Where is the Cliff Now - The Drop-Off in Juvenile Athletics
Where's the Cliff Now?
Dun Aengus
Editorial - The Fall-Off in Juvenile Athletics
This article is just a 'Snapshot in Time', based on the age distribution of Registered Juvenile athletes in Cork at the end of April 2023.
It used to be said that 'The Cliff', the age from which Juvenile numbers dropped significantly, was fourteen (14). As can be seen in the overall graph below, that age appears now to have dropped to eleven, with the numbers falling off from age 9. This is a worrying situation
At the same time many clubs, and Juvenile athletes, are achieving significant, and welcome, successes, but surely a wider base is required
Athletics is not alone in experiencing this type of drop-off, with similar effects being documented across many sports and activities, across many countries
Solutions?
There will be no 'Magic Bullet' for this. Cork is experiencing record athlete numbers, but it will need a multi-faceted approach to retain and build athlete numbers in the mid to late teens. It would be great to see a multi-coach and/or club led forum look at the issues that may be influencing factors. Such a forum should come locally in Cork, where clubs would be better able to tweak and monitor changes far quicker than if done on a National basis
Juvenile Age Distribution
Age Distribution of Juvenile Athletes - April 2023
| Age | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| 5 | 58 | 33 | 91 |
| 6 | 91 | 69 | 160 |
| 7 | 215 | 166 | 381 |
| 8 | 287 | 271 | 558 |
| 9 | 292 | 273 | 565 |
| 10 | 268 | 266 | 534 |
| 11 | 213 | 277 | 490 |
| 12 | 160 | 189 | 349 |
| 13 | 105 | 159 | 264 |
| 14 | 80 | 110 | 190 |
| 15 | 45 | 92 | 137 |
| 16 | 40 | 52 | 92 |
| 17 | 43 | 43 | 86 |
| 18 | 13 | 17 | 30 |
As can be seen clearly from the graph above, the numbers from 16 to 18 amount to less than 100 registered athletes in Cork, in each year-group, with just thirty (30) eighteen-year-olds registered in the whole of County Cork
Juvenile Male-Female Age Distribution
The fall off becomes even more worrying when the figures for boys and girls are separated. Boys appear to start falling from age 9, with a continuous decline after that, while girls numbers hold steadier until age 11, and then fall more slowly than boys, until about age 16. This seems to fly in the face of studies indicating large drop offs, across all sports, in the numbers of girls, in their early teens
Why Post This Article?
There are no solutions being offered here, nor is there any intended criticism of anyone at all. This is a cross-sport problem
Getting clubs, coaches and individuals talking about it would be a start. Anyone want to run with this particular ball?
