BEYOND THE FIELD: MIGRATION, MENTAL HEALTH, AND RETIREMENT EXPERIENCES OF AFRICAN FOOTBALLERS IN THAILAND
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Abstract
Retiring from professional sports marks a significant life transition for athletes, often accompanied by complex emotions. This phenomenological case study explores the experiences of ten professional African football migrants who retired in Thailand. It examines their reasons for retiring abroad, the legal and structural barriers they encounter, and mental health challenges faced during the integration process. Data for the study was gathered through semi-structured interviews with both retired African players and those in the retirement process, all holding permanent residency in Thailand.
The study underscores the time-consuming nature of cultural adjustment and integration for sports migrants, with language barriers, cultural disparities, and social adaptation posing significant challenges. Retired athletes, especially, face concerns regarding access to healthcare, insurance coverage, and specialized medical care. These issues are particularly pronounced for African sports migrants in Thailand, who also grapple with legal and immigration matters such as visa regulations and work permits. Despite these challenges, the African community in Thailand provides vital social support networks, fostering a sense of belonging and mitigating psychological stressors associated with retirement and life in a new country. However, retired athletes encounter obstacles in obtaining legal residency, with age restrictions for retirement visas which limits employment opportunities. The paper concludes with policy recommendations for local stakeholders supporting migrant players as they transition out of professional sport.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The published article is a copyright of the Academic Journal of Thailand National Sports University. The passage appeared in each article in this academic journal is a perspective of each author which is not related to the journal. Each author is required to be responsible for all components of his/her own article. If there are any mistakes, each author must be responsible for those mistakes on his/her own.
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