After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the following:
Explain why organized youth sports emerged in the 20th Century and how social changes related to family and childhood have influenced the growth of organized youth sports in the United Kingdom.
Explain how the trend toward privatization in youth sports affects youth sport experiences.
Define what is meant by the performance ethic, and explain why it has become especially important in private and elite youth sport training programmes.
Explain why parents today take youth sports so seriously.
Explain why alternative sports have become increasingly popular among many young people today.
Identify the major differences between formally organized, adult controlled youth sports and informally organized, player controlled sports.
Discuss the findings in developmental research and explain how they can be used to organize youth sports in ways that would lead to a combination of excellence and greater long term interest in sport participation.
Identify the main access issues that exist in youth sports as they are currently organized in the United Kingdom.
Discuss the main developmental issues that must be taken into account when organizing youth sports for children at different ages.
Identify important sociological issues associated with family dynamics and why youth sports have become so important to many parents today.
Identify major recommendations for changing informal games, alternative sports, and organized sports, including high performance sports for children.
Explain the major advantages and possible problems with coaching education programs as sources for positive changes in youth sport programmes.
