January 2021
Featured in this insight: Education, Sports & physical activity, Children & young people
One in five parents do not permit their child to take part in sports outside of school: A survey has found that one in five parents do not allow their child to play sports outside of school, due to fears including injury risks or the costs involved.
The research, by pain relief experts Bio Freeze, polled 2,300 parents of children aged five to 15 years.
It found the top reason for parents abstaining from introducing their child to extracurricular sport was due to the fear of their child being injured (31%), followed by almost a quarter saying it was due to the cost of fees and sporting equipment (23%), and 14% saying they were worried about their children becoming too competitive. Just over one in 10 (11%) said they do not have time for additional sports activities.
Sports injuries
A quarter of parents said their child had been injured whilst playing sport, with the top injury being sore muscles (19%), followed by sprains (18%), dislocations (15%) and broken bones (10%).
When asked about the sports which have caused their children the most injuries, rugby was the top choice, with three out of 10 of the children who had been injured, receiving it playing this game. Horse riding was second (25%), followed by football (15%), and gymnastics (10%). Netball received the lowest percentage of injuries (5%).
The survey found that the majority of parents do have children who play sports outside of school, the most popular being football (28%), followed by rugby (20%) and gymnastics (18%).
View more of our sector specific insights: Education, Sports & physical activity
