Young athletes’ social goals during the children-to-youth sport transition: A latent profile and latent transition analysis

While the social aspect of sports is considered crucial for participation, the influence of social goals in motivating young athletes remains relatively unexplored. This study examined social goal profiles and their stability during Norway's children-to-youth sport transition (CYT). This transition represents a shift towards a more performance-driven environment, which may cause changes in athletes' motivation. We explored associations between social goal profiles and gender, expectations of success, and intention to continue. 329 athletes, aged 11–13, completed questionnaires before and after the transition. Using latent profile analysis, we identified three distinct social goal profiles: low, moderate, and high motivation through social goals. Latent transition analysis revealed substantial instability in profile membership across CYT. However, athletes in the high social goals profile demonstrated the greatest stability (39%), membership turnout (T1 = 68.8%, T2 = 44%), and higher expectations of success across both time points (X2 p < .05). Notably, gender did not predict membership in any profile, suggesting that social goal patterns are similar for boys and girls. No differences in intentions to continue were found across profiles. These findings enhance our understanding of social motivation in young athletes, emphasising the dynamic nature of social goals during CYT.