Marketing in organised sport: Participation, expectations and experiences of children

From a management perspective, as well as from a pedagogical viewpoint, the experiences of young participants as clients of organised sport are of paramount importance. Knowing what customers want (expectations) and how they perceive what they receive (experiences) is the best way to design effective sport services. The purpose of this study was to collect and analyse data on sport participation as well as the experiences of children in different sports organizations,; in particular sports clubs, municipal sport agencies and schools (extracurricular sports program). A random sample of 564 children, aged 9-12 years, was selected. A questionnaire consisting of closed questions about participation and open ended questions relating to experiences was administered to these children. In addition, individual in-depth and focus group interviews were carried out in order to delve deeper into children's perceptions about each of the different sport organisations. The results indicate that in Flanders the most popular sport organisation for children is the sports club, followed by the school with its extracurricular sport programs. One fifth of the children are not involved in sports in an organised way. An inductive data analysis of the textual data yielded four major categories of quality dimensions: program/activities, organisational/logistical aspects, guidance, and enjoyment. One of the crucial aspects this young target group cited was the need for diversity in sport programs. The children indicated that negative experiences regarding guidance are an important reason that they drop out. Among other things, it is concluded that, despite the different possibilities for sports participation related to the different sports structures, it seems to be difficult to attract the least engaged children into sport.