Time Commitments in Junior Sport: Social Consequences for Participants and their Families

Abstract

The study investigated time commitments in junior sport and the social consequences for participants and families. Two hundred and twenty families in the Australian states of Queensland and Victoria were surveyed from the sports of cricket, Australian football, gymnastics, hockey, netball and tennis. A further 27 family groups were interviewed. The study showed that parents made a substantial contribution to their children's participation in junior sport in terms of time and emotional support. The efforts required to manage this contribution had significant social consequences for family life in terms of intra‐familial relationships, parents' roles in junior sport, and the nature of children's participation in sport. Each of the sports made different time demands on families depending on the yearly cycle of training and competition, distance from facilities and coaching, and representative level. It is concluded that time may be a substantial barrier to children's participation in junior sport due to its impact on family life.