Involvement in non-club organized sport: organizational patterns of sport participation from a longitudinal life course perspective

In this paper, patterns of participation in non-club organized sport over the life course of individuals are studied in order to enhance the understanding of their involvement in sport. The main research question of this investigation is to examine the correlation between prior sport experiences and current patterns of sport participation amongst middle-aged adults. The study is executed through the analysis of data from the Leuven Longitudinal Study on Lifestyle, Fitness and Health (LLSLFH). The LLSLFH was developed distinctly for men in 1969, 1991, 2002, 2012 and for women in 1979, 1999, 2012. In 2012, a remaining sample of 110 men and 108 women participated in the study. The association between patterns of participation (club organized or non-club organized sport) and/or stages of inactivity in various stages of life was analyzed by a descriptive tracking analysis and a multinomial regression analysis. Conclusively, previous patterns of participation are key factors for explaining the participation of middle-aged adults in non-club organized sport. In general, there is a positive relation between non-club organized sports in different stages of adulthood. However, the periods for tracking are short-term and occur at later stages in life. Non-club organized sport also appears to be more vulnerable to drop-outs than club organized sport. No patterns of transfer were observed between club and non-club organized sport participation.