Australia's youth sport needs a major overhaul if it is to re-engage those who drop out of sport and encourage effective participation and greater inclusion and diversity, according to Flinders University researchers. The study, "(Re)defining youth sport participation," in the unveils a new dynamic map of youth participation in sport called the "Participation Re-Engagement (PRE) Model." The PRE model identifies seven phases of sport participation, which can be applied across distinct levels of sport participation, including informal and organized sport.
It is hoped that the model could offer a way to recognize more opportunities to encourage to play sports. "The phenomenon of sport participation is often summarized simplistically as starting a sport and stopping a sport. Yet being a part of sport can change over time as people move through various stages and phases of involvement," says Ph.
D. student James Kay from the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work. "The PRE model maps out a way for sporting clubs and organizations to think about participation in a flexible and dynamic way, which is crucial for maximizing retention and re-engagement efforts," he says.
"Importantly, our PRE model denotes that dropout from sport is quite common, where people might need to take breaks due to injuries, study load, or building a career. But this doesn't have to be viewed as an end point, but an untapped turning point. It could be an opportunity for clubs to re-engage with young .