Leadership development across the lifespan through sport and physical activity

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze if the sport trajectory could be an impact factor in leadership development. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative research method has been adopted by conducting 17 in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed with the program Open Code (4.03). Findings: The findings of this study revealed that the interviewed managers perceived that their sport trajectory has had an important influence in the development of their leadership. This influence is determined by four factors: (1) sport profile, (2) sport referents, (3) competences, values and abilities and (4) experiences from different sport roles played during their lifespan. Research limitations/implications: The research is based on interviews with a small sample of managers. In order to develop the research further, a more extensive sample is required. Originality/value: The paper is unique as it examines the impact of the sport trajectory as an impact factor in leadership development.