For its small size, Ireland has produced more than its fair share of world-class sportspeople. But, despite their sporting idols providing inspiration for children and young adults, the fall-off in participation in sport after primary-school age remains a cause for concern.
The good news is that the issue is firmly on the radar of the Government and sporting bodies, which have been researching the reasons for and possible solutions to the decline in sports participation as children progress through school and into adulthood.
One of these pieces of work, Sport Ireland’s Children’s Sport Participation and Physical Activity Study, involved almost 9,000 schoolchildren and young people aged 10 to 19 on the island of Ireland, who were asked about sports participation in both 2018 and 2022. The news was good and suggests various initiatives are starting to bear fruit – overall participation rates in sport had increased since 2018, as had the number of students in both primary and post-primary participating in school sport at least once a week. This study was done in collaboration with Sport Northern Ireland and Healthy Ireland.
But while these results are positive, a notable gender gap still exists. The same study found that while girls and boys have similar sports participation levels at primary school, far fewer girls than boys participate at post-primary school, while boys are more likely to meet the national physical activity guidelines than girls. It was also seen that children from higher socio-economic backgrounds participate more in sport.
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Allianz Ireland has been running an awareness campaign around this issue, called Stop the Drop, for several years now. Its most recently published report highlights findings of extensive research around sports participation, some of which makes for sobering reading.
For example, the average dropout age from sport for Irish children was found to be 11, which means their involvement in organised sport lasted about 4.5 years, finishing at around the time of transition from primary to secondary school. As for the gender gap, children who did not participate in sport were disproportionately more likely to be female than male, with roughly half having played sport and stopped and the other half never having started in the first place.
The research found that dropout rates tended to be higher in individual pursuits such as swimming, dance and athletics than in team-based activities such as soccer, Gaelic football, hurling and camogie.
“Presumably a team set-up, having friends involved and a sense of community are all important reinforcers for children that continue to participate,” the report states.
Yet the report illustrates that the decision to leave sport can be nuanced. Competitiveness is a problem, as boys said the pressure to excel and a lack of enjoyment contributed to their decision while, for girls, other pastimes, academia and social inclusion were key factors.
“Despite sport being a key part of our national identity, one in five children stop participating in sport when transitioning from primary to secondary school,” says Phillip Gronemeyer, chief executive officer of Allianz Ireland. “As the largest insurer of schools in Ireland, insuring over 500,000 children, we want to play a part in stopping this drop in participation in sport.”
This includes supporting some of Ireland’s best athletes. Allianz ambassador Rhasidat Adeleke, whose success at the European Championships in Rome last month was an inspiration to people of all ages, regularly comments on the importance of sport for young people.
“Sport has more to offer than success. The social aspect, your physical health ... it gives so much more than winning,” says Adeleke.
Her team-mate Phil Healy agrees. The Cork woman, like Adeleke a medal winner at the European Championships, is involved in the Sport Ireland Campus Kids’ Camps, supported by Allianz. She says peer pressure is among the reasons young people feel they can no longer commit to sport in their teenage years.
“It’s very hard for kids to not compare themselves to others,” says Healy. “Doing your own best ... it’s about winning for you and walking away happy regardless of the result, knowing you have given it your all.”
Indeed, Healy says the focus on winning can be detrimental to participation.
“In Ireland if you don’t win or get a medal then it is seen as a failure,” she says. “We need to move away from that winning mentality and instead make it about enjoying yourself and making friends, and getting active. When I was a kid I was certainly not winning everything but I was having fun.
“People think they might have to do the so-called traditional sports such as GAA or soccer and they don’t like it, so then they give up. I was so lucky when I was younger to be able to try so many different sports such as swimming, hurling, athletics.
“I always try to tell children that there is always something for everybody and it’s about trying and seeing if you like something.”
Ireland’s taekwondo medal hope and Allianz ambassador Jack Woolley also stresses the importance of children and young people finding the sport that is the best fit for them, rather than dropping out completely.
“I started out with lots of different sports. I began taekwondo at six years old but my mam put me in everything,” Woolley recalls.
It was clear he wasn’t any good at “ball sports” – he laughs at his “two left feet” – but when it came to taekwondo his natural flair was obvious.
“It gave me something to look forward to. I was always happy to come home from school and go to training,” he says. “I come from a disadvantaged area, Jobstown, and it’s good to have as many people as possible in sport from a young age because it gives us something to do.”
Communicating the rewards of sport to young people is essential, says Woolley: “It gave me that recognition that if I work really hard at this I am going to be rewarded – and that is such a good life lesson.”
Ashbourne teacher and boxer Jenny Lehane, who will compete in Paris, says Ireland is going in the right direction with a multitude of role models for both girls and boys to be inspired by. Yet she says those who know each child best are best placed to encourage their continued participation in sport.
“Adults play such a key role in this. Key figures in the child’s life, like their parents – but also their teachers and coaches,” says Lehane. “Educators play such a vital role in shaping how kids view the world and play a powerful part in ensuring children stay in sport.
“I know I did it when I was a teacher. It’s about looking them in the eye and saying, ‘I believe in you’, and seeing their eyes light up. And the same thing happened to me as a child; it is so powerful.”
Lehane is acutely aware that, for some children, juggling school work and sporting commitments can seem impossible, and stresses that the right support should be given where needed.
“Otherwise they may go on to regret that decision to drop out. I always meet people in their 20s and 30s who say they wish they’d never given up.”
Challenging stereotypes when it comes to boys and girls is also crucial, says Lehane.
“These stereotypes, such as boys are stronger or faster than girls, can affect them in the back of their minds – they are taking it all in,” she says. “They need to understand they all have equal opportunities.”
This includes taking away the taboos around girls’ menstrual cycles, she adds: “Periods are normal. They happen to half the population and you don’t have to not participate in sport because of them; you can work around it. We need to normalise that part of our lives.”