Narratives of identity among former professional footballers in the United Kingdom

This article considers the part that narrative plays in the processes of identity construction and reconstruction by focusing on the experience of one occupational group, professional footballers in the United Kingdom. From a narrative and life course perspective, it argues that players' occupational experience have shaped a particular kind of identity which can be problematic for later well-being. It draws on biographical interviews with former players and players' autobiographical accounts, to illustrate how they have coped with the challenge to find a new narrative identity following retirement from professional football.