Young people and
Sport
Nearly all young people in
Northern Ireland participate in sport or physical activities.
In 1994 the Sports Council
published results from one of the most comprehensive studies undertaken into
young people's involvement in sport world-wide. The results are available in
book form from the publishers Routledge.
The study found:
- 8 out of 10 young people aged
8 - 18 years of age have a 'top sport' which is important to them and which they
choose to do in their own time
- Only 16% of young people, and
mainly those in the early years of their first school did not have a 'top sport'
or a sport which they felt was important apart from having to do it as part of
the school curriculum
- 7 out of 10 young people spend
an average of four hours a week on their top sport away from their school
- 7 out of 10 young people would
like to spend more time on their sports
- 3 out of 10 young people feel
they have the potential to reach the elite level in their 'top sport'
Young people's decisions to
participate in sport
- Young people play sport for a
variety of reasons. Above all it is for enjoyment (78%), feeling good (67%),
keeping fit (65%) and making friends and the excitement of sport (63%)
- Winning was rated as less
important (33%)
- Boys play more sport than
girls and in typically masculine activities such as soccer and Gaelic football
- Boys show preferences for team
activities. 7 out of 10 boys identified a team activity
as their top sport while 6 out of 10 girls identified an individual activity
- 8 out of 10 young people say
that time spent on sport is very worthwhile
Boys and girls sport in
schools
- Boys are allocated more
curriculum physical activity than girls
- More curriculum physical
activity time is given in Protestant schools than Catholic schools
- 3 out of 10 young people spend
at least an hour per week on their favourite sport in school
- Only 1 out of 10 boys and 2
out of 10 girls spend no time on their favourite sport away from school
- The amount of time young
people are involved in curriculum physical education has remained constant
between 1991 and 1999. The amount of time devoted declines as children move from
year 8 to year 12.
The top five 'top sports'
played by boys and girls aged up to eleven are:
| Boys |
Girls |
|
|
| Soccer |
Swimming |
| Swimming |
Rounders |
| Cycling |
Cycling |
| Gaelic
football |
Netball |
| Basketball |
Soccer |
The top five 'top sports'
played by young people aged up to 18 are:
| Boys |
Girls |
|
|
| Soccer |
Swimming |
| Swimming |
Netball |
| Basketball |
Badminton |
| Gaelic football |
Hockey |
| Badminton |
Athletics |
Young people sport and clubs
- 36% of young people play their
'top sport' in clubs
- only 18% of young people play
their 'top sport' in sport only clubs
- 4 out of 10 boys play their
'top sport' competitively compared with around 2 out of 10 girls
- 3 out of 10 young people are
supervised by a coach
Contact:
Shaun Ogle
|
