American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance - AAHPERD

 Issue: August 2006

Justplay: A Revolutionary Approach to Youth Sport Administration and Sportsmanship
Elaine Raakman

Abstract:
The original goals of youth sport were based on virtues of sportsmanship, fun, and friendship. In order to re-establish these principles and develop generations of youth devoted to the benefits of sport, we must revolutionize the way we administer and manage youth sports. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the usefulness of the Justplay program as a tool that empowers youth sport administrators to make data-driven decisions regarding the development, monitoring, and support of polices and programs that endorse sportsmanship and behavior management. It explains the genesis and evolution of the Justplay program and contains a detailed description of how the program works, the library of reports it generates, the source of data, and program applications. By providing data regarding the behavior of coaches, players and spectators on a game-by-game basis, administrators have better insight into, and control over, the environment for which they are accountable.

Article category: Sportsmanship in Youth Sports-Part 1