Our goals are to understand:
- Elite athletes quality of life during and after retirement;
Factors contributing to various retirement outcomes;
Who, what, and how athletes are best supported (if they are supported);
What athletes experience as they adjust to their retirement.
What questions are the ATS asking?
Who were you before you retired?
- What led to you leaving your sport?
- How long did it take to adjust to retirement, and what was life like during that process?
- When you retired, who was there for you, and who let you down?
- What resources were available to you? Why did or didn’t you use them? Did they help?
Now that you’re retired, how are your cognitive health, social life, mental state, physical wellness, work, and financial situation? Are you thriving or struggling, and in what ways?
What will we do with the data?
Give retired athletes a platform to share their experiences and wisdom with the general public.
Identify athletes who are at-risk for a challenging transition out of sport.
Target specific areas of need so resources and programs know how to best help athletes before, during, and after transitioning out of sport.
Contribute to scientifically sound arguments for program funding
Decisively answer the question, ‘is there a problem?’
