Unveiling the urban sports landscape: Profiling participants, motives, and policy implications

Background: The lack of knowledge regarding urban sports poses pressing challenges for governments and sports organisations to deal with in light of its increasing popularity. To develop targeted policy strategies, more insight is needed into the features of urban sports. Therefore, this research aims to establish a profile of urban sports participants in terms of characteristics, behaviours in sports participation, and motives for sports participation. Methods: Data was gathered during a large-scale research project on sports participation in the Belgian city of Bruges. A total of 3,951 residents between 6 and 75 years old participated in an online survey. Descriptive statistics and binomial logistic regression analyses were used to examine the differences between urban and traditional sports participants. Results: Based on a binomial regression model, the sports level and location significantly predict urban sports participation. The physical motives for sports participation are significantly less important for urban sports participants compared to the group of traditional sports participants. Urban sports participants value the fun and relaxation motives for sports participation significantly more than traditional sports participants. Conclusions: This paper aimed to establish a comprehensive profile of urban sports participants and juxtaposed it to that of traditional sports participants. While existing literature often portrays urban sports participants as a relatively homogeneous group, our findings reveal a surprising heterogeneity. Consequently, given its increasing popularity, urban sports present a valuable avenue for governments and sports organisations to engage with a diverse range of sports participants.