Elite sport career transitions in New Zealand

Abstract

The research reported in this thesis aims to improve understanding of New Zealand elite sport career transitions and explore how the quality of the sport career termination process affects the elite athletes' post-sport career and their relationship with the sport. Furthermore, this research builds on this understanding to derive recommendations on how the New Zealand High Performance System can develop effective intervention strategies with, and for, retired elite athletes. There is little in-depth knowledge of elite sport career transitions in New Zealand. Understanding of transition processes in New Zealand has been limited by assumptions that overseas studies (based primarily on North-American and European contexts) are directly applicable in our elite sport culture. This research is exploratory in nature and was conducted in two stages. The first stage adopted a phenomenological approach and the findings from in-depth conversations with eight retired elite athletes, indicate that the reasons for elite sport career termination are based on the lack of financial support - a core finding which differs significantly from overseas studies. Consequently, these and other findings require extension of the current elite sport career transition models to more adequately represent the situation in New Zealand. An action-research approach was used in the second stage of this inquiry and the workshop recommendations specify that two necessary conditions need to be present in order for the High Performance System to be more effective. Firstly, the current Athlete Development Pathway needs to be expanded to incorporate a holistic view that includes retired elite athletes. Secondly, the High Performance System needs to take an individualized approach to elite athletes in order to develop customized, tailor-made intervention strategies.