Youth athletes’ perspectives on developmental influences of relationships in individual and team sports

Within the sport context, critical social agents, such as coaches and peers have a significant impact on youth developmental outcomes as well as participation decisions. While youth’s interpersonal relationships with coaches and peers in sport have received considerable attention, to-date, there remains a lack of research examining the impact of such dynamics for youth development and participation decisions according to sport type. The purpose of this study therefore was to explore youth’s relationships with coaches and peers in individual and team sports and the perceived influence of such dynamics on their developmental experiences and participation decisions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 youth athletes (10 boys and 10 girls), 13-19 years of age and data were analyzed through a reflexive thematic analysis approach. Regardless of sport type, all athletes highlighted the critical importance of coaches and peers for youth development and participation decisions. However, team sports were perceived to better satisfy youth’s developmental outcomes, such as meaningful connections, fun and enjoyment, athletic worth, and motivation and interest. The lack of connections beyond the coach-athlete relationship in individual sports reportedly contributed to decisions to leave sport. To optimize positive developmental experiences and sport participation for youth, coaches are encouraged to prioritize opportunities for youth to experience interpersonal connections with peers; specifically, nurturing peer connections beyond competition outcomes in individual sports remains an important area of interest. Recommendations for future research and practice are suggested.