Disciplinary mechanisms and the discourse of identity: The creation of ‘silence’ in an elite sports academy

Abstract

Organization studies research exposes the need to examine power relations embedded within the design of organizations, the construction of normative behaviour, and the production of socially constructed meanings that lead to the removal of employee voice. Drawing upon 21 qualitative interviews with Premiership football academy members, this article examines the regulation, control and ‘silencing’ of young English professional footballers. Building upon two existing literatures concerning the institutional dynamics of footballing traineeship, and the concept of organizational ‘silence’, the article explains how characteristics associated with surveillance mechanisms and the perpetuation of institutional norms lead to the configuration of a climate of silence. Utilizing the work of Michel Foucault and Erving Goffman, the article addresses the call for an understanding of the interplay between social actors and the confines of their structural context as an example of restrictive practice and for providing insight into the ‘how’ of silencing.

Keywords:

• silence
• identity
• discipline
• elite sport
• organizational culture

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the editors of this special edition and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable and constructive comments, helpful advice and generous contribution towards shaping the final edit of this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. When using the term ‘significant others’, we are referring to both coaching and managerial staff within the Academy.

2. Pseudonyms have been used throughout to protect the anonymity of the club, staff and players.

3. Scholarships within Valley FC lasted for two years (from 16 to 18 years of age). As an ‘Academy Scholar’ trainees were contracted to play for Valley FC and were expected to train on a ‘full-time’ basis, attending the Academy from 8.30 a.m. till 5.00 p.m. Monday to Friday whilst competing over the weekend. Youth trainees signed to a Scholarship received a wage from the club whilst also remaining in full-time education; once their contracts had expired trainees were either offered a ‘professional contract’ playing regularly for the first team or ‘reserves’ or, if unsuccessful, were subsequently released form the club.

4. The ‘youth trainees’ interviewed were taken from a sample of both first- and second-year trainees signed on to a formal two-year ‘scholarship’ contract (ranging from 16 to 18 years of age), some of whom had previous experiences of ‘Academy life’ at other clubs.

5. Initial access to the research setting was granted to the lead author of the paper by the Academy Coach (Graham Kidd). The length of fieldwork spanned over a period of 11 months, incorporating semi-structured interviews with a total of 21 participants (five Valley FC academy staff and 16 youth trainees). Interviews with the trainees and Academy staff were conducted on a one-to-one basis and in the confines of Valley FC’s Academy. Observations of daily training sessions and routine interactions between staff members and players were also conducted when researching on site.