Barriers to sports participation for disadvantaged youth in SA

NEW research by the University of the Western Cape (UWC) has found that young people from disadvantaged communities continue to face significant and systemic barriers to participating in and progressing through organised sports, limiting the chances of many talented athletes to reach elite levels.

- SIPOKAZI FOKAZI

The study, led by Dr Poppy Bhengu, who obtained her PhD from UWC in 2025, was conducted in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, and was recently published in the European Journal for Sport and Society. It was co-authored by Prof Nicolette Roman from the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Children, Families and Society, and Dr Gérard Filies, a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences.

Through interviews with 19 experienced athletes, coaches, school coordinators and sport managers drawn from both township and affluent communities within the City of Ekurhuleni, the researchers examined how socioeconomic inequalities shape talent identification and sports development, and what this means for young athletes whose potential may never be recognised.