Development and community can encourage young people to keep playing sports
That sport should be fun sounds obvious, but what does it really mean? Jenny Back, Lecturer at Halmstad University, has in her dissertation explored why young people quit playing football and what can make them stay. The results challenge common assumptions and provide new clues on how more children and youth can be encouraged to stay in the world of sport.
”We often hear that young people quit because it’s no longer fun. So I wanted to know: what is it that actually makes sports fun?”
Jenny Back, Lecturer
In Sweden, about seven out of ten children participate in organised sport at the age of twelve. After that, participation declines rapidly, and many quit altogether. This concerns both researchers and the sporting world, as children who do not engage in sport are often less active and risk missing out on both social connections and important health benefits.
“We often hear that young people quit because it’s no longer fun. So I wanted to know: what is it that actually makes sports fun?” says Jenny Back, who recently earned her PhD at Halmstad University.
Together with the Swedish Football Association and the district associations in the regions of Halland, Skåne, and Västergötland, Jenny Back examined this question in one of the studies included in her dissertation.
When young people speak for themselves
The study involved nearly 500 adolescents aged 10 to 19 from football clubs across Sweden. Both girls and boys participated, as well as players from grassroots clubs and academy teams. When participants themselves described what makes football enjoyable, the same themes emerged regardless of background and level.
It was about doing their best, feeling strong team cohesion, having a good coach, and learning new things to develop as players.
“There is a belief that there are big differences in what is perceived as fun in sports, for example between boys and girls or between younger and older kids. But the results from our study suggest that the similarities are much greater than the differences”, says Jenny Back.
Jenny Back adds that the same pattern also appears in preliminary results from similar studies in ice hockey.
“Most people want to feel that they can make an effort and do their best, have positive relationships with both coaches and teammates, and experience learning and development within the sport.”
More than just play
Jenny Back says it’s easy to oversimplify the concept of “fun sports”.
“Often people think it’s about play, but based on the young people’s own descriptions, it’s so much more than that. For them, fun sports involve everything from working hard and challenging themselves to cooperation and team spirit.”
To encourage more young people to keep participating in sport, their experiences and perspectives need to be taken seriously when shaping activities.
“If we listen to the kids and base decisions on how they themselves experience sport, we can create environments that feel both fun and meaningful. That could increase the chances that more of them choose to continue for a longer time”, says Jenny Back.
Text: Lovisa Essunger
Photo: iStock
