Breaking Barriers: Youth Sports in High Wycombe

Social Research Project

As society continues to evolve at breakneck speed, so must sport within it. But before evolution, comes understanding. This project sets out to understand youth sports participation in High Wycombe, whilst providing a unifying reference point for sports providers, educators and the community itself, to chart a collaborative path forward…to break barriers.

According to Sport England (2022) over half of the UK’s young population do not take part in the recommended amount of daily physical activity (53%). Public Health (2020) data also suggests that 26% of young people living in deprived areas are obese, compared to just 14% amongst their less deprived counterparts. It is clear, that a variety of socio-economic, cultural, practical and knowledge barriers exist, and powered by the Rothschild Foundation, Wycombe Wanderers Foundation (WWF) will be exploring the reasons behind this, how numbers translate to our local, complex context and what collaborative steps can be taken to increase engagement.

Through a variety of research methods and a mixture of both quantitative and qualitative data, it is hoped that this research project can sit as a fulcrum within both the sports-playing and non-sports-playing communities of High Wycombe to impact positive change, inspire greater collaboration and community cohesion.

Through a community-wide collaboration with a signficiant network of partners, it is expected that the resulting data will also support sports organisations funding bids, strategic and delivery plans.

Get involved!

Community@WWFC.com

01494 455 736