Abstract

The aim of this study consists of analyzing the objectives which athletes, parents, coaches and managers associate with youth sport, and the way they perceive the manifestation of social and personal values associated with children and young people doing sport. To that end, 46 managers, 63 coaches, 333 parents and 333 athletes filled in the Sport Objectives and Manifestations Questionnaire. The factorial analysis with Varimax rotation showed that sport objectives were grouped in five dimensions: self-fulfilment and progress, cooperation and fair-play, power and the desire to win, companionship, and enjoyment. Values manifestation in sport brings the following dimensions: self-fulfilment and progress, companionship, power and the desire to win, self-control and fair-play, and personal achievement. The findings suggest that managers are more critical of the objectives that sport should fulfil and the manifestations of values it offers, while parents, coaches and athletes are more benevolent with respect to youth sport in terms of both objectives and manifestation of values.