Online school sport club in South Korea: policy adaptation towards youth development through sport during touchless era

Abstract

ABSTRACT Using Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory, this qualitative case study aimed to explore how the online school sport clubs (O-SSC) were developed and administered as a counteraction against the pandemic and the meanings of the O-SSC from stakeholders’ perspectives in South Korea. Data were collected from official and open-source O-SSC materials, working-level meeting logs, and in-depth interviews with six policy stakeholders that included superintendents and teachers in Seoul, South Korea. The findings revealed four themes regarding the development of the policy and perceived changes as a result of the implementation of O-SSC: (a) thinking outside the box beyond traditional sports, (b) melting the frozen gym, (c) setting the stage beyond stereotypes in sport and physical spaces, and (d) unlimited opportunities to challenge: ‘you can try it again tomorrow’. The discussion addressed the following: (a) O-SSC as a domino effect for youth development through sport and (b) balance between sportisation and healthisation. The O-SSC generated a transformative chain of changes, providing youths with a new sporting developmental asset and prioritising students’ basic psychological needs and motivation. Furthermore, it embraced the inclusiveness, a quality missing in traditional school sport, and integrated aspects of physical fitness to tackle the adolescents’ physical inactivity caused by COVID-19. To conclude, it is imperative to call for the development of school sport policy that is more adaptive, inclusive, and future-oriented, not just to prepare for future contingencies but to embrace new possibilities of school sport for the benefit of school-age adolescents.