The Retirement Experiences of Former Professional Footballers: An Exploratory Study

Research has indicated that athletes can experience a negative impact on psychological wellbeing when retiring from professional sport. Sporting retirement offers a unique perspective due to the young age at which it occurs, as athletes may need to find new professions, which potentially poses financial, social and psychological challenges. Athletic retirement literature primarily focuses on homogenous sporting groups who have experienced retirement. The following study therefore, aimed to investigate a specific sporting group: Professional football players. The procedure employed a qualitative design with a phenomenological approach where four former professional footballers were asked about their retirement experiences. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-step guide to thematic analysis. The thematic analysis showed four key themes: Change in Structure and Routine; Preparation for After Football; Loss of Footballing Identity; and Lack of Support for Retiring Players. The results demonstrate that there are multiple factors that may potentially negatively impact mood and wellbeing amongst football players in retirement transition. Further research is necessary to understand the relationship between psychological wellbeing and athletic retirement.