| Athletic retirement is a growing area of interest in search of depicting the experiences of athletes following career termination. Theories of retirement and transition have been used to conceptualize athletic retirement; however, existing research demonstrates mixed results regarding the effects retirement has on athletes. The female sport retirement research is growing, but remains limited despite the rising number of female players participating at the collegiate level. Female soccer is one of the fastest growing sports at that level; however, no other research study has been conducted solely among Division I female collegiate soccer players and their experiences with involuntary retirement. In addition, the retirement research tends to focus on Olympic, professional, and collegiate athletes who retire upon graduation or completion of eligibility, thus requiring research focused on collegiate athletes who involuntarily retire from collegiate sport part-way through their careers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of Division I female collegiate soccer players who involuntarily retired due to injury. Eight former Division I female collegiate soccer players who retired due to injury were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide, in which a total of 16 major themes and 4 minor themes emerged from the data. The 22 identified themes were organized into five categories, which include: Formation of Soccer Identity, Division I Women's Soccer Experience, Initial Response to Athletic Retirement, Coping Resources Utilized, and Negative and Positive Effects of Involuntary Retirement. The results from this study suggest that there are specific challenges that pertain to collegiate female soccer players who involuntary retire, as these individuals are often ill-prepared for life without sport and experience a number of changes while remaining in the college realm. |
