Team sport is a type of sport where a group of individuals, called a team, work together towards a shared objective. The ultimate goal is usually to win which can be achieved in a variety of ways such as outscoring the opposing team. Team sports require a high level of commitment, cooperation and support from the entire group in order to succeed. Team sports can be categorized into different categories based on the nature of the sport and its rules. Some examples of team sports include hockey, American football, association football, basketball, swimming, water polo and tennis.
Team sports are fundamentally social in nature and involve a wide range of interactions with teammates, coaches, parents, and competitors. As a result, they provide an ideal context for fostering youth development, including a range of social skills (Fraser-Thomas, Cote & Deakin, 2005).
While many people associate team sports with physical fitness, it is also important to note that the majority of these activities have significant pedagogical benefits. These include the development of a range of personal, social and psychological skills such as teamwork, communication, trust, responsibility, fair play and unwavering determination.
Team sport also teaches athletes to appreciate the value of time as they often have limited amounts of it available to practice, train and compete. This appreciation of the value of time is then carried over into daily life, where it translates into better time management and the ability to focus and stick with a task for longer periods of time.