Countries in the Arabian Peninsula use professional sports as a catalyst for their development and/or as a way of sportswashing. To enhance their sporting level, they have brought in coaches from other countries. This study explores the migratory experiences of six Spanish football coaches in the region, using an abductive thematic analysis. The results are organized into three themes: Pre-migration, Post-migration, and Mental Health. Migration motives are identified (e.g., socio-labour conditions in the home country, desire for professional advancement), adaptation facilitators (e.g., previous migration experiences, geographical proximity), and barriers (e.g., club, culture, language). Regarding mental health, threats are highlighted (e.g., separation from their environment, cultural differences) and protective strategies (e.g., maintaining contact with their home environment, setting boundaries on cultural adaptation). This study highlights the need for organizations to take responsibility for facilitating coaches’ cultural transitions both before and after migration. It is recommended that future research explores how coaches’ personal and sociocultural characteristics impact their cultural transition and mental health, the role of clubs in this process, and the experiences of female coaches.
HerruzoFJordanaATorregrossaM. Transnacionalismo y procesos migratorios de entrenadores y entrenadoras profesionales: una revisión sistemática de mapeo. Cultura, Ciencia y Deporte2024; 19: 2118.
2.
PratoLTorregrossaMRamisY, et al.Assembling the sense of home in emigrant elite athletes: cultural transitions, narrative and materiality. Psychol Sport Exerc2021; 55: 101959.
3.
RybaTSchinkeRStambulovaN, et al.ISSP position stand: transnationalism, mobility, and acculturation in and through sport. Int J Sport Exerc Psychol2018; 16: 520–534.
4.
BrandãoMMagnaniATegaE, et al.Beyond national culture: the expatriate in soccer. Rev Bras Ciênc Mov2013; 21: 177–182.
5.
SchinkeRMcGannonKYukelsonD, et al.Helping with the acculturation of immigrant elite coaches in Canadian sport contexts. J Sport Psychol Action2014; 6: 17–27.
6.
SouzaVMirandaMCorreaM, et al.Expatriación de atletas y aspectos psicológicos: una revisión de literatura sistemática. Cuad Psicol Deporte2021; 21: 119–134.
7.
NorrisLDidymusFKaiselerM. Stressors, coping, and well-being among sports coaches: a systematic review. Psychol Sport Exerc2017; 33: 93–112.
8.
SimovaMOlusogaPBrownC, et al.Understanding well-being in high-performance coaches: a constructivist grounded theory approach. Int Sport Coach J2024; 1: 1–11.
9.
FrostJWaltonCPurcellR, et al.The mental health of elite-level coaches: a systematic scoping review. Sports Med Open2024; 10: 16.
10.
BentzenMKenttäGRichterA, et al.Impact of job insecurity on psychological well- and ill-being among high performance coaches. Int J Environ Res Public Health2020; 17: 6939.
11.
PilkingtonVRiceSWaltonC, et al.Prevalence and correlates of mental health symptoms and well-being among elite sport coaches and high-performance support staff. Sports Med Open2022; 8: 89.
12.
OlusogaPButtJMaynardI, et al.Stress and coping: a study of world class coaches. J Appl Sport Psychol2010; 22: 274–293.
13.
BaldockLCropleyBNeilR, et al.Stress and mental well-being experiences of professional football coaches. Sport Psychol2021; 35: 108–122.
14.
OlusogaPBentzenMKenttäG. Coach burnout: a scoping review. Int Sport Coach J2019; 6: 42–62.
15.
KegelaersJWyllemanPVan BreeN, et al.Mental health in elite-level coaches: prevalence rates and associated impact of coach stressors and psychological resilience. Int Sport Coach J2021; 8: 338–347.
16.
KimSSYHamiltonBBeableS, et al.Elite coaches have a similar prevalence of depressive symptoms to the general population and lower rates than elite athletes. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med2020; 6: e000719.
17.
RobertsSBakerMReevesM, et al.Lifting the veil of depression and alcoholism in sport coaching: how do we care for carers?Qual Res Sport Exerc Health2019; 11: 510–526.
18.
CarlingCLeprinceCPavillonT, et al.Feasibility and effectiveness of a novel smartphone music application on anxiety and sleep in elite soccer coaches. J Sports Sci Med2021; 20: 546–547.
19.
PurcellRFrostJPilkingtonV. Mental health of elite sport coaches and entourage. Clin Sports Med2024; 43: 199–211.
20.
ChroniSAbrahamsenFSkilleE, et al.Sport federation officials’ practices and national team coaches’ stress. Int Sport Coach J2019; 6: 63–73.
21.
SamuelREldadiOGalilyY, et al.Mobility and migration experiences of transnational coaches within the Israeli handball context. Psychol Sport Exerc2020; 53: 101853.
22.
RybaTStambulovaNRonkainenN. The work of cultural transition: an emerging model. Front Psychol2016; 7: 427.
23.
PratoLRamisYTorregrossaM. Transición cultural y migración deportiva en el deporte de élite: una metasíntesis. Cultura, Ciencia y Deporte2020; 15: 387–400.
24.
RonkainenNKhomutovaARybaT. “If my family is okay, i’m okay”: exploring relational processes of cultural transition. Int J Sport Exerc Psychol2019; 17: 493–508.
25.
SchinkeRYukelsonDBartolacciG, et al.The challenges encountered by immigrated elite athletes. J Sport Psychol Action2011; 2: 10–20.
26.
SchinkeRBlodgettAMcGannonK, et al.Adjusting to the receiving country outside the sport environment: a composite vignette of Canadian immigrant amateur elite athlete acculturation. J Appl Sport Psychol2017; 29: 270–284.
27.
CharbonneauECamiréMLemyreP. Motives for and experiences of expatriation to coach. Int Sport Coach J2020; 8: 153–160.
28.
OrlowskiJWickerPBreuerC. Labor migration among elite sport coaches: an exploratory study. Int Rev Sociol Sport2018; 53: 335–349.
29.
LenartowiczM. Clash of sports organization cultures: differences in table tennis training and coach-athlete relationships between China and Poland. Int J Sports Sci Coach2022; 18: 46–56.
30.
BorgesMRosadoAOliveiraR, et al.Coaches’ migration: a qualitative analysis of recruitment, motivations and experiences. Leis Stud2014; 34: 588–602.
31.
HallAEnglishCJonesL, et al.The acculturation experiences of elite rugby union coaches. Int Sport Coach J2021; 9: 30–39.
32.
BerryJW. Acculturation: living successfully in two cultures. Int J Intercult Relat2005; 29: 697–712.
33.
SainABorgesMOliveiraR. Coaches’ immigration to the United Kingdom: what do foreign and native coaches think about migration. Sociol Deporte2022; 3: 13–26.
34.
RoslenderR. The spread of sportswashing within top-flight football: a discussion of its underpinnings, mechanisms and probable consequences. Account Audit Account J2024; 37: 638–648.
35.
FruhKArcherAWojtowiczJ. Sportswashing: complicity and corruption. Sport Ethics Philos2022; 17: 101–118.
36.
Amnesty International. Human rights in Middle East and North Africa. London: Amnesty International, 2020.
37.
TamminenKPoucherZ. Research philosophies. In: HackfortDSchinkeR (eds) The routledge international encyclopedia of sport and exercise psychology. London: Routledge, 2020, p. 535–549.
38.
AtkinsonM. Key concepts in sport and exercise research methods. London: Sage, 2012.
39.
PoucherZTamminenKCaronJ, et al.Thinking through and designing qualitative research studies: a focused mapping review of 30 years of qualitative research in sport psychology. Int Rev Sport Exerc Psychol2019; 13: 163–186.
40.
BraunVClarkeVWeateP. Using thematic analysis in sport and exercise research. In: SmithBSparkesAC (eds) Routledge handbook of qualitative research in sport and exercise. London: Routledge, 2016, p. 191–205.
41.
McArdleSMcGaleNGaffneyP. A qualitative exploration of men’s experiences of an integrated exercise/CBT mental health promotion programme. Int J Men’s Health2012; 11: 240–257.
42.
BraunVClarkeV. Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qual Res Sport Exerc Health2019; 11: 589–597.
43.
SmithBMcGannonKR. Developing rigor in qualitative research: problems and opportunities within sport and exercise psychology. Int Rev Sport Exerc Psychol2018; 11: 101–121.
44.
CartignyEHarrisonGVickersE, et al.What am I doing here?” experiences of unsuccessful and delayed successful crisis transitions during athlete migration. Int J Sport Exerc Psychol2023; 22: 1264–1281.
45.
SchinkeRMcGannonKBattochioR, et al.Acculturation in elite sport: a thematic analysis of immigrant athletes and coaches. J Sports Sci2013; 31: 1676–1686.
46.
CarterT. In Foreign Fields: The politics and experiences of transnational sport migration. London: Pluto Press, 2011.
47.
GuoCGiulianottiRTakM. Career consolidation or reformulation? A careership theory approach to football coaches’ transnational migration and career development. Sport Educ Soc2023; 29: 1023–1035.
48.
Pelser-CarstensVKeyserESurujlalJ. Relationship between social contract, anxiety, performance, workload and intention to quit among professional sport coaches. Afr J Phys Health Educ Recreat Dance2015; 21: 1009–1023.
49.
OlusogaPKenttäG. Desperate to quit: a narrative analysis of burnout and recovery in high performance sports coaching. Sport Psychol2017; 31: 237–248.
50.
BorruecoMTorregrossaMPallarèsS, et al.Women coaches at top level: looking back through the maze. Int J Sports Sci Coach2023; 18: 327–338.
51.
JiménezM. El fútbol femenino, la última obsesión de Arabia Saudí. Relevo, 30 Sep 2023.
