As the use and availability of qualitative software analysis tools increases so does ambiguity regarding the choice of the most appropriate software in sport management research. This paper uses NVivo and Leximancer to analyse the same set of data derived from interviews with sport management experts on high performance sport to showcase the differences in findings depending on the type of software used. The findings alert sport management and social science researchers to the importance of closely examining the choice of software for qualitative data analysis. Researchers may base their decision on aspects such as the type and size of data set, their competence and skills in data interpretation and the level of engagement with data analysis they plan on undertaking. This paper discusses the implications for researchers in the sport management field using these tools for data analysis and highlights the value that software can add to the research effort.
Previous studies acknowledge the importance of sporting organizations’ developing partnerships with clubs for athlete development purposes. However, there are no studies that address the way partnerships influence athlete progression and pathways. This study explores interorganizational relationships (IORs) between a tennis federation and tennis clubs in their efforts to improve player development processes. Document analysis and semistructured interviews with representatives from clubs and the Flemish federation were used. The findings show that the federation and the clubs engaged in IORs to achieve reciprocity and efficiency. The federation anticipated gaining legitimacy and asymmetry, and clubs expected to develop stability. Formal and informal control mechanisms facilitated IOR management. The conceptual model discussed in this study shows the types of IOR motives, management, and control mechanisms that drive and influence the attraction, retention/ transition, and nurturing processes of athlete development.
Talent identification at a young age is deemed essential for many national sporting organisations to increase the chances of success for their players on the international stage. Talent identification methods can be imprecise and national tennis associations and coaches often identify talent based on performances at youth tournaments and junior rankings. However, not much is known about the relationship between the international competition performances of young tennis players and later success. This relationship is explored in this study using comparisons based on: (a) the results of 3,521 players at U14 youth tournaments; (b) the rankings of 377 junior players (U18) by the International Tennis Federation; (c) the rankings of 727 professional male players by the Association of Tennis Professionals; and (d) the rankings of 779 professional players by the Women's Tennis Association. Junior performances (U18) and performances at youth tournaments (U14) appear to have a low success rate in predicting later success. No distinct age was found at which players should start to perform in order to be successful at the professional level. It is concluded that even though good performances at young ages increase athletes' chances to become elite players, they are not a precondition for achieving later success. Therefore, this study informs talent scouts, sport development officers, coaches and high performance managers of the role that performances at international youth competitions may play in talent identification in tennis.
Countries continue to seek ways to achieve and sustain elite athlete success. However, competitive advantages in elite sport are largely found within individual sports' contexts and policies. This paper uses tennis as an exemplar and mixed methods to examine sport specific policy and other factors that influence international success. Thirty-five international tennis experts participated in a questionnaire which combined (a) open questions, and (b) Likert scale questions, based on the Sport Policy Factors that Lead to International Success (SPLISS) model. The findings support the significance of the SPLISS model at a tennis specific level. The most significant contribution of this paper rests on the emergence of two contextual themes, namely culture and commercial environment, which help explain the context within which tennis operates. These findings are important for understanding the ways elite sport success is fostered in professional sports like tennis and potentially transferring that knowledge to other commercialised sports. The paper advances the theoretical understanding of the combined meso-level and contextual factors at a sport specific level that influence international success. The practical implications address high performance directors' and sport policy makers' challenge of nurturing and enhancing the tennis culture and commercial environment.
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