This contribution presents the experience of a doctoral research project on precariousness in Italian professional football, articulated through three studies within a Sequential Mixed Methods design.
In dialogue with the five propositions of the WOP agenda on precarious work, the project adopts a psychosociological perspective to explore precariousness in the relationship between subjectivity, work, and society. Precariousness is understood as the erosion of the bond between subjectivity and society, produced by weak institutional mediation of work. While professional football may appear distant from precariousness, the gap between its idealized institutional image and the fragility of lived professional experiences makes it an emblematic context for examining new forms of precariousness and resistance.
Study 1 (qualitative). A Grounded Theory based on 20 in-depth interviews offers both an interpretive contribution and a transversal evaluative model. It highlights multiple forms of precariousness and illuminates institutional transitions in work. The core category of institutional subjectivation shows how professionals assume institutional functions, with subjectivity becoming hypertrophic to compensate for fragile institutions. Social realization through work thus remains possible, yet precariously constrained and increasingly reliant on individual competences.
Study 2 (qualitative). An analysis of key competences described by professional coaches (n = 130) reveals how, in precarious contexts, the rhetoric of "adaptive learning" risks becoming collusive, reinforcing defensive and individualized counter-precarious strategies rather than fostering generative learning dynamics.
Study 3 (quantitative). A questionnaire (n = 150), conducted in collaboration with the Italian Football Coaches Association, corroborates the qualitative findings, validating the theoretical framework. This participatory research underlines the empirical and practical relevance of the project, institutionally confirming its urgency through evidence from the field.
Overall, the project contributes to understanding precariousness as a psychosocial phenomenon and to developing critical insights into professional pathways in sport and beyond.