YOUTH SPORTS DEVELOPMENT, CHALLENGES, BENEFITS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH

CHAPTER ONE

1.1 Introduction

            Economic development can also be defined as the improvement in life quality brought about by a very long period of economic growth. Economic growth is defined as an increase in the amount of goods and services produced by an economy in a given year relative to the output of the previous year.Economic development, according to Krueger & Myint (2016), is the process by which a low-income economy develops over time into a modern industrial economy, entails qualitative and quantitative changes in the nation's economy. Development and expansion of the economy are influenced by several causes.These proponents of economic development claimed that strong institutions, enough levels of financing, sufficient and sustained levels of all types of investments, greater productivity growth, and innovation are all necessary for economic success in developing nations. They also identified additional elements including excellent leadership, high-quality instruction, superior human resources, and proactive government initiatives (Sagasti et al., 2005; Todaro & Smith, 2006). Agriculture, industry, and services are the three primary economic sectors that drive growth and development. The degree of development of a country determines the contribution of each sector to its economic growth and development at any given period.

            Industrialization, according to Martorano, Sanfilippo, and Haraguchi (2017), is one of the essential components of long-term economic growth in emerging nations. They go on to say that this is due to the manufacturing sector's ability to absorb labour, improve structural transformation and diversification, and at the same time foster the expansion of other sectors through intersectoral connections. Industrialization is encouraged by economic conditions, factor endowments, and national features like demographics and location.According to Tafirenyika (2016), industrialization may lead to prosperity by generating more employment and higher earnings for everybody. According to the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the manufacturing sector's contribution to Africa's gross domestic product fell from 13% in 1980 to 11% in 2013 (Tafirenyika (2016).In addition, Norbrook (2021) contrasts the performance of the manufacturing sector in Africa with that of China and other nations, pointing out that over the past 20 years, manufacturing on the continent of Africa has grown at a rate of 2.5% compared to the 15% and 20% growth rates recorded by China and other nations, including Vietnam. In the 1970s, the industrial sector in Africa contributed a fifth (20%) of the continent's gross domestic product (GDP), but it now contributes 20%.

            In addition, Norbrook (2021) contrasts the performance of the manufacturing sector in Africa with that of China and other nations, noting that over the past 20 years, manufacturing in Africa has grown at a rate of 2.5% compared to the 15% and 20% growth rates seen in China and other nations, including Vietnam. In the 1970s, the industrial sector in Africa contributed a fifth (20%) of the continent's gross domestic product (GDP), but it now contributes 20%.

            Each country and area must evaluate its strengths and limitations in advancing industrialization in light of these shortcomings in the industrialization efforts of emerging countries. It is important to remember that emerging countries are not properly transformed economically by industrialization. Therefore, they must create economic subsectors that, when properly used, may aid in promoting economic growth and development faster in order to lower the unemployment rate among young people. The sports industry is one of these subsectors. Since the sports industry employs a lot of people, it may accelerate economic expansion while maintaining relatively cheap prices in developing countries. It needs adequate attention from both the public and commercial sectors to grow. The sports industry is also capable of absorbing the substantial populations of their young who are underemployed and jobless but lack skills, the majority of whom are prone to engaging in social and political vices. African youth make up around 60% of the continent's jobless population, according to the World Bank (Ighobor, 2017). Additionally, according to the African Development Bank Group's (2018) estimate, ten (10) to twelve (12) million young Africans enter the labour force annually. Additionally, 9.4 million young people in Latin America and the Caribbean are unemployed, and more than 30 million people only work in the informal sector, according to Vinicius Pinheiro, regional director of the International Labour Organisation. The circumstances weren't favourable and COVID-19's repercussions might make them even worse (International Labour Organisation, ILO, 2020). Additionally, the International Labour Organisation (2020) said that the Asia-Pacific region's youth population of more than 700 million were responsible for about half of the region's unemployment. Without enough new, good employment opportunities being developed by governments in emerging nations, the potential for social and economic progress in such areas would be compromised. Utilising the growing young population might promote greater productivity and regionally inclusive, sustainable economic growth.

            Due to the fervour with which people follow sports, they have resembled a religion. Many sports fans celebrate their teams' successes both inside and outside of athletic venues because they love sports so much. During and after significant athletic events, they march through the streets and at entertainment venues. Additionally, it has been a long time since sports supporters in many nations have been saddened by the loss of matches and championships by both clubs and national teams. Asamoah Gyan, a striker for Ghana, missed a last-second penalty kick against Uruguay during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Ghana would have advanced to the competition's semifinal round with the goal.At the pinnacle of international football, Ghana would have been the first country to accomplish that feat in the annals of African football. Many football-crazy Ghanaians today look back with a heavy heart.

            Many sports fans have lost their lives due to fan hooliganism, vehicle and aeroplane accidents, as well as injuries that will last a lifetime. These poor people and their families have fallen into poverty with little hope for the future.Despite the negative aspects of sports, when properly utilised, sports development offers a number of advantages that can promote economic growth and development in underdeveloped nations. Governments, scholars, policy makers, sports administrators, business owners, and development partners have worked tirelessly to investigate how to grow sports in underdeveloped countries. Sports will expand and become one of the key subsectors in the economics of developing nations. According to Allah (2018), knowing how sports and economics are related will help poor countries better understand how they might use sports to further economic development. Sports are sadly undeveloped in impoverished nations. Kakonge (2016) argues that despite sports having significant advantages, the field is underfunded and undeveloped, particularly in Africa.

            The purpose for this work is that earlier researches have focused on elements that hinder sports growth and deter youth and other stakeholders from entering the industry. A few other scholars have also studied various aspects of the elements that lead to the expansion of sports and the impacts of sports development on economic development. Maguire (2018), Xiong (2007, mentioned in Hallmann, Wicker, Breuer, & Schönherr, 2012), and Panagiotopoulos (2013) are a few of them. In general, those involved in sports haven't given much thought to the difficulties that underdeveloped countries today confront in developing sports. Additionally, they haven't given much thought to how developing countries may promote sports to make the industry one of the key subsectors that will support their economic development. Hence, this esay will be giving emphasis on the youth development, challenges, benefits and opportunities for growth.