Résumé
A Sense of Community (SOC) promotes sustained engagement and well-being in sport. With growth in adult sport participation and emerging insights into unique psychosocial dynamics among older athletes (Callary et al., 2021), understanding SOC experiences is critical for enhancing effective coaching and programming. This study, informed by SOC conceptual frameworks (McMillan & Chavis, 1986; Warner & Dixon, 2013), explored how coached adult swimmers experienced SOC in a Canadian Masters (adult) swim club, examining perceived community characteristics derived from their involvement. It addresses a significant gap by investigating SOC in Masters-level sport contexts. Data were collected over 11 weeks, including 12 in-pool and 9 dryland observations of athletes and coaches to contextualize swimmers' experiences, researcher reflections, and two semi-structured interviews per swimmer (ages 60–78, n=8). Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis guided a detailed idiographic and cross-case analysis, focused on swimmers' unique interpretations through iterative coding and theme development to deeply explore the meanings they attributed to characteristics of community. Results identified four characteristics fostering SOC: Comfortable and Relaxed Relationship-Building, Traditions and Norms, Adult-Oriented Adaptations and Coaching, and Collaboration. Findings highlight that SOC in adult sport clubs is established through intentional relationship-building activities and supportive club traditions, with coaching approaches explicitly adapted to adult athletes' needs, and collaborative organizational practices promoting fairness and shared responsibility. Implications include the need for tailored coaching and structural practices designed to foster meaningful community connections in adult sport settings, as means to support older athletes' psychosocial well-being and enhance athlete retention.
