ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors draw upon current literature and two applied practitioners’ experiences of supporting athletes, clubs, and organizations to critically explore a diverse range of transitions that elite and professional athletes might experience during their sporting careers. They initially focuses on understanding the lifespan of the athletic career and early conceptualizations of 'transitions' from a sporting standpoint. Finally, the authors offer practical suggestions regarding how practitioners might support athletes to facilitate positive transition outcomes. From a psychological standpoint, how athletes cope with and adapt to sporting retirement has triggered the interests of practitioners and researchers since the 1960s. They critically discuss three within-career transitions: junior-to-senior, migration, and motherhood. The junior-to-senior transition has been conceptualized as the most challenging transition that any athlete will face; it occurs when an athlete progresses from junior-to-senior sporting competition. More athletes are migrating within and across countries and continents in pursuit of more favorable working conditions.
