Study finds kids need to learn sport basics

Covid meant many Victorian kids didn’t play team sports, and now the game may be up because of their lack of basic skills.

Victorian children who missed out on learning how to catch a ball or play team sports during Covid may never develop a love of sports.

That’s the warning from new research that found some kids were “slipping away” because of a skills divide leaving them on the sidelines.

The group most at risk are children now aged 10 and 11 years where participation rates have plummeted.

“They are the early sport adopters. If they are not playing sport at 10 or 11 they can’t enter it later on. That’s the concern we have,” researcher Rochelle Eime says.

The study found many children haven’t got the foundation skills, confidence and competence to play sport.

The Behavioural Epidemiologist from Federation University in Ballarat says urgent investment at school and club level is needed to help children play catch-up.

Professor Eime says increased costs of living, time-poor parents and a lack of confidence by the children have played a part in the decline.

“When we break it down the lowest participation (in community sport) by this age group is Melbourne’s metro growth corridor areas,” Professor Eime said.

“That’s where people with young families have bought a house and maybe now with interest rate hikes with discretionary spending what goes is kids’ sport.”

The annual research is undertaken by Prof Eime with Hans Westerbeek, Professor of International Sport Business at Victoria University.

Since 2015 they have analysed registrations at sports club across the state to identify trends and gaps for a longitudinal study funded by VicHealth and Sport and Recreation Victoria.

For this study they looked at almost one million registrations of the top 10 most popular community sports in Victoria: Australian rules football, basketball, cricket, soccer, gymnastics, hockey, netball, sailing, swimming, and tennis.

Not going to school or playing team sports during Covid meant many children didn’t learn the basics of playing sport. Picture: iStock

Prof Eime said Covid restrictions meant many children didn’t go to school or play sport to learn how to catch and throw.

“Now they haven’t got those foundation skills, nor the confidence and competence to then go into sport,” she said.

“The total numbers have improved across the board, but it is the 10 and 11 year olds who haven’t returned.”

Wearing uniforms, she said, was a small but important barrier for some families to be involved in community sport.

“The skills and competency of the children is the major one. If children don’t feel they are competent enough to strike the ball, catch and throw, they are not even rocking up to club-based sport.”

The solution, the researchers suggest, is a systems approach that would see all schools with qualified physical education teachers and sport clubs with introductory programs for older children at all levels of competency.

Prof Eime says it would also be good to “grade” students in PE classes like subjects such as maths.

Sports mad students Harriett, 10, and Callum, 11, but research shows many in their age group are missing out on developing a love of sports. Picture: Mark Stewart

“We also need a parallel system at community level that is more flexible and focuses on fun, skill development, friends and play, with less focus on competition and winning to attract and retain young players, and those that are not the best at sport,” she said.

Family friends Callum, 11, and Harriett, 10, share a love of sports.

For Callum his spare time is taken up with footy, cricket, athletics, swimming and cross country while for Harriett it is nights and weekends filled with netball, football, gymnastics, swimming and tennis.

Their parents say they have been active and sporty from a young age and they come from families where everyone plays sport.

“I think sport will always play a part in their lives,” says mum Simone, adding key it to start early.