Using the developmental histories of elite rugby union players to identify ways to cultivate creativity

The purpose of this study was to investigate how social and physical environments interact to cultivate improvisational creativity. This was achieved by qualitatively reviewing the developmental backgrounds of some of Australia’s most creative rugby players. A deductive reflexive thematic analysis was applied to data collected from primary sources (e.g. semi-structured interviews) and secondary sources (e.g. autobiographies, biographies and podcasts). Using Bronfenbrenner’s [2005. Making human beings human: Bioecological perspectives on human development. Sage] bioecological model of human development and ecological dynamics theory, our data indicated that reciprocal interactions encountered throughout their developmental histories exposed players to a wide range of unusual, varied and challenging sports related scenarios. Through this process, creative players became embedded in these performance environments, enabling them to select relevant opportunities to act on, that served their interests in showcasing their skills in an entertaining way. These creative players cultivated their unorthodox skills through a rich history of playful, informal, unsupervised and competitive games played on streets, parks and playing fields of Australia. Implications for research are to support key stakeholders within sporting communities to build skill programmes and accompanying social and physical environments that can rejuvenate interest in the cultivation of creativity.