Junior-to-senior transition in elite female football: identifying predominant sources of stress among junior players from both player and coach perspectives.

Introduction: The purpose of this case study is to gain insight into and a deeper understanding of the predominant sources of stress during the junior-to-senior transition experienced by current and former female junior players and their male coaches from both the junior and senior teams. Methods: All three groups of participants were affiliated with the same Norwegian professional football club. In total, we conducted semistructured interviews with 10 female players: five junior elite players (mean age 16.8 years, SD = 0.96) and five senior elite players (mean age 23.4 years, SD = 2.01). In addition, four male coaches from the junior and senior teams (mean age 32.5 years, SD = 3.84) were interviewed. We conducted a thematic analysis of the interviews. Results and discussion: The findings revealed that the players experienced several sport stressors. Among the sport stressors, disparities in performance levels between the junior and senior teams, especially during matches, and the higher expectations and demands from their coaches were prominent. Among the non-sport stressors, the struggle to balance football with social life outside the sport was prominent. Since education was the elite female players' backup plan, the club and school collaboration was considered important. Taken together, the results indicate a need for facilitating athletes' daily lives to support and smooth their transition. On a broader level, this study contributes insights into the junior-to-senior transition in women's football, an area that remains underrepresented in the research literature.