Does Norway have the Answer to Excess in Youth Sports?

Ian Goldberg is the Founder and CEO of iSport360, a SportsTech company that is helping 12,000 coaches, parents and kids set goals, share player feedback and track player development….all so our kids can have more success, more confidence and more fun.  Try iSport360 for free here.

After Norway, a country of just 5.3M people, won more gold medals in a single Winter Olympics than any country in the history of the games, their innovative approach to youth sports came to light.  And now, thanks to The New York Times and Tom Farrey of the Aspen Institute, we can learn some meaningful lessons from Norway.

Highlights of their program:

• 93% of Norway’s children grow up playing organized sports.
• Travel teams are not formed until the teenage years
• Norway’s Children’s Rights in Sport document ensures safe training environments and activities that facilitate friendships.
• “The motivation of children in the sport is much more important than that of the parent or coach.”
• No national championship tournaments before age 13, and no regional championship tournaments before age 11.

None of these unique approaches has hindered Norway’s success in international competition.  Read Tom Farrey’s full article here.