Park and Recreation professionals and its agencies compiled a new National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) report. The five most popular youth sports affiliated with parks and recreation are basketball, baseball/softball, soccer, football, including flag and peewee, and volleyball. Other popular youth sports include tennis, swimming and diving, track and field, gymnastics, and cheerleading.
The Youth Sports at Park and Recreation Agencies report also highlights the role park and recreation professionals and their agencies play in ensuring kids have access to team and individual sports with 86 percent in agreement. This includes addressing disparities that exist, as it relates to proximity to sports fields and courts, and the ability to afford the cost of participating in sports.
While the majority, 92 percent, of park and recreation agencies charge registration fees for youth sports programs, most, 65 percent, also offer reduced or discounted fees for kids from low-income homes. Further, 5-in-6 park and recreation agencies work with partners, including private sports associations, school systems and nonprofit organizations, to booster their ability to offer a robust set of sports opportunities for kids.
Ninety percent of park and recreation agencies report that COVID-19 has negatively impacted their youth sports programming including budget cuts, limits on participants and attendees, and the need to train staff and volunteers on safe distancing practices. Parks and recreation also faces long-term challenges affecting their ability to ensure access to youth sports activities, including:
- Insufficient funding;
- Competing with better-funded private organizations;
- Difficulty in recruiting volunteer coaches;
- Competition with travel sports leagues; and
- Insufficient sports fields and courts.
“Park and recreation professionals are in a unique position to promote increased access to sports, critical to a child’s physical and cognitive development,” said Kevin Roth, NRPA’s vice president of research, evaluation and technology. “Unfortunately, the future of youth sports in our country is uncertain, especially given the COVID-19 pandemic and recession. Parks and recreation remain committed to providing low-cost youth sports programs to everyone.”
According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, the percentage of kids ages 6-to-12 participating in organized or unstructured sports at least one day during the year declined from 72.9 percent in 2012 to 71.8 percent in 2019.NRPA is exploring how parks and recreation can address gaps in the provision of youth sports opportunities this includes surveys, member engagement and partnerships. NRPA is collaborating with the Aspen Institute to initiate Project Play resources, including its Teamwork Toolkit for engaging local leaders and developing new opportunities to make sports accessible to all kids.
A copy of the report is available here.
