Why Adolescent Girls Play Basketball in Australia and its Meaning for them

Abstract

The potential of organized sport to contribute to the health and wellbeing of young people justifies concern about their participation in it. While most research focuses on barriers and drop out, this article reports on a study that adopted a positive approach. Conducted in a large basketball club in Melbourne, Australia, it focused on what kept adolescent girls, aged 13-16 in one team. It identified two main factors contributing toward making basketball enjoyable for the six girls in the study and which kept them playing. They were: (1) relationships within the team and (2) having a strong sense of learning and improvement.