New SHPRC Publication indicates that higher family affluence is associated with multi-sport participation among Irish youth

Is early sport specialisation a concern in the Irish context?

New publication from Kearney et al., 2023, published in Perceptual and Motor Skills, indicates that higher family affluence is associated with multi-sport participation among Irish youth.  

For teenage athletes, it can be difficult to juggle the demands of multiple sports. Specialisation refers to an athlete selecting a primary sport and investing their efforts in more intensive training. When undertaken during the late teenage years, specialisation is a normal part of athlete development. However, there is a growing concern in many parts of the world that an increasing number of children are specialising before they are physically, psychologically and socially ready to do so. We examined the 2018 CSPPA study data to determine whether early specialisation is a concern in Ireland.

Kearney, P. E., Sherwin, I., O’Brien, W., Nevill, A. M., & Ng, K. (2023). Higher family affluence is associated with multi-sport participation among Irish youth. Perceptual and Motor Skills, [ahead of print]. doi: 10.1177/00315125231185653

Full paper: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00315125231185653