IN IRELAND, 1 in 5 children stop participating in sport at the transition from primary to secondary school. As the largest insurer of school children in the country, Allianz want to shine a light on and help solve this critical issue in Irish society.
In addition to the striking statistic above, among primary and post-primary children, only 15% are reported to be meeting the recommended physical activity guidelines of one hour of moderate-to-vigorous activity each day.
The findings, taken from Sport Ireland’s Children’s Sport Participation and Physical Activity 2022 study (CSPPA 2022), show that this is a 2% increase since 2018 but the study warned this figure is still “unacceptably low”.
Participation in team or individual sports is a great way of keeping children active, but while sport is part of our national DNA, the dropout rate is concerning.
A new campaign launched by Allianz Ireland aims to play a part in stopping this drop off in participation through creating awareness of the issue and providing support to parents, coaches and teachers who play a big role in keeping children engaged in sport.
That’s why the insurer has created the #StopTheDrop resource hub, a one-stop-shop for coaches, teachers and parents to arm them with the knowledge to help support the next generation of players across Ireland, addressing many of the hidden barriers which can result in dropping out of sport.
As part of this campaign, we’ve examined some of the reasons behind the drop off in participation and spoken to Shane Keegan, Head of Games Development with Laois GAA, about what he’s learned from a career of training and developing young people.
The Challenges
Pinpointing a singular reason behind this drop in participation is not easy and research conducted by Allianz Ireland shows that it can often come down to a variety of reasons including a range of social, biological and psychological factors.
As adolescents transition from their parents and immediate family being their primary influencers, the sway of friends and peers becomes increasingly significant. While this can be a positive step in social development, it can bring with it some challenges if their new social groups are not active or into sports.
New academic demands placed upon adolescents means that combining the demands of school and sport can be a balancing act. From rushing from school to training and eating on the go, it can feel like a lot for young players to manage which can lessen enjoyment of the activities leading to drop out.
Added to this, the onset of puberty plays a role, meaning that young people are experiencing huge changes in how they feel physically and emotionally. This can be very challenging for a young person, leaving them feeling overwhelmed, self-conscious and unsure of themselves.
Fun and Enjoyment
Shane Keegan plays a key role in bringing through the next generation of talent for Laois in hurling and football. But while there is a desire to develop high level players for the future, there’s also a strong emphasis on simply getting children involved in the sport and having positive experiences.
There are 58 primary schools in Laois who participate in Allianz Cumann na mBunscol and in collaboration with games promotions officers and clubs in the county, Laois GAA have coaches attending two-thirds of these schools with the aim of reaching them all in the coming months.
Speaking about engaging with young players across this school’s network, Shane said, “The key thing is, it’s less so about skill development at the schools, it’s more about giving a lot of children their first experience of football, hurling or camogie and making sure that they really enjoy it.
“You’re trying to build real connections with the kids so that they smile when they see you coming in.”
He added,”We want them to go away thinking ‘I had a great time doing that’ and going home to their parents saying they’d ‘like to do more of it’ which will hopefully get them involved in their local clubs.”
Sport and exercise are amazing tools to support young people to de-stress and have fun. Ensuring from a young age that children are involved in a fun and positive atmosphere keeps players involved in sport and helps protect their body from the negative aspects of long-term stress. However, if sport gets too serious, it can add stress to a young player’s already full plate.
Winning
Winning and losing have their place and their outcomes teach children important values and perspectives to carry with them through their growth and development into adults.
They are just by-products of being involved in sport, rather than the main driver. Young people often turn up to participate in an exciting activity and to feel part of something bigger. But when the emphasis changes firmly to winning, it can be a shock to the system for some players.
In the GAA, that transition to winning begins to be seen around the under 13 level, according to Shane.
“Suddenly it’s ‘dog-eat-dog’ and only the best players get on the pitch,” Shane said. “The attitude is that we have to win every game.”
He added, “What we’re doing in Laois and in other counties is to create development leagues – which basically means clubs nominate their five best players and these would play in the under 13 championship with their clubs. There’s then an under 13 development league for clubs and these players would not be involved. It’s aimed around everybody getting a lot of playing time and allowing other players to develop.”
As young people progress through the different age groups, the level of seriousness can naturally increase. As the emphasis slowly – often subconsciously – moves from participation to performance, there is a link to the number of players dropping out.
Participation
Some young people aspire to be the next Rhasidat Adeleke, Ellen Keane or David Clifford and compete at a high level, however, for many they play sports to socialise, make new friends, exercise, have fun and be part of a team.
Feeling part of a team is a protective factor against players dropping out and an inclusive environment creates a sense of belonging, allowing children to reach their potential.
By having a dialogue with your players and clearly explaining their roles and responsibilities, coaches can create fun and engaging sessions that cater to all levels of players. There are activities to help with this on the Allianz #StopTheDrop hub at Allianz.ie/StopTheDrop.
One practical example which springs to mind for Shane works two-fold, it gives the players who are further along in their development a new challenge, but it also increases the confidence of other players.
“If there are four outstanding players in a group, the chances are that those four outstanding players are going to dominate the game,” Shane said.
“You pull those four players in and speak to them, let them know they’re playing great and that it’s clear they’ve been practicing. Then you say ‘what I want you to do today is to act as score suppliers, so I’m banning you from scoring today and it’s an opportunity today for you to work on your team play and to set up scores for others’.
“So they start to think of themselves as a creator, a Cian Lynch in hurling, and then the so-called ‘weaker players’ are getting more scores and more passes from the ‘star players’ and that makes them feel great as well,” Shane said.
As a coach, your players will experience many different hidden hurdles throughout their sporting lives, and a coach’s role is to ensure your players are in an environment that makes them want to play sport because they enjoy it.
The Allianz #StopTheDrop resource hub aims to provide practical supports to arm teachers, coaches and parents with the knowledge to help support the next generation. The hub resources also allow young people to navigate the hidden barriers that can often result in them dropping out of sports.
