Sports Clubs Research Articles

The Effect of Stress on the Academic Performance of School-Going Adolescents in Central Monrovia, Liberia

The current study aimed to examine the effect of stress on the academic performance of school-going adolescents. For this study, a sample of 60 adolescents ranging in the age group of 12 to 19 years were randomly selected from five secondary schools (J. J. Roberts United Methodist School, Monrovia College, William V. S. Tubman High School, St. Peter Lutheran High School and College of West Africa) in Central Monrovia. The research instrument used by the researcher was a questionnaire. The questionnaire combines both quantitative (closed-ended questions and qualitative (open-ended questions) data. The instrument used to generate data was the questionnaire titled: The effect of stress on the academic performance of school going adolescents (ESAPSGA). Data obtained as responses were analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) for quantitative data and Nvivo for the qualitative data. The findings of this study show that stress has a big effect on how well students in Central Monrovia, Liberia do in school. Results showed that the sources of academic stress include schoolwork (exams, assignments, and grades), bullying from friends, family problems, and money issues. It affects students negatively through depression, distraction, and panic attacks, which leads to poor academic performances as they responded in the questionnaires administered. Results also showed that the majority of school-going adolescent manage stress by listening to music, followed by talking to a friend/ family or parent about the problem. Based on the findings and conclusions of this research, the following recommendations are made: 1. School managements should organize stress reduction programs such as sport clubs and activities for students. 2. School managements should have a school counsellor so that students can get access to counseling services that include music therapy. 3. School management should create a nurturing and empathetic school environment.

Polish Sports Club Names versus Commercialisation

The article presents an analysis of the names of sports clubs appearing in the top-level Polish football, volleyball, basketball and hockey leagues. A total of 107 names were analysed. The research question concerned the lexical composition of the names and potential differences in naming between individual sports. The research showed a tendency for names to become longer and for sponsors’ terms to be used in their composition. The exception is the names of football clubs, which are the most established and are a market brand in their own right.

Being second among the second: Experiences of Indigenous sports among assimilated Sámi

This article reports on a study investigating the struggle for influence in an Indigenous community. With an eye on the potential further subordination on certain subgroups, we studied how Sámi sports club officials outside Sámi core areas perceive their relationship with clubs in core Sámi areas and the federative Sámi sports organization. Methodologically, we performed interviews with representatives of Indigenous sports clubs and employed Bourdieu's concept of symbolic power as a theoretical framework. The results show how Sámi sports club officials outside core areas consider their peers within core Sámi areas as superior and that this relationship is engrained and taken for granted. The perceived superiority is based on the judgment of sports club officials outside the core Sámi areas, showing how the elite is defined as much by its subordinates as by the elite itself, to use Bourdieu's conceptualization of symbolic power. In conclusion, these results show how the struggle for influence in an Indigenous community can create further subordination of subgroups in a group that is already subordinated in society.

Safety Nets: A Social Prescribing Intervention to Support Young People on CAMHS Waiting Lists

High numbers of children face mental health difficulties in the UK, leading to increased referrals to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) which face reduced capacity and increased waiting times. Children’s mental health can deteriorate significantly during this wait for treatment. Safety Nets is an 8-week group intervention for children on CAMHS waiting lists, involving psychoeducation and physical activity co-delivered by clinicians and coaches at local sports clubs. A mixed-methods feasibility study was conducted exploring the impact of Safety Nets. A fully powered trial is now needed to further test for clinical and cost-effectiveness and to support future implementation.

The Effects of Integrated Proprioception Development Strategies in Increasing the Psycho-Neuro-Motor Level of Children

This research aims to evaluate the improvement of proprioception capacity in 24 male subjects, aged 10 years, by applying an intervention strategy and proposing a specific competence within the physical education school program for the 4th grade in Romania. An experimental group (EG, n=12) underwent an ameliorative intervention for 14 weeks, having two lessons per week, while a control group (CG, n=12) followed the usual football training program at the club sport. Both EG and CG subjects were evaluated, under similar conditions, using four tests: Body Sway, Flamingo, March in place – MIP and Circle, using scientific equipment OptoJump Next and GYko Microgate. The statistical analysis compared the results of the two groups, using the Kolmogorov Smirnov test to verify the normality of the distributions, and to verify the significance of the statistical differences, the Independent T-test and the Mann Whitney U-test were used. The results revealed statistically significant differences in three of the four applied tests, confirming the general efficiency of the experimental program. These findings support the possibility of optimizing the contents of the school physical education program to support the development of proprioception and body awareness in primary school children. The use of high-tech equipment, such as GyKo Microgate and OptoJump Next, can provide standardized data on neural processing of sensory information, thus contributing to a more accurate and efficient approach to school physical education.

Effect of Team Sports on Social Integration in Immigrant Communities in Turkey

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of team sports on social integration in immigrant communities in Turkey. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: Participation in team sports significantly enhances social integration in immigrant communities in Turkey by fostering connections with both fellow immigrants and local residents. These activities facilitate cultural exchange and adaptation, helping immigrants integrate while sharing their traditions. Team sports also improve psychological well-being by reducing isolation and providing a sense of belonging. They strengthen internal community ties and boost civic participation, leading to greater inclusion in broader social and political processes. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Activity theory, self-determination theory (SDT) & socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) may be used to anchor future studies on effect of team sports on social integration in immigrant communities in Turkey. Community organizations and sports clubs should design and implement team sports programs tailored to the needs of immigrant communities. Policymakers should develop and support policies that encourage the integration of team sports into community-building initiatives for immigrant populations.

Longitudinal associations of participation in organized and unorganized sports in youth with physical activity in mid-adulthood: The Young Finns Study

ABSTRACT We investigated the longitudinal associations between sports participation patterns in youth and physical activity (PA) in adulthood. PA was self-reported triannually between ages 9–18 (n = 2550, 52% females) and measured by accelerometers in mid-adulthood (n = 1002, 61% females, aged 48 ± 4 years). Three latent classes of youth sports participation emerged for both genders: 1) “organized sports” (persistent high PA with regular sports club activities), 2) “unorganized sports” (persistent high PA without sports club activities and 3) “low activity” (low PA with decreasing sports involvement). These groups comprised 29%, 34% and 37% of males, and 23%, 27% and 50% of females, respectively. Youth “organized sports” was associated with higher adult PA in both males (+1166 steps/day, p = 0.012) and females (+15 min/day moderate-to-vigorous PA [MVPA], +1064 steps/day, +1066 leisure-time steps/day; p ≤ 0.005) compared to “low activity”. In males, youth “organized sports” was associated with higher adult PA (+1103 steps/day, −26 min/day sedentary time and +133 counts/minute higher total PA, p ≤ 0.039) compared to “unorganized sports”. In females, “unorganized sports” in youth was related to higher adult PA (+10 min/day MVPA, p = 0.034) when compared to “low activity”. Sustained participation in youth organized sports, and for females, also in unorganized sports, is positively linked with adult PA.

Influence of Personal and Reactive Anxiety on Personality Characteristics, Cognitive Abilities and Performance of Basketball Actions

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to establish the possible influence of personal and reactive anxiety on personality characteristics, cognitive abilities and performance of basketball actions of basketball players. An empirical study is conducted with basketball players (which are also students at University of Economics – Varna - UEV) in 2016, playing basketball at the Sports Club at the UEV. To establish the level of effectiveness of the students’ game actions, their performances in 9 meetings (10 units of observation) are recorded. ANOVA is used to determine differences in basketball performance measures for individuals with relatively high levels of anxiety and for individuals with relatively low levels of anxiety. One of the indicators is “personal anxiety” (Q6). Another indicator is available. It is “reactive anxiety” (Q7). PSPP is used to analyze the dataset. The ANOVA test shows that there is a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) in Q21 “Countering a shelter with successful” for the examined two groups of basketball players. The practical significance of the results refers to the effectiveness of the educational and sports process of university students. The novelty of the paper refers to the analysis of personal characteristics of basketball players (such as anxiety) on their performance in action.

Differences in Sitting Time by Club Sports Participation among Austrian Youth

Differences in Sitting Time by Club Sports Participation among Austrian Youth

The Association between Sports Club Participation, Sports Enjoyment, and Exercise Adherence among Korean College Students

OBJECTIVES The purpose of present study was to analyze the differences in sports enjoyment and exercise adherence according to the level of participation in sports clubs among college students, and to identify the correlation and influence between sports enjoyment and exercise adherence in sports clubs.METHODS Data were collected from 150 college students participating in sports clubs, and a nonprobability sampling was used to select the study subjects. The final 140 responses were used for the analysis, excluding 10 that did not complete the questionnaire or were not sincere in their responses. Oneway ANOVA, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were conducted to analyze the data, and the following results were obtained.RESULTS First, there was a partially significant difference between sports enjoyment and exercise adherence according to the level of participation in sports clubs among college students. In terms of the difference by participation frequency, college students who participated in sports clubs more than three times a week had higher perceived competence in the sports enjoyment than those who participated once or twice a week. Club atmosphere was higher among college students who participated three or more times per week than among those who participated twice per week and higher among those who participated once per week than among those who participated twice per week. The practice and benefits of sports enjoyment and the predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing of exercise adherence were higher for students who participated twice and three times a week than for students who participated once a week. In terms of difference by participation period, students who participated for 18 months or less, 24 months or less, and more than 24 months were higher than students who participated for 12 months or less on the perceived competence of the sports enjoyment and the predisposing of exercise adherence. Second, the effects of sports enjoyment on exercise adherence showed that perceived competence, practice and benefits, and club atmosphere of sports enjoyment influenced predisposing of exercise adherence, and perceived competence and club atmosphere influenced enabling of exercise adherence. Finally, wins and competition and club atmosphere of sports enjoyment influenced reinforcing of exercise adherence.CONCLUSIONS We found that there is a significant relationship between sports enjoyment and exercise adherence among college students participating in sports clubs.

Measuring the cost of human resources and its role in supporting decisions... a case study in sports clubs

Measuring the cost of human resources and its role in supporting decisions... a case study in sports clubs

Sport and Physical Activity Participation by Weight Groups in School-Aged Hungarian Children

The aim of this study was to compare physical activity and organized sport participation survey data between different weight classifications in children. In the cross-sectional online data collection, 677 parents (42.8 ± 6.4 years old) provided information about 677 children (10.9 ± 2.5 years old). On average, 77% of the children achieved 60 min of MVPA/day and 63% participated in a club or organized sport. Most of them (63%) were in the healthy weight category, 14% of the children were underweight, and 22% of the children were overweight or obese. The parental support for physical activity was 83%. Club or organized sport participation (OR = 0.56 CI: 0.34–0.91; p < 0.02) and a parent with a higher educational level (OR = 0.25 CI:0.14–0.43; p < 0.01) were found to be preventive for obesity. Football was the most popular and highly chosen sport activity. Regarding sport activities with parents, cycling, walking, and football were the most popular, independently of the weight classification of the child. The overweight and obese children had almost the same participation rate in sport activities than others. Increased physical activity might be explained by the daily physical education in schools and governmental support. Further studies and measures are needed to prevent overweight and obesity in children of parents with a lower educational level.

Research on Identification of the Capacity Influencing Factors of Youth Sports Clubs in China

Since the 1970s, nonprofit organizations have identified organizational capacity as the key to improving organizational effectiveness. Youth sports clubs have long been trapped in a predicament that makes it difficult for them to keep non-profit nature, operate independently and maintain high performance for a long time. This study investigates which influencing factors can act on the capacity of youth sports clubs to ensure their non-profit nature whilst achieving healthy and sustainable development. The organizational theory systems view emphasizes the relationship between open internal structures and the role of external environmental factors, therefore the capacity influencing factors of youth sports clubs can be comprehensively considered to achieve this by considering both the internal and external influencing components of organizational capacity. The focus of this study was obtained by searching 11 relevant policy documents, 21 papers, and in-depth interviews with 26 experts including youth sports club managers, coaches, and venue management personnel and scholars studying in the field of youth sports research or practice. The study revealed the internal and external influences on youth sports club capabilities, including strategic leadership, service innovation, resource acquisition, network relationships, policy, social media, and environmental uncertainty; and constructed a relationship between internal and external influences on youth sports club capabilities and organizational effectiveness. In addition, we found that Social media had the highest weight, policy had the lowest weight, and the rest of the influences did not differ significantly by the method of the weight calculation. We recommend that youth sports clubs increase the application of social media, stimulate employees' service and innovation ability, and cultivate the strategic leadership ability of leaders.

AI, BlazePod Sensors, and Head Vests Implemented in Assessments on Reaction Time and Gaze Training Program in U10 Football Game

In the context of the development of technologies, every sports club tends to improve its training methods to obtain the best possible results in sports training. The goal of the research is to develop a specialized training program designed to enhance ball-control skills so that children can play soccer with increased confidence, therefore reinforcing their need for constant visual contact with the ball during possession. The study participants are children between the ages of 8 and 10, who have acquired at least one year of consistent and well-structured football practice, divided into two groups, experimental group I and control group II. The T-Blaze test training, the Adams test, and the registration of the degree of head tilt using artificial intelligence and visual recognition were implemented. During the training, the authors used the BlazePod sensors to measure participants’ times more precisely, thus avoiding the inaccuracy of using a classic timer. At the same time, the authors used the Vesta HeadUp to block the child’s view of the ball when he has possession of the ball or is very close to it. The recording of time spent playing head-up and head-down revealed statistically significant differences between the three test sessions in favor of the experimental group. Considering the statistically substantial influence obtained, the authors can conclude that our intervention program based on specific means and using HeadUp vests was a decisive factor in achieving improved performance.

Prevalence of Specific Mood Profile Clusters among Elite and Youth Athletes at a Brazilian Sports Club.

Those responsible for elite and youth athletes are increasingly aware of the need to balance the quest for superior performance with the need to protect the physical and psychological wellbeing of athletes. As a result, regular assessment of risks to mental health is a common feature in sports organisations. In the present study, the Brazil Mood Scale (BRAMS) was administered to 898 athletes (387 female, 511 male, age range: 12-44 years) at a leading sports club in Rio de Janeiro using either "past week" or "right now" response timeframes. Using seeded k-means cluster analysis, six distinct mood profile clusters were identified, referred to as the iceberg, surface, submerged, shark fin, inverse iceberg, and inverse Everest profiles. The latter three profiles, which are associated with varying degrees of increased risk to mental health, were reported by 238 athletes (26.5%). The prevalence of these three mood clusters varied according to the response timeframe (past week > right now) and the sex of the athletes (female > male). The prevalence of the iceberg profile varied by athlete sex (male > female), and age (12-17 years > 18+ years). Findings supported use of the BRAMS as a screening tool for the risk of psychological issues among athletes in Brazilian sports organisations.

What are the trends in shared leadership development and leadership life skills formation through sport activities: a literature review

A person must have a leadership attitude as a life skill for himself. Leadership is formed systematically from an early age until the end of human life, one of which is by actively participating in a sports club. A club can develop because of the roles in sports, both by athletes, coaches, managers, and others. To win a competition or race, it is necessary to collaborate between athletes in an extraordinary manner in order to achieve the highest goal, namely victory. Many plans are developed, implemented and evaluated. This process requires leadership from team members at every level. Ultimately, this process is internalized in each member, both as a member and line leader, as it takes place in a sports club. How this leadership is formed is shown in this article. Data bases were searched using search engines on Scopus or Science Direct and others before analysis using PRISMA. The final selection of the research database was carried out by checking for duplication, analyzing the title, completeness of the abstract manuscript, and the title and content of the article, resulting in 38 articles. The results showed that active participation in sports, especially those that embrace shared leadership, provides the experience to become one goal and vision of a common mission, so that each member is more motivated to collaborate and spend time, energy, and even money to achieve this goal. This process requires unipersonal skills. In addition, authoritarian and native leadership models are still used. Obviously, whatever leadership model is applied will provide soft skills to participants, no matter what they want. This will lead to leadership in other fields besides sports, including in mathematics education. According to the literature evidence, there are twelve studies that transform sports involvement into life-beneficial values; eight studies that influence leadership behavior towards running sports organizations; four studies on transformational leadership. When people participate in active leadership activities and take on roles, they gain useful experiences, which in turn will have a positive impact on their leadership development in life. Keywords: Shared Leadership, Life Skills, Sports Activities

Soziale Lage, Gesundheit und Gesundheitsverhalten von Kindern und Jugendlichen in Ein-Eltern-Haushalten zum Ende der COVID-19-Pandemie. Ergebnisse der KIDA-Studie 2022–2023

ZusammenfassungEinleitungIn der COVID-19-Pandemie waren Alleinerziehende und ihre Kinder durch die Eindämmungsmaßnahmen und aufgrund oftmals geringer Ressourcen in besonderem Maße Belastungen ausgesetzt. Es wird analysiert, inwieweit sich zum Ende der Pandemie Unterschiede in der sozialen und gesundheitlichen Lage von Kindern und Jugendlichen in Ein-Eltern- und Zwei‑Eltern-Haushalten zeigen.MethodenDie Analyse basiert auf Daten der KIDA-Studie, in der 2022/2023 Eltern von 3‑ bis 15-Jährigen und 16- bis 17-Jährige befragt wurden (telefonisch: n = 6992; online: n = 2896). Für die Indikatoren psychosoziale Belastungen, soziale Unterstützung, Gesundheit und Gesundheitsverhalten wurden nach Familienform stratifizierte Prävalenzen berechnet. In Poisson-Regressionen wurde für Geschlecht, Alter, Bildung und Haushaltseinkommen adjustiert.ErgebnisseHeranwachsende aus Ein-Eltern-Haushalten sind häufiger durch finanzielle Einschränkungen, familiäre Konflikte und beengte Wohnverhältnisse belastet und erfahren weniger schulische Unterstützung als Gleichaltrige aus Zwei‑Eltern-Haushalten. Sie haben häufiger gesundheitliche Beeinträchtigungen sowie einen erhöhten Versorgungsbedarf und nehmen häufiger psychosoziale Angebote in Anspruch. Sie sind zwar seltener in Sportvereinen aktiv, nehmen jedoch gleich häufig an Sport-AGs in Schulen teil wie Gleichaltrige aus Zwei-Eltern-Haushalten. Die Unterschiede zeigen sich auch bei Kontrolle für Einkommen und Bildung.DiskussionKinder und Jugendliche aus Ein-Eltern-Haushalten können über Bewegungsangebote im schulischen Setting gut erreicht werden. Niedrigschwellige Angebote in Kita, Schule und Kommune sollten daher weiter ausgebaut werden. Weiterhin bedarf es Maßnahmen zur Verbesserung der sozioökonomischen Lage von Alleinerziehenden und ihren Kindern.

Gender-sensitive community weight-loss programmes to address overweight and obesity in men: a scoping review

ObjectivesTo examine how gender-sensitive community weight-loss programmes have been used to address overweight and obesity in men and to identify what can be learnt from this rapidly evolving field.DesignScoping review...

Health promotion expectations and perceptions of sport club participants.

To develop health promotion (HP) in sports clubs (SCs), stakeholders need to know the HP expectations of sports participants. However, the literature does not provide information on these aspects, which exacerbates the difficulty for SCs to provide an environment, activities and organization that promote health and to play the role entrusted to them in the integration of vulnerable populations. To fill this gap, this study explores the HP expectations and perceptions of sports participants, with a particular focus on ethnocultural characteristics, and documents participants' understanding of HP. A descriptive qualitative study comprising semi-structured interviews was carried out with 22 French and Quebec sports participants. Because they have little experience with HP in their SC, participants do not seem to have many expectations of their SC in terms of HP. Nevertheless, they felt that SCs can play an important role in health and suggested several themes and types of action, such as seminars on nutrition, activities outside the SC to develop cohesion or health monitoring. Sports participants from ethnocultural minorities seem to appreciate the programs designed to integrate them. There is a predominantly physical conception of health and the contribution of SCs to health, and the relationship between the types of health determinants (economic, environmental, organizational and social) and health is not clear. This study shows that the idea of a health-promoting SC appeals to SC participants, but this approach has not yet taken root in this setting or in society as a whole.

Effect of Plyometric Exercises on Balance Ability for Ashihara Karate Practitioners

This research adopts a predictive approach to forecast the evolution of events. Ashihara Karate is a contemporary, full-contact fighting style that emphasises Sabaki, utilising the opponent's footwork and attacking techniques to gain an advantage by positioning oneself in the opponent's "blind" spot. Maintaining balance is often essential for mastering situations that require quick and rational action, and it also holds great value in preventing accidents. Purpose: This study aims to highlight statistically significant differences in improving dynamic balance capacity for the lower limbs after implementing a programme that includes plyometric exercises. Methods: Twenty performance athletes from the Sen Craiova Sports Club aged between 20 and 35 participated in this study. The dynamic balance capacity was assessed using the Y-Balance platform (Functional Movement, 2016), a dynamic test performed in a single-leg stance requiring strength, flexibility, central control, and proprioception. Results: A comparison of the descriptive statistics obtained with the Y-Balance platform from the initial and final tests reveals significant positive differences in favour of the experimental group that underwent plyometric exercises during training.