Abstract

Participation in sport among adolescents continues to decline at an alarming rate throughout the world. While a number of studies have been conducted to identify barriers to participation, limited research, particularly in South Africa, has been conducted to detect correlations between specific barriers and other variables. The purpose of this study was to identify barriers to participation in sport among urban adolescents and determine correlations between individual barriers and grade (scholastic year) in an international school in Cape Town, South Africa. The Barriers to Sport Participation Questionnaire was completed by 107 learners at the school. The data was validated by a Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin value of 0.808 and a Chi-square value of 2,403.664 (p = 0.000; df = 820). Seven principal barriers were identified, of which fear of academic failure, environmental constraints, and lack of interest were the most influential. Regression analysis revealed that the fear of academic failure, health- and injury-related concerns, and no relevance or priority barriers were the most significant, particularly among Grade 7 and Grade 9 learners. Consequently, it appears probable that barriers to participation in sport could be specific to particular school year and that interventions need to be specific, appropriate, well-timed, and effectively implemented during the middle school years of Grades 6 to 8, to encourage sustained engagement with sport and mitigate the global decline.