Part 1 - Looking Back and Looking Around: How Parents, Coaches and Athletes See Psychosocial Development in Adolescent Performance Sport.

Sport has the potential to support psychosocial development in young people. However, extant studies have tended to evaluate purpose-built interventions, leaving regular organised sport relatively overlooked. Moreover, previous work has tended to concentrated on a narrow range of outcomes. To address these gaps, we conducted a season-long ethnography of a youth performance sport club based on a novel Realist Evaluation approach [1]. We construed the club as a social intervention within a complex system of agents and structures. In this - Part 1 - account we detail the perceptions of former and current club parents, players and coaches, using them to build a set of programme theories. The resulting network of outcomes (i.e. self, emotional, social, moral and cognitive) and generative mechanisms (i.e., the attention factory, the greenhouse for growth, the personal boost, and the real-life simulator) spanning across multiple contextual layers provides a nuanced understanding of stakeholders’ views and experiences. This textured perspective of the multi-faceted process of development provides new insights for administrators, coaches and parents to maximise the developmental properties of youth sport, and signposts new avenues for research in this area.

Anemia and nutritional aspects in adolescent athletes: a cross-sectional study in a reference sport organization

ABSTRACT Objective: To assess the association between anemia and nutritional aspects in adolescent athletes from a large sport club. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, involving 298 athletes aged between 10 and 17 years, submitted to measurement of skin folds, weight and height, and collection of capillary blood in duplicate to determine hemoglobin values. It was carried out in a random sample composed of athletes from eight sport modalities. Results: Regarding nutritional status, 10.1% of athletes were overweight based on body mass index and 70 (23.5%) athletes had a percentage of body fat classified as high or very high. The prevalence of anemia was 16.4%, being more prevalent in judo (37.1%), basketball (34%) and futsal (20.5%) athletes. Low hemoglobin levels were significantly associated with shorter stature (p=0.006). Conclusions: There was a significant association between anemia and short stature, suggesting that the athlete's height-weight development may be affected in suboptimal conditions of oxygen distribution.

The Effect of Specific Regions Exercises on Performance Endurance Development of Youth Soccer Players

Soccer is considered the sports that required endurance, speed of performance. The study aimed at designing exercises for developing performance endurance in youth soccer players. The researcher was applied on (20) youth soccer players rom Al Jawia sport club (2020 – 2021) aged (17 – 19) years old divided into two equal groups. The program was applied for (8) weeks that consisted of exercises for developing performance endurance in youth soccer players. The data was collected and treated using proper statistical operations to conclude that these exercises positively affect posttests.

TRENDS OF “FIRE SOULS” MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS RELATED TO SPORT CLUB ESTABLISHMENT

The analysis was performed while participating and doing research in a project “Villages on the Move Go (VOMGO)” which is focused on one of the main objectives of EU sport policy: promote awareness and healthenhancing physical activity (HEPA). Motivation is widely-researched in sport psychology and other fields. Motivation for participation in sport is an important object of sport research, therefore it is important to apply reliable research tools. Aim of the research – to identify trends of “Fire Souls” motivational factors related to sport club establishment. Method. This paper analyses the results of open-ended questions, which are presented in quantitative terms (descriptive statistics) and statistical correlation analysis. Participants. The study involved 43 persons who are strongly related with the activities of sport clubs. They have established these clubs and are currently the enthusiasts of these clubs, as they represent them by participating or managing their activities, organizing various activities at the national and / or international level. In the “Villages on the Move Go” project and in this article, they are named as “Fire Souls”. Fire Souls are representing seven European countries: Finland, Lithuania, Cyprus, Slovenia, Hungary, Belgium and Portugal. All of the “Fire Souls” involved in this study were experts with extensive experiences in sport and physical activity. Results. The most frequently mentioned motivational factors for “Fire Souls” to run the sport clubs were participation in sport activities from childhood and search for innovative sport activities or benefits to the community. “Fire Souls” who once volunteered at the sport clubs practiced winter sports. The factor “personal life changes” is related to activities with vulnerable groups, implication of the sport education is related to gymnastics, acrobatics, active lifestyle and achievements are related with cycling. The factor “search for the innovative sport activities for the community” correlates with dancing, search for the innovative sport activities for the community is related with the occupation as physical education teacher. The most common motivational factors for men and women “Fire Souls” are participation in sport activities from childhood, search for innovative sport activities and benefits to the community. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors were almost indistinguishable from “Fire Souls” experience in sport activities. Conclusions. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors of “Fire Souls” determine sport and active leisure activities for individuals seeking professional and nonprofessional athletic performance, contributing to the promotion of public health and quality of life.

Finnish late adolescents’ physical activity during COVID-19 spring 2020 lockdown

Background Physical activity (PA) is recognised as one of the leading and effective strategies to prevent non-communicable diseases that boosts the immune system to fight against diseases. Closures of schools, sport clubs and facilities because of COVID-19 reduced the opportunities to participate in PA. We aimed to examine physical activity levels of late adolescents, the contexts to be physical active and its changes during the spring 2020 lockdown. Methods A national representative sample of late adolescents in general upper secondary school (n = 2408, females = 64%, mean age = 17.2y, SD = 0.63) completed self-report online surveys on PA behaviours between March and June 2020. Multinominal logistic regression analyses were performed to identify correlates with PA, and decision tree analyses to ascertain the perceived changes on PA during lockdown based on sport club aspirations and levels of PA. Results Among the late adolescents, the distribution of PA frequency was 23% (0-2 days/week), 35% (3-4 days/week), 30% (5–6 days/week) and 12% (7 days/week), and differences between males and females were not statistically significant. Participation in both indoor and outdoor PA were 50 times more likely to report daily PA (OR = 54.28, CI = 15.16–194.37) than non-participation. A quarter of late adolescents were not part of a sports club, yet their PA levels increased. Although sports club members generally perceived they did less PA during lockdown, over a third of sport club members with competitive aspirations reported daily PA. Conclusions Overall, most late adolescents reported their PA levels decreased during lockdown. Findings from this study continue to demonstrate factors associated with PA in the context of the COVID-19 lockdown.

“Racismo à brasileira” no futebol rio-grandino: notas sobre a Liga Esportiva Rio Branco (1926-1930)

Este estudo objetivou analisar a emergência da Liga Esportiva Rio Branco (1926-1930) na cidade de Rio Grande e problematizar os papeis desempenhados por ela na sociabilidade da população afrodescendente da época e na cultura futebolística daquela cidade. Trata-se de uma pesquisa histórica documental, cujo corpus empírico constituiu-se de jornais diários e semanais que circulavam na cidade de Rio Grande no período da existência da Liga. Os resultados indicam que a Liga Esportiva Rio Branco se constituiu, predominantemente, por agremiações esportivas que não eram aceitas na Liga Rio Grandense. O estudo também assinalou a existência do Sport Club Rio Negro, agremiação esportiva fundada em 1919, que teve um papel de destaque no futebol e em outras atividades culturais da população negra rio-grandina da época. Conclui-se que, além de ser um lócus de sociabilidade dos afrodescendentes da cidade de Rio Grande, a Liga Esportiva Rio Branco também representou uma possibilidade para os futebolistas negros e operários consolidarem-se no futebol Rio-grandino.

Ajustando estratégias: a experiência com o basquetebol no Sport Club Mackenzie (Rio de Janeiro, 1924-1941)

Em 1914, foi criada uma associação marcante da história do Méier, bairro do Rio de Janeiro: o Sport Club Mackenzie, a princípio eminentemente dedicado ao futebol. Com passar dos anos, outros esportes passaram a ser praticados nessa agremiação, entre os quais o basquetebol. Este artigo tem por objetivo discutir tal experiência com a modalidade da bola ao cesto, a percebendo como decorrência de decisões administrativas adotadas tendo em vista a manutenção de vínculos com a elite carioca organizada em ligas esportivas prestigiosas, uma estratégia entabulada para reafirmar compromissos de contribuição com a valorização do bairro. Para alcance do objetivo, como fontes foram utilizados periódicos publicados na cidade. Mais do que uma reflexão sobre a ampliação da cultura esportiva da, na ocasião, capital nacional, tratou-se de lançar um olhar para os relacionamentos entre as suas zonas urbana e suburbana, explicitando posicionamentos assumidos por certos grupos sociais para buscar inserção num cenário citadino progressivamente complexo e em constante transformação.

A Comparative Study of Hematological Parameters of Endurance Runners at Guna Athletics Sport Club (3100 Meters above Sea Level) and Ethiopian Youth Sport Academy (2400 Meters above Sea Level), Ethiopia

Introduction. Endurance running performance is dependent upon hematological, physiological, anthropometrical, diet, genetic, and training characteristics. Increased oxygen transport and efficiency of tissue in extracting oxygen are the major determinants to competitions that require endurance. Thus, altitude training is often employed to increase blood oxygen-carrying capacity to improve sea-level endurance performance. This study aimed to compare hematological parameters of endurance runners’ training at different clubs with different altitudes (Guna Athletics Sport Club at Guna (3100 meter above sea level) and Ethiopian Youth Sport Academy at Addis Ababa (2400 meter above sea level)). Methods. A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted at GASC and EYSA. Data were collected from a total of 102 eligible study subjects (26 runners and 25 controls at Guna and 26 runners and 25 controls at Addis Ababa) from May to October 2019. About 3 ml of the venous blood was drawn from the antecubital vein by aseptic procedure and analyzed using a hematology analyzer (DIRUI BCC-3000B, China). One-way ANOVA and independent-sample t-tests were used to compare means. Result. Male runners in Guna had significantly higher hemoglobin (Hgb), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and white blood cell (WBC) count than male runners in Addis Ababa. Besides, female runners in Guna had significantly higher MCH and MCHC than female runners in Addis Ababa. However, there were no significant differences between Guna and Addis Ababa runners in red blood cell (RBC) count, Hct, MCV, and platelet count in both sexes, while Hgb and WBC count in females. Conclusion. Decisively, Guna Athletics Sport Club endurance runners had significantly higher hematological parameters than Ethiopian Youth Sport Academy endurance runners. This provides invaluable information for coaches and sport physicians to monitor the hematological profile and the health status of an athlete living and training at different altitudes.

Moving Away: Intra-National Migration Experiences of Brazilian Men Elite Futsal Players During Youth

Migration experiences are common for athletes, especially in team sports. Moving from home to a recruiting sport club has become an indispensable career investment. This is also the case in Brazilian futsal, where many developing players move to more promising clubs within the country. This process is often challenging, but little researched. The purpose of this article is to investigate 13 Brazilian men elite futsal players’ intra-national migration experiences during their youth. We aim to: provide insight into what factors allowed players to invest in a futsal career through migration; demonstrate the challenges young players faced during their migration; and describe how they adapted to the futsal context they had moved to. We use a Bourdieusian framework to examine young futsal players’ disposition to intra-national migration and the influence of capitals on their integration in the receiving places. A thematic analysis allowed us to identify that: Players’ disposition to migration was shaped by their families’ habitus and illusio related to futsal; some of the reported issues could have been avoided if clubs had provided more efficient support to young migrant athletes; and families and networks (social capital) were key for players being able to adapt to the new futsal context.