Sport with care: 19 shared recommendations to support young people's wellbeing

How do we create sporting environments where children and young people not only take part – but actually thrive? That was the central question when 14 researchers and practitioners came together for a consensus conference in Copenhagen in August 2024, hosted by the Danish Sports Confederation.

Their joint recommendations have now been published in a peer-reviewed article, and the message is clear: wellbeing demands a collective effort from young people, parents, coaches, clubs and sports federations.

The article How to Promote Wellbeing in Youth Sport presents 19 concrete recommendations on how everyone involved can help build safe, healthy and meaningful sport communities for children and young people. The work is backed by experts from the University of Copenhagen, the University of Southern Denmark, Aalborg University, Aarhus University, as well as several organisations with hands-on experience from sport, healthcare and the NGO sector.

Wellbeing doesn’t happen on its own

Taking part in sport does not automatically lead to high wellbeing. On the contrary, research shows that sports environments can affect children and young people both positively and negatively – depending on the context. This makes a shared understanding of what wellbeing looks like in practice essential.

The recommendations target five groups:

• Young people: Encouraged to support one another and nurture a sense of belonging – especially towards newcomers or those feeling unsure.
• Parents: Advised to focus on the child’s experience and development rather than results, and to contribute positively to the community.
• Coaches and leaders: Recommended to create inclusive and age-appropriate training settings with an emphasis on development, learning, play and enjoyment.
• Sports clubs and communities: Should prioritise education, shared values around wellbeing, and safeguarding children’s rights within sport.
• Sports federations and policymakers: Encouraged to shape policies and systems that promote diverse and sustainable participation in sport.

Broad professional agreement – from research to grassroots sport

What makes the article particularly noteworthy is that all participants – both researchers and practitioners – endorsed all 19 recommendations. This reflects a strong professional consensus across disciplines and experiences.

Professor Thomas Skovgaard from the University of Southern Denmark, who facilitated the consensus process, highlights that the recommendations offer a practical tool for sports clubs and decision-makers:

– Wellbeing is not a by-product of youth sport – it’s a goal in itself. These recommendations provide material that clubs and policymakers can use to support wellbeing.

According to Associate Professor Glen Nielsen from the University of Copenhagen, the work demonstrates that researchers and practitioners can unite around specific solutions:

– What’s unique about this work is that we’ve achieved consensus across professional boundaries. It shows that both researchers and practitioners can come together around concrete solutions when it comes to promoting wellbeing for children and young people in sport.