Growing the games: Community interaction, team success vital to increased participation
Youth sports participation ebbs and flows around the country year to year, and generation to generation, with certain sports gaining more traction than others in different regions.
Field hockey, for example, has grown exponentially over the past 10 years at colleges and universities nationwide. There are six Division I programs in North Carolina alone — UNC, Duke, Davidson, App State, Queens and Charlotte — and many more at the Division II and Division III levels throughout the state.
By that logic, as the sport grows, so, too, should participation among younger athletes, right?
Not always.
And that’s why regional leaders among so-called niche sports work so hard to grow their respective participation numbers, often getting help — direct or residual — from successful college and professional programs in their immediate vicinity.
While leadership across all sports is not using the same tactics, some — like lacrosse, ice hockey, soccer and baseball — are finding ways to creatively expand outreach to younger fans — and prospective athletes.
The Hurricanes of the National Hockey League and the Durham Bulls in Minor League Baseball are prime examples — having already established themselves in North Carolina. Others — North Carolina field hockey hiring one of the youngest Division I head coaches in program history; the possibility of pro lacrosse expansion to Raleigh — are working on it.
They all share one goal: Keep expanding for the next generation.
A winning formula
Winning matters, too, of course.
While many of these sports rely on grassroots organizations — at the recreational, after-school activity level — the desire to start has to come from somewhere.
“There was definitely an uptick after we won (an national title),” UNC field hockey head coach Erin Matson said. “And then there was a massive uptick when we won the second one, going undefeated, back-to-back.”
Sports like field hockey and lacrosse have had significant success at the collegiate level in the Triangle, particularly with Carolina and Duke. The two programs are near shoo-ins for the NCAA tournament every year, with Carolina excelling in field hockey and Duke picking up momentum for men’s lacrosse.
Baseball, soccer and ice hockey — all of which have successful professional franchises across the region — have flourished in the Triangle since those teams’ arrival.
Children and young adults are always searching for someone to look up to, or a goal toward which to strive. Not every young athlete in the Triangle will be the next Olympian, or professional athlete, but for the sports’ continued growth in North Carolina — and beyond — it’s important for those who can to promote the activities, and to generate new ways to bring the sports, and their respective messages, to the masses.
