The transition from academy to professional football: an examination of factors influencing players' progression when encountering and adapting to a first team context

Abstract

Based on the transitional phases outlined in Jones et al. (2014), the main objective of this study was to examine factors influencing players’ progression when encountering and adapting to a first team context in the transition to professional football. Using a hierarchical content analysis, transcribed semi-structured interviews with eight elite development coaches in two professional football clubs was inductively and deductively analyzed. The analysis generated six higher-order categories influencing the progression in the encounter and adaption phase of the transition. These were; adaptability, survival strength, practice behavior, social competence, nature of elite football and relationship between academy and first team. Collectively, these higher-order categories illustrate the multifaceted and complex nature of the academy-to-firstteam transition when encountering and adapting to the context of a professional football club. Following this, practical implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.