Physical Education
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Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports: A Comparison of Norway and the United States
Every Kid Sports Pass provides funding to children from income-restricted families to pay sports registration fees. The Pass is now available in all 50 states. www.everykidsports.org
The unregulated youth sports industry in the United States creates unnecessary barriers to optimal long-term athlete development. In the U.S., we lack a central governmental authority to oversee the regulation and policy of youth sports. This, in turn, creates issues in youth sports, such as the continued promotion of early sport specialization, a lack of qualified and educated coaches, and youth sports organizations placing a priority on profit over the best interests of the child. From years of research, we know participation in a variety of sports provides the best athlete development, not early specialization. Highly educated coaches and youth sports organizations who have the best interest of children can provide a profoundly positive sports experience for them. There are many countries that have a governmental office to set well-developed policies and provide regulation, and this, in turn, delivers a sophisticated and progressive direction for youth sports development.
From 1996-2000, I worked for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and traveled extensively in Europe, researching and understanding the best athlete development models in endurance sports. Upon returning to the U.S., I wrote “White Papers” based on interviews, observation, and performance data and then made presentations to Olympic national governing bodies. While this was over 20 years ago, the insights and observations I made then are still relevant today. We can look at the youth sports models in Norway and the United States and compare and contrast how they implement policies to provide best practices in youth sports.
In Norway, 80 percent of 6–12-year-olds participate in one or more sports. In the United States, for the same age group, 72 percent have participated in at least one sport. At the foundation of Norway’s philosophy for youth sports is the document Children’s Rights in Sport. Here is an English version: Norway's Children's Rights in Sport. Introduced in 1987, it lists seven rights that provide a framework for athlete development (age 6-12 years) based on research and best practices. At the core of the seven rights is a child-centered approach to the holistic development of the child and a love of sport. All aspects of youth development are considered, including physical, mental, social, and emotional development. It has a significant influence on decision-making and the freedom to choose regarding sports participation in children. For example, the opinions of children should be considered when planning and implementing training sessions, such as what sports they should participate in and whether they would like to compete. Competitive events for athletes 6-8 years old are restricted to within the local sports club, and regional competitions are allowed for athletes 9-10 years old. Competitive events with the other Nordic countries are allowed at the age of 11 years. The focus is on good movement and skill development. Fun is at the top of the list, and developing friendships with peers.
Certainly, Norway has a progressive take on youth sports. However, it is not the first to propose a children’s rights document. In 1979, preeminent U. S. researchers in youth sports, Rainer Martens and Vern Seefeldt, created the Bill of Rights for Young Athletes. Here is a link to the document: Bill of Rights for Young Athletes. Recently, the Aspen Institute’s Project Play released the document Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports. Here is the link: Children's Bill of Rights in Sports. The Norwegian document and the recent U.S. document are surprisingly similar in that they both use a child-centered approach, which provides the framework for safe and healthy youth sports participation. The lessons learned from Norway:
- A child-centered approach that focuses on a balanced and holistic development of the child.
- Focus on high-quality movement and age-appropriate development.
- A “Joy for All” atmosphere and developing a love of sport prevails.
- Children are part of the decision-making process to help plan training and how much competition.
- Travel is limited to local and regional events up through the age of 10 years.
The Norwegian document, Children’s Rights in Sport specifies the amount of travel that can occur for children from age 6-11 years. Priority is given to the physical, social, and mental development of the individual over any benefit competition can provide at the regional, national, or international level.
I commend Aspen Institute’s Project Play for putting in the work to create the Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports. It can help American coaches and parents view athlete development from the lens of holistic and child-centered youth development. This moves away from early sport specialization and puts the focus on fun, skill development, and building positive relationships with coaches and peers. However, the U.S. document does not address the excessive travel that can occur with children aged 6-12 years. This issue needs to be addressed in order to make a positive and lasting change in the youth sports system in this country. Until then, youth sports organizers will be driven by profit and other motives rather than the ultimate goal of positive youth development.
