The present study explored how the organisational cultural experiences of elite youth footballers shaped their identity development and behaviour. The first author occupied the position of sport psychology practitioner-researcher within one professional football club over a 3-year duration. Traditional ethnographic research methods were employed, including; observations, field notes, reflections, and informal interviews. A Cultural Sport Psychology (CSP) perspective on identity as a social construction, and research on the cultural characteristics of professional football were used as frameworks to make sense of the data. Despite the introduction of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) in 2012, the traditional masculine culture of professional football dominated the studied club. Creative non-fiction vignettes revealed that youth players were encouraged to develop their self-stories focused on a single-minded dedication to professional football. The limited identity-related resources offered at both club, and cultural level is detrimental for players in terms of their well-being, and long term psychological development. From the results of this study, we suggest that future sports psychology practice within professional football may best be delivered at an organisational level. However, in order for a sport psychologist to be effective in this role they must develop an understanding of the sub-cultural features and characteristics of the organisation. In line with this, there would be great value in introducing a focus on organisational culture within sport psychology professional training and education routes.

Background and aims The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in associated lockdown restrictions for individuals across England, including the postponement of all recreational sporting provisions. The beneficial effects of regular physical activity are well established yet to the authors' knowledge, no research addresses the cancellation of all recreational provisions. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, this study assessed the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on recreational sports players, what alternative exercise methods have been sought and how players feel about returning to their sport. Method An online survey was distributed across England for six-weeks commencing in May 2020. A questionnaire explored differences in the impact of COVID-19 restrictions between sex, winter/summer/year-round sports, team/individual sports, age, and resilience groups. The use of alternative exercise methods, coping strategies and feelings about returning to sport were also investigated. Responses were gathered from 2023 adults whose recreational sport had been cancelled by COVID-19. All completed questionnaires (n = 1213) were taken for analysis (mean age = 49.41 years, SD = 17.165, 55.2% female). Results Quantitative findings showed the negative impact of COVID-19 restrictions was greater for females, those involved in winter and team sports, those aged 18–39 and low-resilient copers (p < .05). No significant differences were found between individuals that had had COVID-19 or were considered vulnerable by government guidelines. Acceptance was the most common coping strategy. The average number of days per week that participants exercised significantly increased during lockdown, with significant increases also seen in the use of online workouts, fitness apps and home-gym exercise. Qualitative findings suggested that participants are looking forward to the social and physical benefits of recreational activity restarting yet are concerned about the logistics of returning under social distancing restrictions. Other worries included loss of fitness, spreading (younger age groups) and catching (older age groups) COVID-19 and being in a crowd. Conclusions Results highlight what is currently accessible to home-based exercisers and inform the reintroduction of recreational sports clubs. As COVID-19 restrictions look to persist, club representatives should provide accessible home-exercise options and be cautious of participant concerns when considering the return of recreational sport.

The present study explored how the organisational and cultural experiences of a trainee 25 Sport Psychology Consultant (SPC) working in professional football shaped her identity and 26 professional development. Drawing on Cultural Sport Psychology (CSP) and gender 27 performativity as guiding frameworks, we explored the first author's identity development as 28 a sport psychology practitioner-researcher within one professional football club over a 3-year 29 duration. Traditional ethnographic data collection methods were employed, including, field 30 notes and a reflective journal. Through creative non-fiction vignettes, we show that the 31 traditional masculine discourse in professional football shaped the first author's sense of self32and subsequent behaviours. From the results of this study, we suggest that SPCs identity 33 development is not smooth or linear, rather it can be described as a 'rocky road to individuation' 34 defined by a series of culturally specific 'critical moments'. We strongly believe that contextual 35 intelligence and cultural proficiency are essential for a trainee SPCs survival during early and 36 later career stages of working within elite and professional sport environments.

26The present study critically explores the use of practitioner-researcher ethnography in 27 professional football, and illustrates some of the challenges that the first author 28 experienced as a result of the dual-role occupation. The first author occupied the position 29 of insider sport psychology practitioner-researcher within one professional football club 30 over a 3-year duration. Traditional ethnographic research methods were employed, 31 including; observations, field notes, and reflections. Following thematic analysis, 32 research on the potential for conflict and tension in ethnography, and ethical guidelines 33 from caring professions (e.g. sport psychology, health, and nursing) were used to make 34 sense of the data. A series of reflective extracts highlight moral, ethical, and personal 35 challenges of occupying a dual role, including threats to identity, acceptance of academics 36 in elite sport, and confidentiality. For those individuals whose livelihood is dependent on 37 their successes as a practitioner-researcher an understanding of how to overcome 38 methodological challenges will be beneficial in improving their organisational status. 39From the results of this study, we suggest that a range of support mechanisms (e.g. 40 ethnographers club, regional support hubs, supervisor/researcher training and education), 41 and the development of a clear sense of self are essential for the ethnographic practitioner-42 researcher. 43

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