The attraction, retention, and transition of elite sport development pathways in surfing in Australia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose Successful athlete development is subject to stakeholder involvement with the delivery of development pathways. This paper explores the role of stakeholders on elite surfer development during its transition to an Olympic sport. Research methods Semi-structured interviews with 26 staff from surfing organisations were used to explore stakeholder involvement in elite surfer pathways. Findings Local clubs are responsible for supporting talented surfers to progress to higher levels of competition. Their limited access to support from other stakeholders is problematic because clubs lack capacity to provide surfers with the opportunities to succeed, and on their pursuit of competing at the Olympics, surfers “drop out”. Practical implications The important role that local clubs play on athletes’ Attraction-Retention-Transition-Nurturing (ARTN) processes and success, points to the need to revisit the level of support clubs receive, especially if they are to continue laying the foundations and underpin surfers’ success at the Olympics. Research contribution A novel outlook on the ARTN framework has been gained by illustrating the need for structural changes on stakeholder involvement with surfer development as that need is brought on to a typically lifestyle sport transitioning into an Olympic sport.