Social composition & sport dropout (2014)

Dropout numbers are estimated at 130.000 people per year by NOC*NSF, which should cover all sports registered at NOC*NSF. However, this study shows that dropout at the KNVB alone exceeds this estimation. This discloses that dropout is an underestimated issue that requires more attention from sport associations and sport clubs. Sport associations and sport clubs are more inclined to focus on membership recruitment than on retaining members. Still, membership recruitment is much more expensive than retaining members. The question then is, why do people dropout of a club (and what can we do about it?). Individual motivations for dropout are much more researched to date than club aspects that could motivate individuals to dropout. Consequently, this research looks into sport club aspects for dropout, focusing on the social composition of the sport clubs and their dropout rates. The research question is: To what extent does the social composition of a sport club play a role in the decision of members to end the membership?