Always a footballer? The reconstruction of masculine identity following retirement from elite Australian football

Abstract

This study utilises a social constructionist and identity theory perspective to explain the processes in Australian football through which masculine identity is socially constructed and then maintained following retirement from the sport. The concepts explored highlight the importance of football in the construction of masculine identity and the changes that occur over time in accordance with circumstance and experience. This paper explores the concept of the ‘jock identity’ that can be the dominant lens through which all other dimensions of identity are viewed. Such is the importance of sport in the development of masculine identity in particular, the impact on the identity of retiring Australian footballers is significant. The experiences of retired Australian footballers with regard to the construction of masculine identity have not yet been conducted, and thus, this research contributes to the body of knowledge on sports retirement and offers important insight to assist in understanding masculine subcultures.

Keywords:

• identity formation
• post-career
• jock identity
• male role
• sport