ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGE of children dropping out of sport is not a straightforward topic. As young people progress through their youth, they move from spending most of their time with their immediate family to their peer groups. Their friend groups change, they change, there’s the onset of puberty to contend with! Put simply, it’s a transitional time filled with immense growth for our children. As a result of this, children can fall out of sport, and so are missing out on the huge benefits that playing sports brings you for life.
Here at The Journal, we’ve been working with Allianz to highlight their #StopTheDrop advertising campaign, which aims to shine a light on and play a part in helping solve the critical issue of children dropping out of sport between primary and secondary school. As the #1 insurer of schools in Ireland as well as one of the biggest supporters of sport in the country through their sponsorship of the Allianz Leagues, the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, Cumann na mBunscol, the Olympics and the Paralympics, this issue is something Allianz care deeply about.
So, why is this happening? As a starting point for this campaign, Allianz conducted extensive research with Ipsos B&A to gain insights into sport today across various groups in Ireland. In doing this, they’ve equipped themselves with the knowledge to identify some of the factors which contribute to children leaving sport behind and in turn can arm us with the knowledge of how to combat the issue.
Their latest #StopTheDrop 2024 report highlights initial findings from their research. We’ve highlighted some key issues below but don’t forget, if you want to play your part in stopping these statistics, then head to the Allianz resource hub for more information on how you can help.
In order to look at children who’ve dropped out of sport, it’s important to look at the overall figures for participation. The latest report identifies that 70% of children are currently participating in sports. Out of those, there is a higher proportion of boys playing sports at 76% compared to 66% of girls.
Within this section of research it was also found that children began playing sport around the age of 5. 9 years old and over half of them (53%) are engaging in sport more than two times per week. All of these figures are incredibly encouraging and showcase the huge appetite young people in Ireland have for sport.
An interesting area to focus on within this topic is competitiveness and whether or not the pressure to compete is becoming overwhelming for children. We all remember playing sport when we were younger; out on our road alongside our peers or in a local park, it was fun and free from pressure. Does the competition element of sport today have an impact in participation? The research suggests so.
As many as 71% of parents believe that sport can be too competitive for children, with 28% strongly agreeing with this position. If we look deeper at that, 63% of parents whose children have dropped out of sport believe it’s down to the competitive nature compared to 57% who are still active. These figures can’t be ignored, sport is and should be fun for those involved and this highlights how the competitive nature, although admittedly it is a nuanced topic, is a contributing factor for some of the drop out.
Finally, we want to highlight the importance that parental influence can have on children when it comes to playing sport. When children stop playing sport, the research Allianz has conducted found that only 23% of them still have a parent active in sport. It also found that parental involvement in sport was likely to encourage children to remain engaged.
Not only is it important to understand why children are dropping out of sport in such large numbers, but it’s crucial to look at pathways to change. With a combination of strategic interventions, continuing to make sport fun for our children and with the knowledge that all of this information can bring us, we can help #StopTheDrop for the next generation.
Find out more at the Allianz #StopTheDrop resource hub which aims to provide practical supports to arm teachers, coaches and parents with the knowledge to help support the next generation.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say