Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Tulsa, 1985. / Bibliography: leaves 50-55.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2007. / "December, 2007." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 232-243). Online version available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M. Pub. Health)--University of Adelaide, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-116).

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2000. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 70 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 43-48).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2006. / Title from PDF title page screen. Advisor: Diane L. Gill ; submitted to the School of Health and Human Performance. Includes bibliographical references (p. 195-203).

Thesis (M.S.)--Georgia Southern University, 2006. / "A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science" ETD. Includes bibliographical references (p. 27-29) and appendices.

Background: The International Football Federation (FIFA), through their Goal project, renovated Rufaro stadium from natural turf (NT) to artificial turf (AT). This was met with mixed feelings especially with regard to injuries sustained by football players. There is no published scientific data on football injuries in Zimbabwe. Aim: To determine the frequency of injuries on AT and NT among Premier Soccer League (PSL) players in Zimbabwe. Objectives: To determine the attitudes of players regarding the different football playing surfaces, and the incidence, severity and injury types on AT and NT. Methods: The 2013 season's16 PSL teams were selected to complete questionnaires and injury report forms. Injuries recorded during matches on AT and NT were analyzed. Outcome measures were injury incidence (injuries/1000 player hours (Phrs) of exposure)compared for AT and NT using rate ratios (95% confidence intervals). All statistical significance were set at p<0.05. Results: A total of 325 players responded and 295(90.8%) preferred playing on NT. Of these, 250(76.9%) believed that AT was associated with more injuries. A total of 364 injuries occurred during 4455phrs of exposure giving an injury incidence of 81.7 injuries/1000phrs.A total of 69 games (1138.5phrs) on AT revealed an injury incidence of 85.2 injuries/1000phrs while 201 games (3316.5 phrs) on NT revealed an overall incidence of 80.51 injuries/1000-hrs.This analysis showed no statistically significant difference in the incidence of injury between AT and NT surfaces during matches played, [RR= 1.06; 95% CI: 0.84 – 1.34]. With regard to injury severity, the highest incidence occurred on the AT (31.62/1000phrs in the mild category) and the lowest incidence was on the NT (1.81/1000 phrs in the severe category) .The rate ratios for the severity were however not statistically significant. Comparison of the injuries according to body part injured largely revealed insignificant rate ratios. Conclusion: Football players believe that the AT is associated with increased risk of injury. There was no significant difference in injury incidence rates and severity between the AT and NT during the 2013 PSL season in Zimbabwe. The incidence of injury in this study was much higher than comparable European studies and is a need for further studies to explore the underlying reasons for this.

The inception of rugby as a workforce in 1995 created a range of new issues surrounding sport as a vocation. With professional rugby often wearing the glamorous coat of fame and fortune, young athletes sacrifice education and learning additional life-skills in pursuit of well-paid contracts and glitzy lifestyles unaware of the realities rugby as a profession holds. One such reality is the relatively short lifespan of a professional rugby career and the fact that transition to a whole new career is firstly inevitable and secondly a very challenging process. Traditional retirement has been associated with the end of a long working career, making comprehensive lifestyle- and financial planning part of the preparation process. This process helps the retiree anticipate and understand the expected demands of life beyond a working career. In rugby however, the retirement experience of a player can be extremely difficult to cope with, especially if the player is not adequately prepared or has not planned for such an event. This leaves players vulnerable for the imminent new phase of life and often leads to physiological - and other challenges players are not able to withstand in a world outside sport (Price, 2007). The aim of this study is to identify the different aspects that influence a professional rugby player’s retirement – and transition experience into a new profession. The researcher believes that an increased understanding of how current and retired professional rugby players perceive/experienced the retirement process would assist current players to better plan and prepare for this phase of life. This ultimately would reduce the anxiety and uncertainty for life after rugby. If players are more relaxed and stress-free about their future, more focus could also be placed on the here-and-now, leading to greater performance on the current field of play. The views of both current and retired professional rugby players were captured through questionnaires distributed all around South Africa. The researcher utilised a mixed mode paradigm of both positivistic and interpretive research methods. This approach enabled him to best compare the views of the two groups and test the developed theories and hypothesis. Ultimately, the research revealed that the presence of the following variables will have a positive influence on a player’s retirement and transition experience: A) Leadership, advice and planning for retirement B) Tertiary education and additional work skills C) Popularity amongst fans and other influential people D) Sufficient wealth and E) A self-selected retirement. With these findings the researcher will develop some specific guidelines for current professional rugby players to help them firstly better prepare for their life beyond sport and secondly successfully switch to a new career. A few valuable recommendations were also made to other stakeholders to better assist and support players in their preparation and transition process.

The growing body of literature on women's football has focused mainly on the development of the game and experiences of past and present players. Despite the emergence of research on women's football internationally there has not yet been exclusive attention to either of these areas in the Scottish context. Using an interpretive framework this thesis is organised around four main themes: the development of women's football in Scotland; socio-demographic characteristics of women footballers; the process of socialisation; and, the subculture of women's football. The synthesis of elements within the interpretive framework ensures that the research offers an interpretation that is both contextualised historically and informed by an understanding of the meaning of football in the context of players' private lives. In relation to the history of the game, the development of women's football in Scotland has indeed been shaped by the particular Scottish context. The research concludes that the socialisation of women into football in Scotland is an interactive and often a reciprocal process. The subculture of women's football in Scotland is characterised by three interlocking group cultures. The meaning of football in players' lives influences the nature of their individual membership to these group cultures and the importance they attach to elements of subcultural capital. The various meanings attached to football give rise to potential sources of tension between the dominant, emergent and residual elements of culture within the subculture. This original theoretically and empirically informed study of women's football in Scotland makes a contribution to the growing body of research on women's football and to our understanding of the social and historical significance of sport in Scottish society.

Thesis (D.App. Psych. (Sport Psych.))--Victoria University (Melbourne, Vic.), 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.