Sports Participation is the active engagement in organised or informal sports activities for recreation, competition, fitness or social interaction among students in secondary schools in Ibarapa, Oyo State. Despite many benefits of sports, participation rates remain inconsistent among secondary school students in Ibarapa, Oyo State. Previous researchers have largely emphasised physical and environmental factors, leaving gaps in understanding how administrative policies, support structures, and psychosocial elements influence sports engagement among secondary school students. A descriptive design of correlation type. Respondents included students randomly selected from 11 secondary schools in the Ibarapa East and North Local Government Areas that actively participate in sports. Four hundred eighty secondary school students (302 males and 178 females) were randomly selected. The validated instruments used were the psychological factors scale (0.883), social factors (0.867), and sports participation (0.886), while a self-developed questionnaire was used. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, and multiple regression at a 0.05 level of significance.
The administrative style (r = 0.41) and inadequate facilities (r = 0.27) had significant moderate correlation with sports participation, while perception (r = 0.49), motivation (r = 0.54), and personality (r = 0.50) had significant positive correlation to sports participation while gender (r = 0.212), motivation, personality, and technology (r = 0.59) had significant positive correlation to sports participation. All the independent variables jointly contributed to sports participation, administrative style and inadequate facilities (F(2,475) = 127.99; R = 0.699, R2 = 0.488), while the gender, family support and technology (F(3,474) = 86.52; R = 0.595, R2 = 0.354), and inadequate facilities (F(2,474) = 63.76; R = 0.460, R2 = 0.211 made significant contributions. The administrative style (β = 0.38), and inadequate facilities (β =0.17) and CT (β = 0.22), and technology (β = 0.74) had significant relative contribution to sports participation.
Administrative Style, Inadequate Facilities, Perception, Motivation, Personality, Gender, Family Support, and Technology determined Sports Participation among secondary school students in Ibarapa, Oyo State. Secondary Schools should implement programmes to develop positive psychological traits, integrate digital tools into sports programmes, and encourage family involvement through inclusive events and workshops to boost students’ motivation and participation in sports. They should also invest in adequate sports facilities and ensure supportive administrative practices to create a conducive environment for sports engagement. Finally, further research on cultural, peer, and economic factors, alongside longitudinal studies, is recommended to provide deeper insights for tailored interventions in sports participation.