Amy Yeung, Aaryan Dalal, Kaden Jagoe, Samantha Burelle, Karl Erickson

“Playing up” is a term used to describe youth athletes competing against players outside their typical age group. While this strategy is often used to reduce the consequences of natural age differences that occur within age groups, little is known about the developmental and personal implications of playing up for young athletes. The purpose of this study is two-fold: (1) to explore the experiences of ‘playing up’ in grassroots level youth rugby in Ontario from the perspectives of athletes, parents/guardians, and coaches, and (2) to examine the biopsychosocial dimensions of playing up in rugby to better inform playing up practices and policies within rugby sport organizations. This study will involve semi-structured one-on-one interviews with athletes, coaches, and parents. This study is informed by the biopsychosocial model, examining the biological (physical development, injury risk), psychological (confidence, motivation, mental well-being), and social (team dynamics, peer relationships, family support) dimensions of age-mixed competition”. All data will be analyzed using Braun & Clarke’s (2006) six-step Thematic Analysis. Preliminary results will be presented. Results of this study may help coaches, parents, and sports organizations to make more informed decisions concerning young athletes participating in age-mismatched competition.