A NEW REPORT has found “almost universal” participation in sport by Irish children and stressed the need for changes to keep them involved as they grow older.
Almost 90% of children are involved in weekly organised exercise by the age of 10 according to Keeping them in the Game.
The report, published this afternoon by the Irish Sports Council and the ESRI, highlights a significant drop-off during the second-level years and in later life as exams, work and other life commitments take up their time.
Advertisement
“The public examination system has a strong negative impact on participation in sport: students are far less likely to participate during exam years and this has a lasting effect on participation later.
Nevertheless, those who do play sport get, on average, better Leaving Certificate results.
“As people progress through adulthood, whether they participate in regular sporting activity is less related to attitudes and beliefs about the benefits of sport than to other transitions that occur in their lives.”
People involved in cycling and swimming are more likely to carry on those activities into later life, the report shows, while of the major sports in Ireland the GAA has a particularly high drop-out rate among teenagers and young adults.
“All of [the] reasons for dropping out apply more to Gaelic games than to soccer, suggesting that the former are less easy to continue with when young adults encounter change in other areas of their lives.
The strong local loyalty that GAA clubs build up, while in many ways beneficial, may make it harder to continue playing the sport following such a change.
Among the recommendations are greater investment in cycling and swimming, the need to improve links between schools and sports clubs, and spending limited public funding to improve participation rates rather than facilities.
“Action is needed to reduce the negative impact of exams, adding weight to the argument for Physical Education (PE) to be an examinable subject.”
The report is based on data from the Children’s Sport Participation and Physical Activity Study (CSPPA), conducted in 2009; the 2007 School Leavers’ Survey (SLS); and the Irish Sports Monitor (ISM), carried out between 2007 and 2009.
Almost all Irish children take part in sport – but how do we stop them dropping out?
A NEW REPORT has found “almost universal” participation in sport by Irish children and stressed the need for changes to keep them involved as they grow older.
Almost 90% of children are involved in weekly organised exercise by the age of 10 according to Keeping them in the Game.
The report, published this afternoon by the Irish Sports Council and the ESRI, highlights a significant drop-off during the second-level years and in later life as exams, work and other life commitments take up their time.
“The public examination system has a strong negative impact on participation in sport: students are far less likely to participate during exam years and this has a lasting effect on participation later.
“As people progress through adulthood, whether they participate in regular sporting activity is less related to attitudes and beliefs about the benefits of sport than to other transitions that occur in their lives.”
People involved in cycling and swimming are more likely to carry on those activities into later life, the report shows, while of the major sports in Ireland the GAA has a particularly high drop-out rate among teenagers and young adults.
“All of [the] reasons for dropping out apply more to Gaelic games than to soccer, suggesting that the former are less easy to continue with when young adults encounter change in other areas of their lives.
Among the recommendations are greater investment in cycling and swimming, the need to improve links between schools and sports clubs, and spending limited public funding to improve participation rates rather than facilities.
“Action is needed to reduce the negative impact of exams, adding weight to the argument for Physical Education (PE) to be an examinable subject.”
The report is based on data from the Children’s Sport Participation and Physical Activity Study (CSPPA), conducted in 2009; the 2007 School Leavers’ Survey (SLS); and the Irish Sports Monitor (ISM), carried out between 2007 and 2009.
Read the Keeping them in the Game report in full here >
Rob Heffernan’s 50km gold voted the greatest Irish sporting achievement of 2013
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Irish Sports Council Sport Stay Sporty