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Children
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Current Issues and Future Perspectives in Youth Sports
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Current Issues and Future Perspectives in Youth Sports

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Pediatric Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 March 2023) | Viewed by 15041

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Irene Faber

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Sports Science Institute, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Ammerländer Heerstraße 114-118, Oldenburg, Germany
2. Research Departement Human Movement and Education, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, Campus 2, Zwolle, The Netherlands
Interests: youth sports; talent development; motor development/learning; sport pedagogy; safe sport climate; girls/women in sports
Prof. Dr. Nicolette Schipper-van Veldhoven

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
1. Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science/Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands
2. Research Departement Human Movement and Education, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, 8017 CA Zwolle, The Netherlands
Interests: youth sports; sport pedagogy; child development; physical education; safe sport; climate

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Youth sport has great potential to bring positive outcomes for children and adolescents regarding physical and mental wellbeing and social development. Being active in sport from a young age supports the development of an active lifestyle, preserving these positive effects in the long term. Moreover, it may build the foundation for participating in elite sports. However, there are a lot of challenges within youth sport to ensure a positive and safe sport climate that supports children’s development and keep youngsters involved. This Special Issue focuses on current issues in youth sport and identifies future perspectives to create better youth sport experiences.   

In order to create the best learning environment for children in sports and to create coherent or shared understandings, we use the Youth Sport Compass’ as a basis for this Special Issue. This compass is based on four pillars (i.e., scientific concepts): the development-oriented, the motivational, the caring and the socially safe climate. The development-oriented climate is about properly assessing what a child/young person can do and, above all, what he/she needs to develop well as an athlete and as a person. The motivational climate concerns contributing to the intrinsic motivation of children by coaching throughout the process and giving positive and concrete feedback. The caring environment regards creating an environment where children feel that they are cared for and valued for who they are. The socially safe climate is a climate in which a child can be him- or herself with dignity and unthreatened in an environment that guarantees psychosocial and physical safety.  For a short animation, click here. Attention must be paid to all four pillars in order to achieve the best climate in youth sport: a pedagogical climate.

This Special Issue is supported by ICOACHKIDS (www.icoachkids.org), a non-profit global movement led by the International Council for Coaching Excellence that promotes sport policy, education, and practice that puts kids first. ICOACHKIDS brings together a large network of youth sport stakeholders and develops free educational resources for coaches of all sports. The ICOACHKIDS Pledge, 10 Golden Principles of Youth Sport, guides ICOACHKIDS’s work, which in addition to the Youth Sport Compass provides a further theoretical and practical framework to guide submissions to this Special Issue.

Dr. Irene Faber
Prof. Dr. Nicolette Schipper-van Veldhoven
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • youth sports
  • sport pedagogy
  • talent identification and development
  • fundamental movement/motor skills development through sports
  • youth sport participation (e.g., motivation/sport dropout)
  • caring climate in youth sport
  • positive youth development
  • positive coaching in youth sport
  • organizing youth sport/sport clubs
  • safe climate/safeguarding in youth sports

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1063 KiB  
Article
Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence: The Role of Motivation for Physical Activity, Self-Esteem, Implicit and Explicit Attitudes toward Obesity and Physical Activity
by Silvia Scotto di Luzio, Guillaume Martinent, Maria Popa-Roch, Mathilde Ballereau, Soufyane Chahdi, Lucie Escudero and Emma Guillet-Descas
Children 2023, 10(7), 1177; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10071177 - 7 Jul 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2484
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to compare attitudes toward body weight and physical activity in both regular-weight and overweight/obese children and adolescents, and assessing relations between attitudes and self-esteem, motivation for physical activity, life satisfaction and level of physical activity. A [...] Read more.
The purpose of the present study was to compare attitudes toward body weight and physical activity in both regular-weight and overweight/obese children and adolescents, and assessing relations between attitudes and self-esteem, motivation for physical activity, life satisfaction and level of physical activity. A total of 126 children (Mage = 12.2, SD = 3.4), divided into two subsamples (i.e., overweight/obese, N = 44, and regular-weight), voluntarily participated in the study. A series of univariate analyses of variance was conducted to examine the differences in the study variables across the subsamples. Correlational analyses were conducted to examine the relationships among the variables. The results indicated that obese/overweight participants expressed a more positive implicit attitude toward the thin category than regular-weight participants. Furthermore, among overweight/obese participants, implicit attitude toward physical activity was significantly negatively correlated with explicit attitude toward physical activity and general self-esteem. Significant differences between obese/overweight and regular-weight participants indicated that the status in terms of weight played a key role in attitudes toward the explored constructs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Issues and Future Perspectives in Youth Sports)
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16 pages, 295 KiB  
Article
Acquiring Financial Support for Children’s Sports Participation: Co-Creating a Socially Safe Environment for Parents from Low-Income Families
by Lonneke van Leeuwen, Angelique Ruiter, Kirsten Visser, Heidi M. B. Lesscher and Merel Jonker
Children 2023, 10(5), 872; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10050872 - 12 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2445
Abstract
Despite the many benefits of club-organized sports participation for children, sports participation is lower among children from low-income families than among those from middle- or high-income families. Social safety experienced by parents from low-income families is an important facilitator for parents to request [...] Read more.
Despite the many benefits of club-organized sports participation for children, sports participation is lower among children from low-income families than among those from middle- or high-income families. Social safety experienced by parents from low-income families is an important facilitator for parents to request financial support for their children’s sports participation. Therefore, the first aim of this study was to better understand parental social (un)safety in the context of acquiring financial support for children’s sports participation and how to create a safe social environment for low-income parents to request and receive this financial support. The second aim was to describe the co-creation process, which was organized to contribute to social safety solutions. To reach these goals, we applied a participatory action research method in the form of four co-creation sessions with professionals and an expert-by-experience, as well as a group interview with parents from low-income families. The data analysis included a thematic analysis of the qualitative data. The results showed that from the perspective of parents, social safety encompassed various aspects such as understandable information, procedures based on trust, and efficient referral processes. Sport clubs were identified as the primary source of information for parents. Regarding the co-creation process, the study found that stakeholders tended to overestimate parental social safety levels. Although the stakeholders enjoyed and learned from the sessions, differences in prior knowledge and a lack of a shared perspective on the purpose of the sessions made it challenging to collaboratively create solutions. The study’s recommendations include strategies for increasing parental social safety and facilitating more effective co-creation processes. The findings of this study can be used to inform the development of interventions that contribute to a social environment in which parents from low-income families feel safe to request and receive financial support for their children’s sports participation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Issues and Future Perspectives in Youth Sports)
14 pages, 1002 KiB  
Article
Social Acceptance in Physical Education and the Regular Classroom: Perceived Motor Competency and Frequency and Type of Sports Participation
by Anne G. M. de Bruijn and Femke van der Wilt
Children 2023, 10(3), 568; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10030568 - 16 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2607
Abstract
This study examined relations of primary school children’s perceived physical competence and sports participation (frequency and type) with social acceptance in the regular classroom and physical education (PE) and whether these relations differed depending on the type of sport children participated in (team [...] Read more.
This study examined relations of primary school children’s perceived physical competence and sports participation (frequency and type) with social acceptance in the regular classroom and physical education (PE) and whether these relations differed depending on the type of sport children participated in (team vs. individual sports). In total, 182 children (48.9% boys, mean age 9.90 years, SD = 1.23) filled out questions on their perceived physical competence and sports participation and indicated three peers with whom they liked/disliked working in PE and the regular classroom. Multilevel structural equation models in Mplus showed that frequency of sports participation was positively related to social acceptance in the context of PE. Additionally, for children in team sports, the frequency of sports participation was related to their social acceptance in PE, whereas for children in individual sports, perceived physical competence was related to social acceptance in PE. No relations were found in the regular classroom. Relations of perceived physical competence and sports participation with social acceptance seem to depend on the school context and the type of sport involved. In designing PE classrooms, children’s physical competence and sports participation seem essential factors to take into account to provide all children with positive social experiences. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Issues and Future Perspectives in Youth Sports)
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14 pages, 273 KiB  
Article
Investigating the Impact of Food Rewards on Children’s Motivation to Participate in Sport
by Alanna Shwed, Brenda Bruner, Barbi Law and Mark W. Bruner
Children 2023, 10(3), 432; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10030432 - 23 Feb 2023
Viewed by 2089
Abstract
Children who are physically active and involved in organized sport report having the unhealthiest diets. Research suggests excessive calories may be attributed to the prevalence of fast food and candy which are often provided as rewards in sport. This study explored the use [...] Read more.
Children who are physically active and involved in organized sport report having the unhealthiest diets. Research suggests excessive calories may be attributed to the prevalence of fast food and candy which are often provided as rewards in sport. This study explored the use of food as a reward in youth sport and the perceived impact it has on children’s motivation to participate in recreational soccer and ice hockey. A multiple instrumental case study approach was utilized. Children aged 4–12 (n = 64), parents (n = 30), and coaches (n = 18) were recruited within central and northeastern Ontario, Canada to participate in focus groups and individual interviews. Transcribed audio recordings underwent inductive thematic analysis. Key themes included: Fun and fast: The culture of food in youth soccer and hockey; (Un)importance of food rewards: The how and why of motivating children in sport; and Youth sport is expensive: Gratitude for sponsorship in youth sport. Themes explain the role of food and food rewards as an element of the youth sport culture as well as the importance of sponsors, regardless of food affiliation, in youth sport. Overall, children’s participation and effort would continue without food rewards; however, they continue to be offered food to motivate and celebrate performance in youth sport. Findings highlight the need to increase knowledge and awareness among parents and coaches on what truly motivates children to help foster healthier strategies for celebrating success and supporting lifelong physical activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Issues and Future Perspectives in Youth Sports)
13 pages, 1487 KiB  
Article
Validation of a New Soccer Shooting Test Based on Speed Radar Measurement and Shooting Accuracy
by Felix Engler, Andreas Hohmann and Maximilian Siener
Children 2023, 10(2), 199; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10020199 - 20 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3610
Abstract
Due to poor results, the German talent identification and development of the German soccer association DFB no longer performs a shooting test since a few years. The aim of this study was to create and validate a new soccer shooting test that allows [...] Read more.
Due to poor results, the German talent identification and development of the German soccer association DFB no longer performs a shooting test since a few years. The aim of this study was to create and validate a new soccer shooting test that allows valid conclusions to be drawn from the shooting quality of youth soccer players about their overall soccer skills. The shooting test was performed with a total of 57 male club players (age: 15.24 ± 0.864 years) from four different teams from the first, second, fifth, and the seventh division of the respective age group (under 15-year-olds until under 17-year-olds). Each subject took one shot at maximum shot speed and eight target shots, measuring accuracy and the shot speed. A multivariable linear regression analysis with forward selection revealed significant values for the variables average shot speed nondominant leg (p < 0.001) and total score (p = 0.004; accuracy × speed of every target shot). Based on these two variables, the soccer skills could be derived from the shooting skills of the adolescents in 57.4% of the cases. The study shows the importance of a good technique with the nondominant leg and of the ability to shoot accurately as well as fast simultaneously. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Issues and Future Perspectives in Youth Sports)
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