Youth participation in sport organisations: quo vadis?

Within sports, youth constitutes a key stakeholder. Since 2001, the Eurobarometer surveys on the topic of “youth participation” have systematically shown that sport clubs are the preferred space for young people’s participation. Moreover, when analysing the several Eurobarometer surveys on “sport and physical activity” conducted since 2010, all of them systematically show that young people are the most likely to exercise or play sport with some regularity, being the most active segment of our population within the sports ecosystem. Nevertheless, young people remain largely underrepresented when it comes to decision-making in sport clubs and organisations.

As essential stakeholders in sport, young people must be empowered with the internationally recognised right to participation. They must be given the space, the opportunity and the responsibility to meaningfully participate within the sport structures they so proactively engage with to ensure that democracy and citizenship reflect the variety of perspectives and the plurality found in society. 

 

In our new position paper “Youth participation in sport organisations: quo vadis?” we address the challenges and opportunities for meaningful and effective youth participation in sports organisations, coupled with recommendations for exploring the manifold possibilities to achieve effective and meaningful youth participation in sport governance bodies.

Ey Position Paper 3

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