Minor soccer referees in Quebec to wear body cameras to prevent abuse
To combat escalating abuse from parents and coaches, a minor soccer association plans to equip referees with body cameras aiming to protect young referees and deter aggressive behaviour. In Ontario, a pilot project with referee-worn cameras has shown promise, acting as a visual deterrent against abuse and providing referees with a tool to record incidents.
Parental role in fostering youth psychosocial development
In the landscape of elite youth sports, there exists a notable gap in research concerning parental roles in fostering their child’s psychosocial development. A recent study delves into the dynamics at play within a professional football (soccer) academy and its players development process. The investigation centers on uncovering parents’ perspectives on their roles and experiences…
Parenting in parasport
Parents of athletes with disabilities face challenges like limited local sport options and funding, but they also experience benefits like social inclusion and support. Scholars suggest that sport programs should tackle these cultural and environmental barriers and actively involve parents in creating support systems. Additionally, there is a need to enhance talent identification pathways for…
ParkSeek: Linking young Canadians to parks and recreational resources using geo-targeted messaging in a smartphone application
Introduction and Context The ParkSeek study aimed to identify barriers to youth (aged 13-25) engagement with parks and recreational resources via a novel geographic ecological momentary assessment (GEMA). However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, substantial challenges were encountered in the recruitment of youth to participate in the originally designed study. Therefore, a broader approach…
Decline in youth sport participation
One of the most useful ways for youth and adolescents to socialize and stay healthy is sport. Despite the positive benefits of sport, sport participation among youth has steadily declined in the past decade. A recent study found that motivation as well as sport experience had the strongest relationships with drop-out. It is suggested that…
Burnout in Young Athletes
Burnout is when an athlete loses interest in a sport they play because of physical and emotional exhaustion. Some signs of burnout in young athletes include loss of motivation, drop in athletic performance, and persistent fatigue. Parents and caregivers can support their children by encouraging a variety of activities and by focusing on what the…
Climate change and childhood fitness
According to research, children cope with high temperatures differently than adults. Physical activity levels in children are decreasing, with children having 30% lower aerobic fitness than their parents did at the same age. It’s important for children to be physically active and fit with temperatures rising because they will be able to better tolerate the…
Body Checking in Youth Hockey
Body checking is a large part of hockey, but there is a risk of concussion. The Amsterdam 2022 International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport suggests that body checking should be eliminated in hockey for children and most adolescents. In addition, they found that mouth guards are proven to be effective in reducing concussions and…
Parental Support and Youth Sport Dropout
How involved are you in your child’s sport? Researchers found that when parents attend practices and games, their children are less likely to drop out and attribute more value to sport. A key factor however is that encouragement needs to be positive and supportive rather than feeling like a source of pressure for the child.
Specialization in Youth
Growing up many youth athletes goals and aspirations are to be professional or high performance athletes later in life. This fixation on wanting to be high performance often leads them to want to specialize in sport as early as possible. However, a recent study suggests that to maximize athletic development youth under 12 should avoid…