factors affecting participation

• Gender groups


  • Male
  • Female
• Gender


  • Determined by a person's sex
• Factors affecting gender participation

  • Lack of female role models in many sports
  • Lack of TV coverage of female sports
  • Some girls do not want to play rugby as they think others will think they are masculine
  • Some males do not want to play netball as they think it is a sport for females
• Race/religion/culture groups


  • Culture
  • Specific origin
• Race/religion/culture


  • People are grouped based on their culture and specific origin
• Factors affecting race/religion/culture participation


  • Family or peers influence whether someone does an activity or not
  • Due to economic grouping some people from minority groups may have less money. Someone without a permanent job would not have the money needed to access many sports
  • People from different backgrounds are steered towards or away from certain activities. E.g. people from African origin may be encouraged to participate in athletics rather than activities such as swimming
• Disability groups


  • Based on their disability
• Factors affecting disability participation

  • Many adapted activities available to people with disabilities such as wheel chair tennis and rugby Adapting sports for the disabled can be expensive and venues are limited
  • Sports sessions may not run for people with disabilities. This means it is not inclusive. They are unable to take part in mainstream activities
  • Lack of clubs and facilities in the local area for disabled groups as well as Physical barriers such as lack of ramps or pool hoists
  • Specialist equipment may be expensive
  • Someone with a disability think they are unable to participate or others assuming those with disabilities are unable to take part
  • Although there has been an increase in media coverage it is limited
  • Due to the limited media coverage there is a lack of disabled role models to aspire to
• Family/friends/peers groups


  • Parents/guardians
  • Relations
  • Friends
  • Siblings
  • Classmates
• Factors affecting family/friends/peers participation

  • You may play the same sport as your family. E.g. you play table tennis because your dad plays table tennis
  • You may not play badminton because your friends don't play
  • You may not play sport because you have to look after younger siblings
• Age groups

  • Children
  • Teenagers
  • Adults
  • Retirees
• Factors affecting age participation


  • Many clubs have specific times in which they train/play. If you have other commitments, they cannot play
  • Money may be needed to pay bills rather than play sport
  • Some people have little spare time due to work commitments
  • Some people think you are too old to play sport if you are retired
• Factors that influence participation in physical activity

  • Family
  • Peers
  • Role Models
  • Gender
  • Ethnicity and Religion
  • Age
  • Socio-economic Group
  • Disability
• Family


  • Parents, siblings and other relatives may encourage you to take part in particular activities and offer financial and emotional support
• Peers


  • Friends, classmates and members of your sports club may encourage you to play the sports that interest them and avoid others
• Role Models


  • Famous sportspeople or good performers at your school or sports club may inspire you to compete in specific sports
• Women's participation levels in sport

  Increasing, however, there are still fewer women participating in sport than men, particularly in football and golf
• Biased media coverage, fewer opportunities and stereotyping are blamed for fewer women participating in sport
• Men's sport dominates the media, with women's events receiving a much lower profile
• This contributes to fewer opportunities and less funding for women and fewer female role models
• Gender tagging


  Some sports are associated with either men or women, e.g. netball is considered a feminine sport, and boxing a masculine sport
• Ethnicity and religious beliefs

  • Can have a big impact on participation in sport, e.g. some Christians will not participate in sport on a Sunday
• Racism is still an issue in sport despite huge efforts to promote racial equality
• Age


  • Can affect a person's ability to participate in certain activities, e.g. weight lifting can be damaging to children, whereas physical sports, such as rugby, can be too demanding for elderly people
• People are less likely to participate in sport if they are from a low socio-economic group
• Socio-economic Group


  • Some sports are inexpensive and easily accessible, however, others, such as golf and skiing, require expensive clothing, equipment and club membership, which can prevent people from taking part
• Particular sports, such as golf, have a certain status that makes people want to play them
• Disability


  • May affect a person's ability to participate in certain activities, however, many sports have been adapted to enable people with disabilities to participate, e.g. wheelchair basketball
• Events such as the Paralympics have helped raise the profile of disabled sports