Children, junior and youth sport considerations
Youth sport retention is a critical issue for many reasons. Regular physical activity is essential for children's health and well-being. Sport can provide children with valuable life skills such as teamwork, discipline, and goal setting. Sport can help children develop a sense of belonging and identity. However, these things are not guaranteed simply by providing sport, and in Australia as elsewhere, youth sport drop out is a concern, and in particular for girls who drop out in greater numbers than boys. There are a number of factors that can contribute to youth sport dropout, and two factors clubs and sport bodies have most control over are the quality and type of coaching, and the nature of the sport experience. Not long ago we use to discuss drop out occurring from age 12, but it is becoming a trend from an earlier age. There is around a 30% drop-out rate from children in organised sport aged between 9 and 17 (AusPlay data). And, it happens in greater numbers for girls tha
