Key Features of the Youth Sport Environment: A Scoping Review

Throughout life, individuals navigate a variety of sporting environments, with youth sport contexts for adolescents aged 12-16 being particularly influential in determining whether they continue their engagement in sport. Despite the piv- otal influence of these environments on adolescents' sustained participation in sport, an overview of the research literature examining youth sport environments (YSE) appears to be lacking. This study summarizes the state of the art of research on YSEs, proposes a definition of quality youth sport environments (QYSE), and synthesizes current knowledge about the essential features that constitute such settings. Following the PRISMA and Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines for scop- ing reviews, a systematic search across five databases was conducted in July 2025, resulting in 2,785 studies, of which only four articles were included for data extrac- tion. Findings were summarized using an extraction table. All studies were quali- tative and conducted in Northern Europe where one also included quantitative data and all focusing on various aspects of the youth sport environment. YSE were characterised by three key features: the foregrounding of social factors, the acces- sibility of central training facilities, coaches pivotal role in addressing adolescents' social and emotional needs. We propose the understanding of a QYSE as one that promotes the youth athletes' athletic and personal development, their long-term participation and motivation, and their wellbeing. It is a complex, adaptive sys- tem, where social and structural factors work in concert to meet the developmen- tal needs of 12-16-year-olds. While the literature allows us to cautiously suggest features of QYSE, this area of research is limited, highlighting the need for further studies to develop a more comprehensive understanding of what QYSE look like.