Challenges of pursuing a sport abroad : differences amongst sports practised

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to discover whether Maltese basketball and water polo athletes experience similar challenges to those faced by Maltese footballers when pursuing a professional career in sport abroad. Such challenges included homesickness, culture shock, tough training regime and others which are found in Muscat, Nesti, Morris, Richardson and Littlewood (awaiting publication). This study used a qualitative approach to collect data by using six semistructured interviews and an Interpretative Phenomenological Approach (IPA) to analyse data. The participants of this study were four male water polo players and two female basketball players who are either currently living abroad or who have spent a few years playing abroad. The interviews were audio-recorded and translated verbatim, and from their analysis six main themes emerged: ‘Transitional Challenges’, ‘Way of Life’, ‘Environmental & Cultural Challenges’, ‘Psychological Challenges’, ‘Maltese Culture’ and ‘Social Support’. The findings indicated that the challenges encountered were similar to those of the footballers in Muscat et al.’s (awaiting publication) study, however the water polo and basketball players had a better support system from their previous coaches and clubs. Moreover, since the water polo players migrated together and not on their own, adapting to the new environment was not as difficult.