Results from the 2025 Change the Game research survey are in and the main takeaway is that in Ontario, youth participation is shaped by how interest, fandom and opportunity intersect with place, cost and identity.
That’s according to Simon Darnell, a professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, who has been collaborating with the MLSE Foundation on the comprehensive research project to track youth sport participation trends in Ontario post-COVID-19.
“This is important to understand because then we can put youth sports participation into context,” says Darnell, who is also director of KPE’s Centre for Sport Policy Studies. “We need to understand that where youth live - geographically, but also socially and in terms of their identity - has an impact on what they are looking for from sport and what sport can do for them, as well as what stands in the way.”
Over 12,000 Ontario youth participated in the 2025 survey (on top of 25,000 youth already surveyed between 2021 and 2023), sharing their thoughts on access, engagement, equity, safety and belonging.
While the survey results show that overall sport participation rates for youth are fairly strong - stronger than during the pandemic – they are still affected by what the report refers to as clusters of barriers, like cost, transportation, waitlists and access to facilities and equipment.
Key finding include:
• Youth sport participation is influenced by interest, fandom and opportunity.
• Approximately two-thirds to three-quarters of youth participate in some form of sport, but interest varies by demographics, with 64 per cent of White youth participating more than once a week compared to lower rates among Latin (21 per cent) and Indigenous (19 per cent) youth.
• Youth from households earning above $80K are 17 per cent more likely to participate in sports, with a preference for organized sports, while lower-income youth (below $80K) favor casual sports, indicating a reliance on less structured activities due to financial constraints.
• Boys/young men have higher participation rates (89 per cent) compared to girls/young women (76 per cent), with 61 per cent of boys participating more than once a week versus 46 per cent of girls.
• Gender-diverse youth show participation rates equal to or lower than girls.
• Participation drops significantly among youth with invisible and visible disabilities, with youth with mental health disabilities reporting the highest non-participation rates (50 per cent).
“This year's survey points us to a much more holistic understanding of youth sports participation, which is a good thing,” says Darnell. “It allows us to continue to build programming and policies that start with an understanding of what youth want from sports, and considers what stands in the way of them having a positive participation experience.”
The report includes the following recommendations to improve youth sport participation and engagement:
• Build on-ramps, not just programs, by focusing on low-barrier, flexible and casual entry points like drop-in programs and school or park-based play.
• Make belonging the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) by creating safe, social and affirmative environments where youth feel welcome and supported.
• Design programs for real life by rethinking schedules, competition models and coaching norms to make sport more flexible and supportive of mental health
The 2026 Change the Game research report is now publicly available and being shared broadly across the sport and Sport for Development sectors, including coaches, funders, policymakers, youth, parents, guardians and researchers.