This paper reports the findings of a survey of 2295 young people aged from 7 to 17 years, who were attending 119 schools in Northern Ireland. The survey was concerned with the level, extent, antecedents and consequences of sport participation. Four sports (soccer, swimming, netball and Gaelic football) accounted for just over half of the nominated `top sports'. The differences and similarities in the patterns of sport participation among students at Catholic and Protestant schools highlighted the importance of structural factors as well as personal and demographic variables in promoting and maintaining the voluntary involvement of young people in sport.
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