Toward a Grounded Theory of the Psychosocial Competencies and Environmental Conditions Associated with Soccer Success

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to identify and examine psychosocial competencies among elite male adolescent soccer players in order to present a grounded theory of factors associated with soccer success. Participants (N = 40) were 20 Canadian international youth soccer players (M age = 16.8 years), 14 English professional youth soccer players (M age = 16.2 years), and 6 English professional coaches. Using grounded theory methodology (Strauss & Corbin, 1998), data analysis followed several coding procedures geared toward theory development. Four major psychosocial competencies that appear to be central to success in elite youth soccer emerged from the data. The competencies were labeled Discipline (i.e., conforming dedication to the sport and a willingness to sacrifice), Commitment (i.e., strong motives and career planning goals), Resilience (i.e., the ability to use coping strategies to overcome obstacles), and Social Support (i.e., the ability to use emotional, informational, and tangible support). These results are compared to existing sport talent development research and a grounded theory of the psychosocial competencies and environmental conditions associated with becoming a professional soccer player is presented. Research and practical implications arising from this exploratory theory are discussed.

This study was part of the first author's doctoral dissertation, conducted at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. Funding for the study was supplied by the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation and the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in the form of a Ph.D. scholarship, Dissertation Fellowship, and an Andrew Stewart Memorial Research Prize.

We would like to thank Drs. Juliet Corbin, John Hogg, and Maureen Weiss for their insightful and helpful feedback on conceptual and methodological issues. We would also like to extend our appreciation to Dr. Robert Weinberg, the Associate Editor, and two anonymous reviewers who provided valuable feedback on earlier drafts of this manuscript. In particular, Dr. Weinberg and one of the reviewers provided extensive support and guidance that improved the quality of this manuscript.

Notes

¹Informal interviews with Canadian international and professional coaches, fieldwork observations and documentary analysis were also employed to supplement the interview data presented here. Although these data collection methods provided valuable contextual information and helped with interpretations of meanings, the data are not presented as ‘raw data’ per se.

² In order to develop a more complete understanding of the process of grounded theory the first author attended several workshops and conferences pertaining to the methodology. Additionally, one of the key figures in the development of grounded theory, Dr. Juliet Corbin, was a member of the first author's Ph.D. supervisory committee (from which this manuscript is derived). Dr. Corbin worked with the authors to further their understanding of the subtleties of this methodology.

³Due to space limitations we have only reported findings that were common to both the English and Canadian samples.

⁴Interviews with the experienced soccer players were not audio-recorded, nor were they subjected to the analytic coding procedures. Instead, these participants reflected on the structure and design of the emerging model. They did not provide raw data upon which the model was created.