But Sport is Good for You: Exploring the Complexities of keeping Children in Sport, and Shaping a Curriculum of Possibilities

Abstract

Abstract Children in New Zealand are dropping out of organised sport in large numbers, especially during their teenage years. This is seen by many, especially those with a vested interest in children’s sport, as an alarming trend. Children’s sporting participation generally peaks between the ages of 10-13 years and then continually declines to the age of 18. Around 70% of New Zealand children drop out between the ages of 13-17. (Sport and Recreation New Zealand, 2009) There are complex reasons for this, but there are also solutions for keeping them involved, not all of them always palatable for sporting organisations, coaches and parents. One of the most obvious reasons is that there is a mismatch between the reasons children play sport and the expectations and provision of sport that adults provide. There are other sporting and recreational interests, often informal, often not valued by parents or sports administrators, but equally valued and valid for children (Coakley, Hallinan, Jackson & Mewett, 2009) Adults often overrate the contribution of participation in organized sport and underrate participation in these informal sports. This paper will look at the sporting participation of children through the lense of sports psychology, functional and critical theory. Strategies to enhance children’s retention in organized sport are outlined and new possibilities suggested. It will also advocate that non-participation in sport is not a negative issue, especially if alternatives are found. Informal and ‘alternative sports’ have an equally valid, educative and engaging orientation.