16/09/2026
Did you know school-age children should aim for at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day?
But when a child is involved in organised sport, more isn’t always better.
A commonly used guideline for young athletes is to be cautious when the number of hours of organised sport per week starts to exceed their age.
👉 For example, a 14-year-old doing around 14+ hours of organised sport every week deserves closer attention to training load, recovery and injury risk.
And it’s not only about the number of hours. We need to consider:
• Training intensity and quality
• Matches and competitions
• Strength & conditioning
• Sleep and recovery
• School and life stress
• Previous injuries
⚽️🏐🏊♀️🏃♂️ Variety matters too. Playing different sports and developing different movement skills when young can help build a more complete athlete and reduce the repetitive loading associated with specialising too early.
The goal isn’t simply to make kids train more.
It’s to help them move well, get strong, enjoy sport and stay healthy enough to keep playing for years.
Did you know this? Save this and share it with another parent or coach. 👇
