Mechanisms and experiences of exclusion: A cultural analysis of dual career sporting pathways in England

Abstract

Since the 1990s, academic and practical interest around athletes combining sport with education or work, known as a “dual career”, has steadily increased. To date, most dual career studies are written from a Eurocentric perspective and sample funded athletes in education, largely overlooking unfunded athletes and athletes combining sport with work or other life pursuits; indicating a rigid perception of what constitutes “dual career”. Due to these trends in the literature and the lack of examination of exclusion and inclusion in dual career sporting environments, it is challenging to identify who is currently included or excluded, and how. Wider consideration of this issue is vital as both elite sport and education have been criticised for perpetuating social inequalities. Thus, this thesis explores experiences of exclusion amongst unfunded dual career athletes and identifies mechanisms of exclusion within the cultural and procedural norms of the English dual career sport system.

Through undertaking a critical institutional ethnography of the leading dual career support scheme in England – The Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme – this thesis provides a cultural analysis of England’s dual career sport system. This research was undertaken using a qualitative methodology with data collection methods of in-depth semi-structured interviews with TASS staff, practitioners, and dual career athletes alongside a focus group, document review, and observation. Data was analysed through reflexive thematic analysis and document analysis, coupled with the theoretical frameworks of culture, power and ordering. Findings indicate that: i) unfunded and non-traditional pathway dual career athletes experience structural and interpersonal exclusion which contribute to harmful outcomes, ii) power relations and misinterpreted eligibility criteria influence athlete nominations to TASS, iii) due to limited power, TASS’ attempts to enact inclusion are constrained, and iv) England’s dual career system exists at the intersection of higher education and high-performance sport, and thus reflects similar barriers, inequalities, and exclusionary cultures.

Collectively, the major contributions of this thesis are to address the gaps in dual career research by examining, through a novel application of self-ordering, the lived experiences of exclusion of athletes typically ignored in dual career literature, identify structural and cultural exclusion within dual career systems, and propose new arguments about the culture of England’s dual career system. Underpinned by my data, I generate recommendations for how dual career systems might be refined to combat exclusive practices.