The recreational sport participation scale: development, testing and practical application.

Participation in recreational sport is growing dramatically on a global basis and attracts millions of athletes. Sport event managers are consistently working to employ techniques that attract participants and increase economic impact. In order better understand recreational sport athletes, scholars and practitioners contend that research is needed to substantiate a comprehensive measurement with multiple variables. This study adhered to a multistage research design to develop and test the reliability and validity of a recreational sport participation scale (RSPS). Recreational sport was explored through active, serious and casual leisure. The proposed scale indicated five significant facets ('challenge', 'victory', 'sensory', 'workout' and 'social'). The dimensions were tested through confirmatory factor analysis and produced acceptable reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, and model fit. Event promoters are encouraged to utilise the recreational sport participation scale to benchmark and measure the dimensions of motivation among recreationists. Marketing messages designed for distinct sport subcultures will aid in attracting sponsors and assist in increasing consumption values among this desirable segment of consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]