Multiple group memberships promote health and performance following pathway transitions in junior elite cricket

Coping well with transitions (e.g., progressing from youth to senior level, transferring between clubs, retiring from sport) is an integral part of elite athletes’ lives—poor adjustment can lead to dropout, poor performance, and even alcohol and drug abuse. Recent research from the wider social psychology literature has demonstrated that people’s social group memberships may represent a key resource upon which people can draw when navigating various transitions. In this study, conducted in conjunction with the England and Wales Cricket Board, we investigated the importance of group memberships for the health and performance of young cricketers transitioning into high-performance pathways. Over a two-year period, 257 cricketers (M_age = 15.53) completed between 1 and 5 questionnaires, for an average of 1.77 questionnaires, resulting in 456 unique responses. Linear mixed models showed that cricketers who belonged to more pre-transition groups, and who belonged to a greater number of new groups after the transition, demonstrated greater post-transition health and performance. The continuity of cricketers’ group memberships across the transition also had a positive but less pronounced impact on their health. Finally, there was also evidence that group membership effects were partly dependent on the time since transition, with effects more prominent soon after the transition than later. Results are timely, given recent research and applied interest in athlete development pathways, and the mental health of those on such pathways. They also have important implications for the design—and continued monitoring—of elite-performance pathways. Indeed, the England and Wales Cricket Board has already implemented policy changes based upon the present study’s findings.