Post-pandemic trends in youth sport: structural and social determinants of girls’ and women's engagement in Ultimate

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted youth sport participation in the United States, with evidence suggesting uneven recovery and persistent gender disparities. This study examined patterns of women's and girls' engagement in Ultimate (commonly referred to as ultimate frisbee) from 2014 to 2024, considering structural and cultural contexts. Methods Using a multisource mixedmethods design, we analyzed national participation data, survey responses from 1,892 players, qualitative interviews with 14 former participants and one parent, and a 12-month social-media content analysis of 12,460 mentions. Results Descriptive registration analyses showed lower participation among women and girls than boys and men, with differences particularly evident in youth and high school pathways. Interviews described structural barriers, social-evaluation concerns, and perceived misalignment between developmental pathways and inclusion values in relation to disengagement. Social-media analysis identified differences in gender-associated content and visibility, although these data do not establish population-level differences in visibility or causation. Discussion Taken together, the findings are consistent with the possibility that structural, cultural, and developmental conditions are associated with participation, but the study design cannot establish causality or determine whether disengagement reflected diminished interest. Practice implications include evaluating strategies to support belonging, safety, skill development, equitable programming, visibility, and leadership opportunities. Interpretation is limited by the voluntary cross-sectional survey, purposive qualitative sample, distinct sampling frames across data sources, and limitations of the registration and social-media data.