Football as a Developmental Ecosystem: Metaphorical Interpretations of Football Experiences Among Children Aged 10–14

Gelişimsel Bir Ekosistem Olarak Futbol: 10–14 Yaş Arasındaki Çocukların Futbol Deneyimlerine İlişkin Metaforik Yorumlar

Ahmet Yavuz MALLI, Hasan Buğra EKİNCİ

*Correspondence: Ahmet Yavuz MALLI ahmet.malli@erzincan.edu.tr

¹Faculty of Sports Sciences, Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University, Erzincan, Türkiye

ahmet.malli@erzincan.edu.tr ORCİD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6478-4893

²Faculty of Sports Sciences, Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University, Erzincan, Türkiye

hasan.ekinci@erzincan.edu.tr ORCİD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3883-2983

Doi: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23702843

https://www.ijoss.org/Archive/v3-i3/ijoss-Volume3-issue3-13.pdf

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Received / Gönderim: 01.09.2026 Accepted / Kabul: 18.10.2026 Published / Yayın: 25.10.2026

Öz

Bu çalışma, 10–14 yaş arası çocukların futbol akademilerinde futbol oynama deneyimlerine atfettikleri metaforik anlamları incelemektedir. Çalışma, çocukların seslerini ön plana çıkararak, bu anlamların Pozitif Gençlik Gelişimi’nin (PYD) beş temel boyutu olan Yeterlilik, Özgüven, Bağlantı, Karakter ve Şefkat/Merhamet ile nasıl örtüştüğünü incelemektedir. Türkiye’deki futbol akademilerine kayıtlı 10–14 yaş arası 100 çocukla fenomenolojik nitel bir araştırma tasarımı uygulanmıştır. Veriler, “Futbol oynarken kendimi…… gibi hissederim, çünkü..…” şeklinde açık uçlu bir metafor sorusu kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Veriler içerik analizi yoluyla incelenmiş ve elde edilen kodlar ile alt temalar PYD 5C çerçevesine göre düzenlenmiştir. Kodlayıcılar arası uyum %90 olarak belirlenmiş, uyuşmazlıklar ise tartışma ve uzlaşma yoluyla çözülmüştür. Bulgular, çocukların futbolu bireysel, ilişkisel ve prososyal boyutları kapsayan çok boyutlu bir gelişim bağlamı olarak algıladıklarını göstermektedir. Yeterlilik en sık temsil edilen boyut olarak ortaya çıkarken, Karakter, Özgüven, Bağlantı ve Şefkat/Merhamet de çocukların metaforlarında yansıtıldı. “Çita” ve “duvar” gibi metaforlar fiziksel ve spora özgü yetenek algılarını temsil ederken, “aile”, “meşale” ve “fidan dikmek” ise aidiyet, destek ve başkalarına özen gösterme ile ilgili anlamları aktardı. Toplu olarak bu bulgular, çocukların futbolu yalnızca atletik performans için bir bağlam olarak değil, aynı zamanda yetenek, özdeğer, disiplin, sosyal aidiyet ve prososyal ilginin bir arada var olduğu bir ortam olarak da deneyimlediklerini göstermektedir. Bulgular ayrıca, çocukların spor deneyimlerine ilişkin metaforik anlatılarını düzenlemek için PYD 5C çerçevesinin yararını ortaya koyarken, bu boyutları sıralı veya nedensel bir gelişim süreci olmaktan ziyade birbiriyle ilişkili anlam alanları olarak vurgulamaktadır. Çocukların deneyimsel anlatılarını merkeze alan bu çalışma, metafor analizinin çocukların futbolu çok boyutlu bir gelişimsel ve sosyal ortam olarak nasıl algıladıklarını nasıl aydınlatabileceğini göstererek, spor literatürü aracılığıyla PYD’ye katkıda bulunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Olumlu Gençlik Gelişimi, Futbol Akademileri, Metafor Analizi, Çocuk Sporcular, 5C Modeli, Gençlik Sporu

Abstract

This study explores the metaphorical meanings that children aged 10–14 attribute to their experiences of playing football in football academies. By foregrounding children’s voices, the study examines how these meanings correspond to the five core dimensions of Positive Youth Development (PYD)—Competence, Confidence, Connection, Character, and Caring/Compassion. The study used a phenomenological qualitative design with 100 children aged 10–14 enrolled in football academies in Türkiye. We collected data using an open-ended metaphor prompt: “When I play football, I feel like …….., because…….”. We analyzed the data using content analysis and organized the resulting codes and subthemes according to the PYD 5C framework. Inter-coder agreement was 90%, with discrepancies resolved through discussion and consensus. The findings indicate that children perceive football as a multidimensional developmental context encompassing individual, relational, and prosocial dimensions. Competence emerged as the most frequently represented dimension, while Character, Confidence, Connection, and Caring/Compassion were also reflected in the children’s metaphors. Metaphors such as “cheetah” and “wall” represented perceptions of physical and sport-specific capability, whereas “family,” “torch,” and “planting a sapling” conveyed meanings related to belonging, support, and care for others. Collectively, these findings suggest that children experience football not only as a context for athletic performance but also as a setting where perceptions of capability, self-worth, discipline, social belonging, and prosocial concern coexist. The findings further demonstrate the utility of the PYD 5C framework for organizing children’s metaphorical accounts of sport experiences while emphasizing these dimensions as interrelated domains of meaning rather than a sequential or causal developmental process. By centering children’s experiential narratives, this study contributes to PYD through sport literature by illustrating how metaphor analysis can illuminate children’s understandings of football as a multidimensional developmental and social environment.

Keywords: Positive Youth Development, Football Academies, Metaphor Analysis, Child Athletes, 5C Model, Youth Sport

How to Cite This Article

APA 7

Mallı, A.Y &Ekinci, H.B. (2026). Football as a Developmental Ecosystem: Metaphorical Interpretations of Football Experiences Among Children Aged 10–14. International Journal of Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences, 3(3).1128-1144

Vancouver

Mallı A.Y, Ekinci, H.B. Football as a Developmental Ecosystem: Metaphorical Interpretations of Football Experiences Among Children Aged 10–14. International Journal of Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences. 2026;3(3). 1128-1144

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