# The impact of alumni football on adult mental wellbeing: a serial mediation analysis of athletic identity and social connectedness

## TL;DR

Alumni football helps adult mental wellbeing by boosting social connections through restored athletic identity.

## Contribution

This study identifies a serial mediation pathway linking alumni football participation to mental wellbeing via athletic identity and social connectedness.

## Key findings

- Alumni football participation positively correlates with athletic identity and social connectedness.
- Social connectedness, not athletic identity alone, significantly mediates mental wellbeing.
- The study advocates for fostering sporting communities to reduce social isolation risks.

## Abstract

Escalating life pressures among adults are increasingly associated with social isolation. Distinct from general team sports, “Alumni Football” facilitates a unique dual-mechanism of identity restoration and social reconnection, particularly for adults navigating the loss of former athletic roles. However, the specific pathways through which re-established athletic identity relates to social connectedness and correlates with wellbeing remain under-explored.

This study employs a cross-sectional design involving 240 alumni football participants. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), it systematically analyzes the structural relationships between participation, athletic identity, social connectedness, and mental wellbeing.

The data analysis delineates a specific chain mediation path: actual participation is positively associated with athletic identity, which is linked to social connectedness, ultimately correlating with mental wellbeing. Notably, while athletic identity serves as a crucial link, it exhibits no significant direct association with mental wellbeing (β = 0.05). This finding implies that athletic identity alone, lacking the support of social connectedness, may be insufficient to relate to improved psychological health during the transition out of competitive contexts.

Findings underscore the positive relationship between alumni football and adult mental wellbeing, highlighting social connectedness as the core mediator. The study suggests leveraging alumni networks for mental wellbeing interventions, advocating a strategic pivot from merely emphasizing “exercise volume” to cultivating identity-based “sporting communities” to potentially mitigate social isolation risks.