FOOTBALL: Mackay footballer and CQUniversity student Kyle McBurney has a passion for the world game.

Unlike most players striving to reach the elite level of the game, McBurney is aiming for something a little different.

He wants to work as a sports psychologist for an elite football team.

It is a part of the game that continues to grow in importance in every sport each year.

McBurney is in the middle of preparing a thesis as part of his bachelor of psychology at CQU.

"I'm doing a thesis about motivation between older and younger soccer players," he said. "The age groups that I'm looking at... are below the ages of 35 and above the ages of 35."

McBurney played for the now defunct state team, the Whitsunday Miners, and plays for the Mackay Lions in the Mackay Premier League.

His hypothesis for the study is older players are more intrinsically motivated. McBurney said intrinsically motivated athletes were all about fulfilling their ability, and played more for the love of the game.

Extrinsically motivated players were more concerned with the status gained from being an athlete, he said.

McBurney said his motivation for the project was because he wanted to work as a psychologist.

"My overall goal is to specialise in sports psychology and hopefully get into coaching or managing a professional soccer team," he said.

"I'm just really mad about soccer; I did the psychology degree because I love helping people so I can combine those passions."

The survey is open to anyone over 18, and McBurney said the more people involved the better. "It's only been out there a week but I've had a good response," he said.

Survey Details

Click here to take the survey.

Target: Male competitive soccer players aged 18 and above, who train weekly and play one game on average per week during the season.