Enjoyment

Enjoyment or fun, taking pleasure in something, or having or benefiting from something, is a key motivator and facilitator for continuing sport and physical activity, especially for children and young people. ^{9, 11, 12, 15, 17, 25, 32, 33, 120, 121, 122}

• A 2023 study for the International Olympic Committee that surveyed 5,000 young people aged 12-24 years from 10 different countries found 89% said that having fun was a reason they play sport/do physical activity, with 56% saying it applies to them a lot. ⁹
• In a 2017-18 survey of English youth aged 11 to 16 years who played rugby, those who “always or almost always” experienced playing at least half a game reported higher enjoyment, than those who played less regularly. The players who reported higher levels of enjoyment also reported greater intentions to continue playing rugby. ³²

Not having fun/enjoying playing sport or physical activity is one of the key drivers of non-participation and dropout. ^{9, 11, 17, 23, 25, 31, 66, 85}

• The 2023 study for the International Olympic Committee also found that young people who were more concerned about participating with strangers or on their own, about being judged by others, and not being fit enough were less likely to be having fun, and more likely to stop (or never start) participating in sport. ⁹

Suggestions for practice

What exactly makes something enjoyable, or fun can be different for individuals, and may change across the life course. ^{9, 12, 15, 17, 22, 23, 35, 48, 85, 123, 124}

It’s important to consider how to build and maintain enjoyable experiences that can meet different people’s needs. ^{2, 8, 12, 13, 21, 22, 23, 25, 35, 63, 66, 67, 69, 70, 85}

Some key elements of fun/enjoyment identified in the literature, especially for children and young people, include:

• Socialising and friendship - participating with and making new friends and peer connections. ^{9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 25, 29, 34, 38, 48, 63, 66, 121, 124}
• Inclusion and belonging – non-judgemental, welcoming, and/or being part of a team. ^{11, 19, 21, 35, 66, 85}
• Fair or equal participation – e.g. playing time, opportunities to score, not focussing solely on competitiveness. ^{12, 18, 23, 25, 29, 32, 35, 36, 63, 64, 66, 70, 85, 121}
• Learning and mastery – achieving success and continued growth, which can include competition. ^{10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 18, 21, 23, 25, 35, 36, 38, 70, 121, 122, 124, 125}
• Appropriate formats – modified sport activities that match development, maturity, and engagement levels. ^{32, 63, 66, 67, 69, 72}
• Being passionate about sport – love of sport, wanting to play at elite levels. ^{14, 18, 21, 25, 125}
• Feeling the benefits – physical and mental health and freedom. ^{10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 21, 25, 35, 121, 124}

The evidence shows that enjoyment is not simply about the activity itself (i.e. practicing or playing a sport), but it is also how we feel, how confident, included, and comfortable we are with the physical, social, and cognitive aspects of the activity. ^{31, 35, 42, 47, 48, 66, 69, 122}

It also shows that when participants are having fun, they are more likely to continue to participate, try new things, and reap significant physical, mental, and social benefits. ^{9, 12, 18, 25, 32, 35, 42, 48, 69, 122}

Resources and reading