Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine mothers' experiences of sport with a view to identifying issues that may be useful for promoting sport participation in the future. Physical activity levels and sports participation tend to decline when women become mothers (Bell & Lee, 2005). Nine mothers with children between 6-12 years of age participated in two semi-structured interviews about their soccer experiences. Thematic analysis was conducted using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and the analysis uncovered four main themes: positive team experiences, emotions, strategies for fitting soccer in, and role modelling and encouraging others. Positive team experiences were the socialization aspect of playing soccer. The mothers placed emphasis on the importance of having social interactions with other women combined with being active. Strategies for fitting soccer in included spousal support, organizational strategies, and making soccer a priority. Without spousal support many of the mothers felt it would be very difficult to play soccer. Being an active role model was important because it encouraged their families to be more active together. An implication of this study is that these mothers value the socialization that soccer provides and enjoy being able to play a sport they can share with their families. The findings of this study can help to direct sport participation marketing campaigns aimed at this demographic in the future because they provide insight into the experiences of mothers who actually participate.
