning for facilities. He has worked with various organizations, including the United States Golf Association (USGA), USGA 2009 Women’s Open, NFL Baltimore Ravens, MLB Baltimore Orioles, McDonald’s LPGA Championship, Comcast-Spectacor, Philadelphia 76ers, Bowie Baysox, Global Spectrum, Maryland Stadium Authority, Delaware Stadium Corporation, Ripken Baseball and Management and Design, City of Aberdeen (Maryland), University of Maryland athletic department, University of Delaware athletic department, York College athletic department, Delaware Department of Tourism, master planning firm Sgarzi Associates, Basketball Ireland, and Turkish Basketball Federation.
Dr. Robinson is also the author of the highly successful sport management texts Sport Club Management and Profiles of Sport Industry Professionals: The People Who Make the Games Happen and has authored over 25 articles and made over 100 national and international scholarly and professional presentations. Dr. Robinson has been nominated for Teacher of the Year at the University of Delaware for seven consecutive years and has been named to Who’s Who in Education.
