Hague, Nicola Jane ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9541-4713 (2024) ‘No footballer wants to admit it’s coming to an end’: A sociological exploration of male professional footballers’ transition into retirement. Doctoral thesis, York St John University.

Text (Doctoral thesis) ‘No footballer wants to admit it’s coming to an end’ A sociological exploration of male professional footballers’ transition into retirement. (1).pdf - Published Version Restricted to Repository staff only until 15 July 2027. Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (2MB) Request a copy

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a steady growth of interest in the lives of professional footballers both on and off the pitch. However, much of this interest has tended to be from a psychological perspective, with the world of sociology only more recently beginning to emerge as a discipline that can elaborate on the finer nuances of the football environment. Transition research, or research that seeks to explore how athletes negotiate movements within their careers has seen key works by academics who have explored focal transition points such as the movement from youth team to first team in football. However, little research has been completed on how athletes navigate the transition into retirement from a sociological perspective. Thus, a case study on male professional footballers was undertaken to examine several key areas that contribute towards building an understanding of how players navigate the complex journey of retirement. These included the examination of the prevalence of dominating subcultures within the environment and the influence of these long-term into retirement, as well as building an understanding of how the players viewed their support network. Semi- structured interviews with 20 retired male professional players were conducted and analysed using concepts from Elias’ figurational sociology and little-known shock-experience theory via thematic analysis. The findings suggest that transitions are difficult to pinpoint in time and duration and therefore it is extremely difficult to categorise each player into a solely positive, or negative transition, as they experience elements of each. Existing transition models in disciplines such as psychology appear too linear and do not account for the multiple nuances these footballers navigate in their journey through and out of football. The inherent complexity of these transitions is evident with players citing long-lasting permutations of their careers which include abiding by dominating subcultures such as control of time and diets that are norms engrained within their individual habitus. This habitus is unable to change rapidly, despite the players’ physical exit from the game being swift and thus, the players cite facing threats to their identity evidencing both the presence of Elias’ nine causes of shock and Goodwin and O’Connor’s reworked seven causes of shock relating to retirement. Furthermore, nothing achieved or implemented in these players’ football careers can mimic or replicate their retirement, thereby meaning that none felt prepared for retirement. Players suggested that meaningful preparation is needed earlier in their careers whereby they can take ownership of the decision to retire thereby increasing the chances of more positive elements to their career transitions.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Status:	Published
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure > GV0733-734.5 Professionalism in sports. Professional sports (General) H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
School/Department:	School of Science, Technology and Health
URI:	https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/10359

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