When the Final Whistle Blows: Identity, Adaptability and Skill Transfer among Retired Team Sport Athletes

Abstract

This study explores how retired Finnish male athletes from elite football and ice hockey navigate the transition from professional sport to working life. Drawing on 19 in-depth interviews from the Elämän Pelikirja podcast, we conducted a theory-driven thematic analysis grounded in established models of career transition, identity reconstruction, and skill transfer. The analysis is based on authentic first-person narratives, offering unique insight into an underrepresented national context. Findings reveal that most transitions were abrupt, emotionally complex, and lacked formal institutional support. Athletes struggled with identity disruption and limited planning, yet gradually repurposed sport-derived meta-skills—such as resilience, communication, and goal orientation—in new professional roles, particularly in sales, media, technology, and leadership. Differences between sport cultures also shaped transition experiences. By highlighting both individual agency and structural gaps, this study offers policy-relevant insights for improving athlete support systems and broadens the understanding of post-career adaptation in elite sport

Keywords: Professional Role, Career Transition, Identity Reconstruction, Skill Transfer

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007588