Syftet med studien var att studera före detta professionella golfspelares upplevelser av sitt karriäravslut. Följande frågeställningar ställdes: Följande frågeställningar ställdes: 1) Vilka barriärer upplever golfspelare i samband med karriäravslutet? (2) Vilka resurser upplever golfspelare i samband med karriäravslutet? (3) Vilka strategier identifierar golfspelare som användbara i samband med ett karriäravslut? Halvstrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med fyra kvinnliga och en manlig före detta professionella golfspelare på internationell nivå. Genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys (Hassmén & Hassmén, 2008) framkom 18 överliggande teman fördelade på barriärer (6), resurser (7) och strategier (5). Framträdande teman som framkom både som barriär och resurs var identitet, frivillighet vid avslut, förberedelser och socialt stöd. Strategierna förberedelser, hitta nya sysselsättningar, socialt stöd, dra nytta av golfkarriären och att ha ett optimistiskt synsätt identifierades som användbara. Temana diskuteras utifrån det teoretiska ramverket samt tidigare forskning. Förslag på framtida forskning samt implikationer ges. / The purpose of this study was to examine former golf players’ experiences of their career termination. The following questions were asked: (1) What barriers does golf players experience during the career termination? (2) What resources does golf players experience during the career termination? (3) What strategies does the golf players identify as useful during a career termination. Semi structured interviews were conducted with four female and one male golf players on international level. Through a qualitative content analysis (Hassmén & Hassmén, 2008) 18 high order themes emerged distrubuted on barriers (6), resources (7) and strategies (5). Prominent themes that emerged as both barriers and resources were identity, volontariness of retriment, preparations and social support. The strategies preparations, find new pursuits, social support, take advantage of the golf career and have an optimistic approach were identified as useful. The themes are discussed based on the theoretical framework and previous research. Suggestions for future research and implications are given.

The research seeks to understand and explain the impact, if any, on the transition out of sport, based on the level of commitment to sport being a Collegiate Athlete. Interest for this study came from personal experience as an athlete, as well as knowing numerous athletes who have gone or are going through, questioning their Identity once their playing days came to an end. This study includes extant literature discussing Athletic Identity. It offers a different perspective than other studies working through grief and loss after losing the ability to play a sport. The purpose of this study is to offer possible explanations and resources to deal with the problem of Identity Crisis in a post-athletic career. Here, Identity Crisis will be defined as a “personal psychosocial conflict, especially in adolescence that involves confusion about one's social role and often a sense of loss of continuity to one's personality” (Merriam-Webster's dictionary). This is currently being brought to light with the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this study will describe the effects of transitioning out of sport through the Kübler-Ross “Grief and Loss cycle” of an athlete. This study is intended to be a resource for collegiate athletes, coaches, trainers, administrators, parents, and counselors to be better prepared to help athletes with this transition.

Thesis (PhD (Sport Science))—University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / This study was designed to gain a better understanding of the way in which the quality of the sport-career termination is quantitatively affected by athletic and non-athletic factors. A further objective of this study was to contribute and broaden the knowledge base on the athletic careertermination process and endeavour to add new information to the existent body of knowledge on the career-ending process in the world of sport. This study is a sport-specific view on South African track and field and road running athletes’ retrospective views on their retirement. In line with the relevant literature, the influence of athletic (voluntariness and gradualness of sport-career termination, subjective view of athletic achievements, postsport life planning, and athletic identity) and non-athletic factors (e.g., age, educational status) on different aspects of sport-career difficulties was investigated. In phase 1 of the research, 104 retired track and field athletes completed an adapted version of the Cecic-Erpic’s (2000) Sports Career Termination Questionnaire II (SCTQ II). These athletes had been retired for no less than one year with an athletic career at national and international level and were asked to describe in retrospect their experiences and reactions to their athletic career termination. The SCTQII was developed to evaluate the characteristics of the sport-career termination process, the characteristics of the active sport-careertermination transition to post-sport life, and adaptation to post-sport life. In phase 2 of the study, 23 retired South African elite athletes were individually interviewed. An interview guide was developed which probed the sport career of the athletes in depth, from the initial start to the sport career to the process of disengaging from elite sport. The data from the interviews were content analysed.

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of elite golf players in transitioning from active professional athletes to post-sports life. All participants in the study were male, playing at one of the two highest national levels in Sweden, either the Future Series or the Moregolf Mastercard Tour. Eight participants were recruited for the study with the requirement that they had played for at least three years at one of these top national levels, and that no more than three years had passed since they ended their careers. The study employed a semi-structured interview guide, developed based on theoretical frameworks, to conduct in-depth interviews with each participant. The information collected from the interviews was analyzed using thematic analysis to identify various themes and patterns, which then formed the results of the study. The results indicated that all participants experienced some form of challenge during their career transition from being active elite athletes to post-sport life. One of the biggest challenges among the participants was uncertainty about the future and what to do after ending their sports careers. Participants found that support from their families was a crucial resource during the end of their careers. Those who had combined sports with studies or work, dual careers, during their active sports careers found that this facilitated their transition. In terms of managing career ending, the majority of the participants highlighted the importance of having a plan B for life after sports. Participants who had not planned for life after sports were worried about their future. However, all but one of the participants began working or studying relatively soon after ending their careers, primarily driven by their own desire to pursue new goals and challenges. / Syftet med studien var att studera elitidrottande golfspelares upplevelser av karriärövergången från aktiv elitidrottare till livet efter idrotten. Samtliga deltagare i studien var herrar som spelat på någon av de två högsta nationella nivåerna i Sverige, Future Series eller Moregolf Mastercard Tour. Åtta deltagare rekryterades till studien, inkluderingskriterierna var att deltagarna skulle spelat minst tre år på någon av de två högsta nationella nivåerna samt att det maximalt fick vara tre år sedan deltagarna avslutat karriären. Studien använde sig av en semistrukturerad intervjuguide konstruerad utifrån de teoretiska ramverken för att genomföra djupgående intervjuer med varje deltagare. Materialet från intervjuerna analyserades med tematisk analys. Resultatet visade tre huvudteman; upplevda utmaningar vid karriäravslut, resurser vid karriäravslut och olika hantering av karriäravslut. En av de största utmaningarna bland deltagarna var osäkerhet om framtiden och vad man ska göra efter idrottskarriären. Deltagarna upplevde bland annat att stödet från familjen var en viktig resurs under karriäravslutet och de deltagare som under den aktiva idrottskarriären kombinerat idrotten med studier eller arbete, upplevde det som en resurs vid karriäravslut. Gällande hantering av karriäravslutet belyste majoriteten av deltagarna vikten av att ha en plan b för livet efter idrotten. De deltagare som inte hade planerat för livet efter idrotten var oroliga över hur det skulle gå för dem. Däremot började alla deltagare förutom en att arbeta eller studera relativt snabbt efter karriäravslutet och en stor anledning till det var framför allt deltagarnas egna driv att sträva efter nya mål och utmaningar.

This thesis aimed to extend knowledge of athletes’ career transitions through examining athletes’ retirement decision-making process and influence of cultural diversity and organisational culture on the process of career transition. The purpose of Study 1 was to identify the current status of knowledge in the study area through providing a systematic review of the athlete career transition studies. The findings provided up to date knowledge in the study area and suggested potential future research directions. Study 2 aimed to understand Korean tennis players’ career transition out of sport experiences via longitudinal qualitative research. The results indicated that athletes perceived making the retirement decision was difficult process for them and revealed that participants’ experiences were influenced by cultural aspects and sport contexts of Korea. Study 3 focused on exploring the athletes’ retirement decision-making process among Korean tennis players. Results showed that athletes’ leaving from sport decision-making is a complex and multidimensional process, and the transtheoretical model was helpful in explaining athletes’ retirement from sport decision-making. The objective of Study 4 was to explore the processes involved in the development of an athletes’ career transition programme. Results revealed that the organisation might have influence on athletes’ retirement decision and the quality of career transition. Overall, the findings from the current thesis provide advanced useful knowledge on the athlete career transition process, and such knowledge may assist attempts to enhance athletes’ well-being and welfare for during and post-sport life.