Objectives: This exploratory study quantified professional Australian rules football players transitioning from the Australian Football League (AFL), comparing responses between retiring and delisted players and if the experience of exiting an AFL club influenced the athlete transition process.Design: Online survey research.Method: Identified male athletes (n=425) transitioning from the AFL competition from years 2019-2021 were invited to participate in an anonymous online survey. Athletes answered questions on career length, the mechanism of their transition (retirement or delisting), and their experience of transition. They also answered questions on their self-perceived athletic identity, financial confidence, social relationships, the influence of sport in their daily life, and future career preparations. Apart from their playing career demographics and experience of transition, questions were answered via either dichotomous or scaled responses.Results: Delisted players, compared to retired players, reported shorter career spans (p<0.001), and poorer perception of their club’s handling of the transition process (p<0.001). Further, delisted players had a stronger identity attachment to sport (p<0.001), were less confident in their financial capabilities (p=0.048), and career preparation beyond football (p=0.026). Conversely retired players showed stronger psychological flourishing (p=0.011). Correlations showed that retired players with more positive experiences in the club transition process were more confidence in their finances (p<0.001), reported greater psychological flourishing (p=0.05), had lower attachment to an athletic identity (p=0.008).Conclusions: In this cohort, career length and transition process experience impacted on transitioning athletes psychological flourishing, athletic identity, financial confidence and elements of career self-doubt. The data supports previous case and qualitative studies that education and awareness to AFL club staff on the transition process is required particularly to delisted players exiting the AFL and for a life outside of professional sport.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.