Social changes in youth sports participation styles 1969–1999: the case of Flanders (Belgium)

Three issues are put forward with respect to the active participation of young people in leisure-time sports styles. It is considered (a) whether sports participation styles can be detected over the last three decades, (b) whether they have changed in this period of time, and (c) whether traditional parameters understood as structuring and positioning young people's lifestyles are still relevant with respect to their sports participation preferences. Youth sports participation data were retrieved from four large-scale surveys in 1969, 1979, 1989 and 1999 (Ntotal=22,424 high school boys and girls). These data allow for a time trend analysis of youth sports participation styles. Results from component and regression analyses indicate that different participation styles can be distinguished for each period of time and that these styles have been developing and differentiating through a growing responsiveness to wider social trends. Structural and positioning variables such as age, sex and education remain significant determinants for young people's active participation in leisure-time sports styles over the observed period of time. Although these social structures continue to shape youth sports participation styles, it is suggested that there is more variety within social groups than among social groups partially due to processes of individualisation and homogenisation.