The promotion of sporting opportunities for girls and young females and the implications for traditional female sports: a qualitative descriptive study

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to explore the implications of the increasing range of sporting opportunities for girls and young females on traditional female sports such as netball. This paper emerged from a larger investigation and provided a qualitative descriptive account of the implications for netball based on individual interview and focus group data with 27 female participants (players, coaches, and administrators) in Australia. A reflexive thematic analysis was undertaken, leading to the development of four major themes: ‘being a cross-coder’, ‘team size matters’, ‘wavering attraction’, and ‘pathway aspirations. Pathways and opportunities that may impact on how netball clubs engage with the contemporary female sporting landscape are presented. Despite the growing number of other sporting opportunities available to girls and young females, support for netball among its participants remains stable. However, the netball community will need to respond to changing cultural, personal, and organisational forces if they are to sustain strong female participation into the future. Possible implications for coaches, clubs and associations and potential avenues forward are discussed.