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Despite the many physical and psychological benefits of involvement in youth sports, athlete participation declines throughout childhood and adolescence, with girls exceeding boys in rates of attrition. The goal of this research was to investigate reasons for sport continuation and withdrawal in male and female athletes playing high-level competitive soccer. We interviewed 22 youth (mean age = 16) who had been playing soccer since approximately age 5; half had left the sport an average of two years previously, and half had maintained their commitment. Former players responded to questions about their reasons for leaving the sport, current players discussed perceived benefits and challenges of participation, and all youth were asked about the possible impact of gender on their soccer experiences. Parents of participating athletes also were interviewed. Inductive content analyses indicated that athletes perceived the time demands of competitive soccer to be a primary reason for discontinuation (former players) as well as a significant challenge (current players). Girls were more likely than boys to attribute the decision to leave soccer to negative coaching experiences and to view the social rewards of playing soccer as a primary benefit, suggesting a stronger relational orientation among female than male athletes. Based on the findings, three strategies for improving retention among soccer players were discussed: recruitment of coaches knowledgeable about female adolescent needs and development, greater attentiveness to team interpersonal dynamics, and revaluation of the intense time and pressure demands on high-level youth athletes.
Participation in youth sports has many benefits. As might be expected, adolescent athletes are more physically active than their peers who are not involved in sports (Sirard, Pfeiffer, & Pate, 2006). Youth sports participation also increases the likelihood of continued physical activity in later teenage years, after involvement in organized sports has ended (Pfeiffer et al., 2006; Walters, Barr-Anderson, Wall, & Neumark-Sztainer, 2009). There is evidence that this effect carries through the lifespan as well; youth sports participants are more likely than non-sports participants to be physically active in both early adulthood (Perkins, Jacobs, Barber, & Eccles, 2004) and later adulthood (Bäckmand, Kujala, Sarna, & Kaprio, 2010). With obesity rates in children and adults in the United States at all-time highs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 201 1 ; Ogden & Carroll, 2010),...