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The athlete’s journey: transitions through sport
The athlete’s journey: transitions through sport

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1 What factors influence transitions?

While the potential psychological impact of career transitions depends to some extent on the type of transition and on the individual athlete concerned, there are several key factors that reoccur when studying what may influence an athlete’s response. You are introduced to these in the next activity.

Activity 1 Transitions and the psychological impact

Timing: Allow about 30 minutes

Watch Video 2 below where you will hear five athletes talk about their experiences of having their careers cut short and going into retirement. Note down what you think could have influenced their experiences.

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Transcript: Video 2

CLARKE CARLISLE
The hardest aspect of that transition is the total loss of identity. The hardest statements to hear are didn't you used to be Clarke Carlisle? Well, no. I still am. I'm still here. As strong and resolute as you try and be in that next role, to all intents and purposes, for everyone else, it will never be as good as. And that's hard to shoulder every day.
OLLIE PHILLIPS
It's just that the transition's so different. Everything, from the adulation, the time, the feeling you have because you're fit and healthy, the money. All of it suddenly just stops, moving away from that, and accepting that that's kind of all over is really, really hard. Going from an environment that was full of so many emotional highs, and then going to an environment that I couldn't really resonate with. It didn't really seem familiar to me.
CLARKE CARLISLE
The sad fact of it is is that a cut short career is what, cut short to seven years? Cut short to seven years from what? 10? This is a very short, finite career.
LUKE HARVEY
A lot of people hit a really big low. You've got to be positive about a second career. When you're 30, you've still got-- you're only halfway through your working life.
MATT MACHAN
Playing cricket is most people's dreams from a little boy. That can get cut at any moment, and that is probably the toughest pill to swallow. But at the same time, the PCA, as I said before, are an amazing sounding board. And the more you can invest in yourself whilst you're playing, it's only going to make the transition, whether you retire early, or at the end of your career, a lot easier to handle, and the transition will be smoother.
ALEX SCOTT
That day when I had to make the announcement, it was so hard, because I had been Alex Scott, the footballer, for so long, and it is-- It's a big part of your identity and what you've known and what you describe yourself as to other people, I suppose. It was hard, but what I would say is don't wait till that last day. Put things in place. You don't want to get to that end day, then sit there and think, what am I going to do with my life? So it is signing up for a course, or going to speak to people at the PFA, just to get some advice, just get those wheels in motion sooner rather than later.
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Discussion

As you watched the video, you will probably have noted several themes discussed by the athletes. Both Clarke Carlisle (football) and Alex Scott (football) discuss the challenge of no longer being footballers and recognise they suffered a loss of identity. This loss of identity links closely to the level at which these athletes competed, as they potentially have much more at stake − something Ollie Phillips (rugby) alludes to when discussing the loss of adulation and income.

What nearly all of the athletes recognised was the importance of preparing for a life after sport. Alex Scott, Luke Harvey (jockey) and Matt Machan (cricket) all highlighted how a career in sport is relatively short so having a plan for a second career is crucial. Having the right support around you to do this is also key.

A final point links to the different sports that each athlete was involved in and whether that had an influence on their reactions to retirement.

Activity 1 clearly identifies five factors that can influence an athlete’s experience of transition and these are illustrated in Figure 1.

Influencing factors on athlete transitions in sport: athletic identity, level of participation, chosen sport, preparation and support.
Figure 1 Influencing factors on athlete transitions in sport
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Influencing factors on athlete transitions in sport: athletic identity, level of participation, chosen sport, preparation and support.

Figure 1 Influencing factors on athlete transitions in sport

These factors will form the focus of the rest of this session.