The South Australian Commissioner for Children and Young People has found children and young people believe they need to be ‘good’ at sport to enjoy it, and, in a new report, uncovered systemic barriers to their participation.
Releasing her Report More Than a Game: What do children and young people think about sport?, Commissioner Helen Connolly said that while many children and young people said participation in sport was key to building self-confidence, others referenced being judged or bullied in sporting environments with confidence in their body type or their basic skills and abilities undermined as a result.
“Where some children and young people play sport either ‘as a relief’ or as ‘an escape’ from stress, others described sport as being ‘a source of stress’,” Commissioner Connolly said.
“Many young people described the experience at a young age of being ‘very quickly put into a box’ of either being ‘good at sport’ or ‘not good at sport’,” she said.
“From what they say this has consequences for how children think about themselves in relation to sport and physical activity over the long term, and how they then engage with and participate in sport as a result.
“Many children tell me that ‘not all kids are sporty’ and that if they are ‘not interested in sport’ that they get less respect and can be excluded, shamed, or ignored.
“Clearly there are systemic barriers that must be taken into account if we are to keep children connected to sports.”
Among the Commissioner’s recommendations were that sports associations and clubs should examine how they implemented principles of participation and non-discrimination in their governance, programming and culture to ensure that children from diverse backgrounds could play sport.
Commissioner Connolly also recommended sports associations and clubs reviewed coaches’ training and ensured that all club officials received up to date skills-based instruction on how to create safe environments.
“Making the changes suggested by children and young people throughout this Report will make a positive difference to their ongoing participation and enjoyment of sport, balanced as this must be, with all other aspects of their young lives,” she said.
The Commissioner’s 70-page Report can be accessed at this PS News link.
