Sports performers' perspectives on facilitating thriving in professional rugby contexts

Abstract

Objectives: The desire and apparent 'need' to succeed can drive a win-at-all-costs mentality in individuals who operate in sport. This approach has given rise to environments where the pursuit of high-level performance has been at the expense of athlete welfare. To redress this balance and to inform the creation and maintenance of sporting environments that promote both high performance and athlete well-being, we sought to (i) provide an exploration of the environmental factors that may promote player thriving in professional sport, and (ii) offer suggestions for how key stakeholders can support these mechanisms. Design: A qualitative research methodology underpinned by ontological relativism and epistemological constructionism. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 players from an English professional rugby union club. Results: Thematic analysis generated thirteen factors that players perceived to promote thriving. These factors were underpinned by two general ideas: (i) Establishing Bonds between Teammates and (ii) Establishing a Connection to the Coaching Staff and the Club. 15 Conclusions: The findings provide the first insight into the type of environment professional 16 rugby players believe can facilitate their development and sporting success. The factors 17 generated in the analysis highlight the players' desire to operate within an integrated, 18 inclusive, and trusting environment, and a variety of suggestions are forwarded for how this 19 can be achieved. To promote thriving in a professional sport that requires emotion and 20 passion to succeed on the pitch, it appears that rugby union organizations must appeal to the 21 sensitivities and welfare of players' off it. 22

The prediction of thriving in elite sport: A prospective examination of the role of psychological need satisfaction, challenge appraisal, and salivary biomarkers

“…For example, exhibiting a readiness for challenge was shown to enable thriving during a geographic transition, 5 and operating within an integrated, inclusive, and trusting environment was suggested to facilitate thriving within a professional team sport. 6 To explain these associations and understand how these factors influence thriving, it is necessary to examine the mechanistic variables at play (i.e., the proximal determinants of thriving). Two candidate variables previously suggested to determine thriving are basic psychological need satisfaction (BPNS) and challenge appraisal.…”

The Acculturation Experiences of Elite Rugby Union Coaches

“…Finally, the world of elite sport can often be hostile and unpleasant, and although success can be achieved under such conditions (Cruickshank & Collins, 2015), there has been a more recent shift to promote high performance and well-being (Brown & Arnold, 2019), further evidenced in this research. Integrating wellbeing strategies was part of the coaches' acculturation environments and a vital aspect of a high-performance coach's role (Rynne & Mallett, 2012),…”

The positive association between perceived parental responsiveness and self-esteem, anxiety, and thriving among youth rugby players: A multigroup analysis

“…Emerging research indicates that athletes' thriving could be enhanced through contextual facilitators such as perceived available support, high quality relationships (Brown & Arnold, 2019), or unconditional positive regard (McHenry et al, 2020), while thriving could be hindered by controlling behaviours (Gucciardi et al, 2017).…”