Giving orders or facilitating voices - Coaches' constructions of youth in equestrian sport

Abstract

In this paper, we want to contribute to and expand the ongoing discussion about coaches' constructions of youth and the impact it has on young athletes' chances to have a voice in sport. The focus is on sports coaches in Swedish equestrian sport, more specifically termed riding instructors, and their views of why youth should have a voice (or not). Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, the aim is to explore how the instructors' construction of youth affects young equestrians' (aged 15-17) chances of having a voice. The analysis is based on over 200 hours of fieldwork including observations and ten interviews with riding instructors in two riding schools. Four constructions of youth emerged from the analysis: Youth as incompetent, Youth as uninterested, Youth as interested, and Youth as competent. These different constructions influenced instructors' ways of giving youth a voice (or not).

Keywords

UNCRC; article 12; participation rights; riding instructors; youth sport

Published in

Sports Coaching Review
2024

SLU Authors

• Morgan, Karin

  • Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Sport and Fitness Sciences
Sociology (excluding Social work, Social Psychology and Social Anthropology)

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21640629.2024.2443721

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/139776