We recognize the variety of benefits that come along with being involved in sports. Playing sports can promote a healthy lifestyle, and transferrable skills use far into adult life. Being on a team teaches valuable social skills. From learning how to share, value diverse skillsets, trust others and support and encourage one another. Because sports can play such an important role in youth lives, it’s important to ensure that all sports teams and environments are diverse, equitable, inclusive, supportive, and safe. These environments are very influential to development, so creating equal and safe environments should take priority over winning. Along with the social benefits, being involved in sports can also teach accountability and discipline. These skills can be applied in all aspects of life—from health and exercise to relationships with others and self-habits. By learning these skills early, athletes learn their value as an individual and take responsibility for their own success.

Sport isn’t just good for the body; it’s good for the mind too. Organized sport has many psychological and social benefits – even more than physical activity during play. A developmental benefit from sport goes beyond learning new physical skills. Sport helps athletes develop better ways to cope with the highs and lows of life. When playing a sport, athletes learn to lose. Being a good loser takes maturity and practice. Losing teaches athletes to bounce back from disappointment, and cope with unpleasant experiences which is an important part of becoming resilient. Playing sport helps athletes learn to control their emotions and channel negative feelings in a positive way. It also helps athletes to develop patience and understand that it can take a lot of practice to improve both their physical skills and their career.

Physical activity has been shown to stimulate chemicals in the brain that make athletes feel better. So playing sports regularly improves athletes’ overall emotional well-being. Research shows there’s a link between playing sports and self-esteem in athletes. The support of the team, a kind word from a coach, or achieving their personal best will all help athletes to feel better about themselves. Playing in a team helps athletes to develop many of the social skills they will need for life. It teaches them to cooperate, to be less selfish, and to listen to other teammates. It also gives athletes a sense of belonging. It helps them make new friends and builds their social circle outside the football pitch. An important part of playing in a team is accepting discipline. Playing sport means athletes are expected to follow rules, accept decisions and understand that they could be penalized for bad behavior. It teaches them to take directions from the coach, referees, and other adults.

Sport also teaches athletes about teamwork. Sport skills that offer recreational sports opportunities as well as several competitive adaptive sports programs including wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, sled hockey, track & field, and power soccer. Research also finds and stated that even those who engage in the act of predicting the outcome of a sport and have confidence in a team to win over the other, also have these relevant skills, such as the athlete has.