What are the barriers faced by sports operating in the niche market such as squash and how do different areas of the community control these

Abstract

According to (Jackson, Marrow, Hill and Dishman, 2004) physical activity brings about the positive lifelong effects on health by reducing the possibility of physical diseases, decreasing blood pressure and cholesterol, also aiding social, psychological and mental health. With this being commonly known it brings about the question of why people don’t want to participate when it allows for a better health and overall life. Although there is much research focusing on the role of sport development and how it operates and even some of the barriers that exist to hinder people from exercise it is unclear on whether or not these barriers are the same for niche sports that lack attention from media, receive little or limited funding and aren’t a part of the Olympic movement such as squash. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to firstly highlight the barriers of participation in squash and then identify how the national governing body for squash, Wales squash and racketball (WSRB) could reduce these barriers. To allow for a clear and reliable investigation four participants with a clear understanding of either sport development or squash were selected to participate in semi structured interviews, the questions being created to identify barriers and policies implemented to gain members. These participants belong to different areas of the community with Newport Squash Rackets club (NSRC) becoming the case study for this investigation.