Brits abroad: a case study analysis of three British footballers migrating to the Hungarian Soproni Liga

The intention of this paper is to analyse the migrations of three British professional footballers who migrated to a club in Hungary’s top division – the Soproni Liga, during the 2009/2010 season. Based upon a series of interviews conducted with the migrants, all of whom had relocated from teams located in the English and Scottish Premier Leagues, the paper traces the players’ migrations from their initial recruitments and motivations, through their lived experiences, to the termination of their contracts and subsequent reflections. The paper identifies that the players’ migrations are contoured by various periods and phases, each of which present their own issues and challenges. The study reveals the transitory and dynamic nature of migration experiences from beginning to end and, therefore, extends knowledge in the area of athletic labour migration.