SIRC articles provide evidence-based and actionable insights from sport researchers, athletes, coaches, sport organizations and thought leaders to advance sport in Canada.
Concussions in Sport: What Parents Need to Know About the Youngest AthletesÂ
Each year in Canada, more than 200,000 athletes experience a concussion. The numbers are striking, and so is the fact that until recently, the youngest athletes were almost absent from research and public conversation about these injuries. Dr. Miriam Beauchamp is a professor at the University of Montreal, a researcher at Sainte-Justine Hospital, and Canada…
Highlights Parental behaviour has the potential to either positively or negatively impact youth athletes Current sporting contexts that frequently foster negative parental behaviour include parents “living vicariously” through their kids, the rise of youth sport professionalization and the high financial...
Introduction and context Only 8% of school age Canadian students meet the recommended daily goal of ≥ 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Youth mental health problems have doubled over the past two decades. As family life represents a primary vehicle...
Sports help to develop crucial skills on and off the court, field, or ice. Participating in sports can help youth athletes stay physically healthy, build positive relationships with coaches and other players and learn valuable skills. While coaches often play...
Parents and guardians have significant influence on their children’s sporting experiences, as well as broader sport culture. They serve as interpreters, role models, and providers of childhood sport experiences (Fredricks & Eccles, 2004). As such, their decisions can have long-lasting...
Introduction and context Although young athletes represent the users of youth sports programs, parents are intricately involved in the decision-making process related to their children’s enrollment and registration in such programs. As such, sport administrators must grasp the elements that...
View the summary of this research here. Introduction and context Studying factors that contribute to sport participation maintenance in a context where so many people drop out of sports will help develop better strategies and interventions aimed at increasing the...
For many charitable or not-for-profit sport organizations, funding is the main topic of discussion on most days. As they look to continue their missions or potentially create new, innovative, and inclusive programming, two questions regularly come up: Â How much money...
When children are asked about why they play sports, having fun is consistently ranked as the number one reason. Trying their best, being treated with respect and getting playing time are reasons that fall close behind. Winning, on the other...
Highlights What’s the best path to the podium? That’s the question behind the debate between early specialization and early diversification. Drawing on the example of some well-known champions like Tiger Woods or the Williams sisters, the early specialization camp argues...
Jackie Robinson, Marika Warner and Bryan Heal, MLSE LaunchPad
The loosening of COVID‑19 pandemic restrictions on sport and physical activity presents a unique opportunity to dramatically change how we engage young people in sport and physical activity. Pre-pandemic sport participation was marred by high dropout rates among girls and...
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