Law, Graeme ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5047-6208 (2019) Researching professional footballers: Reflections and lessons learned. International Journal of Qualitative Methods.

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Abstract

In this article, the author reflects on the process of interviewing professional footballers about the sensitive issue of money and the lessons learned from this process. The article discusses a case study approach using in-depth qualitative interviews, which generates an innovative insight into a closed social world. The focus is on the difficulties of obtaining a sample where challenges faced are discussed. The article also focuses on the interview style employed when dealing with individuals who are experienced at being interviewed regularly. It also examines the issues of being an ‘insider’ when conducting research and ways in which this can benefit the research process. The issue of research being a messy process is also discussed as when conducting this research, it was imperative that the author could deal with unpredictability and had to be flexible to conduct the research. Finally, the paper discusses the insecurities of the participants and the issues of trust as the current position of the author led him to be seen as an ‘outsider’ by some participants.

Item Type:	Article
Status:	Published
DOI:	https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406919849328
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure > GV0557 Sports G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure > GV0861-1017 Ball games: football, etc.
School/Department:	School of Science, Technology and Health
URI:	https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/3813

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