Striking a balance : examining the dual role of a physical education teacher and a football player

Abstract

This study investigates the lived experiences of those who play competitive football and teach Physical Education (PE) simultaneously in the local context. While student-athletes have been the main focus of dual-career research, employed athletes juggling full-time professional jobs with competitive sporting responsibilities have received less attention (Stambulova & Wylleman, 2019). Given the semiprofessional nature of Maltese football, most football players are required to have a full-time job, making the experiences of PE teachers who are also football players worthy of investigation. In light of this, constructivist paradigm-based qualitative research was carried out. Full-time male and female Physical Education teachers in Malta and Gozo who actively participate in competitive football were interviewed in a semi-structured manner. Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used to analyse the data in accordance with Braun and Clarke’s (2022) framework, enabling a thorough investigation of the perspectives, experiences and coping mechanisms of the participants. Results show that participants see their dual career as a rigorous, but regulated lifestyle, requiring a great degree of commitment, planning and discipline. Time demands, physical and mental exhaustion, work-life balance challenges, identity negotiations, coach expectations and the need to make personal sacrifices were among the difficulties that surfaced from the data presented by the participants. As these individuals try to balance the conflicting demands of teaching and football, they commonly experience role conflict. However, the study also emphasises the benefits of pursuing a dual career, such as greater self-efficacy, resilience, improved leadership skills, personal growth and transferable skills and abilities. Support from family, friends, coworkers, teammates, coaches and school administrators was found to be essential for maintaining good performance in both areas. Additionally, it was discovered that dual-career sustainability is greatly impacted by organisational adaptability, good communication, as well as understanding from both academic and sporting organisations. The study concludes that the dual role of a PE teacher and a football player is characterised by both challenges and opportunities. In addition to offering useful suggestions for schools, football clubs, governing bodies and legislators looking to better assist teacher athletes in the local sporting and educational scene, the findings add to the expanding corpus of dual-career literature by shedding light on a population that has received minimal attention.