An exploration of dual-careers of South African female elite student-athletes: The case of football

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Date

2024

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

University of the Western Cape

Abstract

The study explored factors that contributed to or hindered the dual careers of female elite student-athletes in South Africa, specifically focusing on football. The objectives were to (i) explore the perceptions and experiences of female elite student-athletes competing at national/international football competitions; (ii) identify contributing factors to success in the dual careers of these students at a South African university; (iii) identify barriers preventing success in their dual careers; and (iv) propose recommendations on how the barriers could be overcome or prevented. The primary research question was: what were the main contributing factors and barriers experienced by South African female elite student-athletes who compete at national/international football competitions? Four sub-research questions guided the data collection process: (i) what were the experiences of female elite student-athletes in their dual careers? i) which dual career policies were student-athletes aware of in South African elite sports? (iii) what role did university sports programmes play in the dual careers of female student-athletes? (iv) how could the barriers be overcome so female student-athletes can succeed in sporting competitions?

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Keywords

Dual-careers, Elite student-athletes: Female, Football, South African university, Female

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