Analytical Investigation of Barriers to Participation in Competitive Sports Among Female University Students in the North East Zone

Female underrepresentation in competitive university sports in Nigeria's North East geopolitical zone reflects a complex intersection of cultural, institutional, and personal barriers that existing literature has inadequately disentangled. This study analytically investigates the hierarchical structure and relative weights of barriers to competitive sports participation among female university students in Taraba, Gombe, Borno, Bauchi, Yobe, and Adamawa States. A sequential exploratory mixed-methods design was adopted, commencing with focus group discussions involving 48 female students across six institutions to identify and contextualise barriers, followed by a structured survey administered to 420 female students to quantify their prevalence and severity. Exploratory factor analysis identified four dominant barrier clusters: family and cultural constraints, institutional resource deficits, personal motivational and confidence factors, and academic-sports balance challenges. Structural equation modelling examined predictive relationships between barrier clusters and participation outcomes. Findings reveal that family and cultural constraints carry the greatest predictive weight, with Islamic cultural expectations regarding female public physical activity being particularly influential in Borno and Yobe State institutions. Institutional resource deficits, particularly the absence of female coaching staff and gender-segregated sports facilities, constitute the second most significant barrier cluster. Recommendations include institutional gender-sensitive sports policies, recruitment of female coaches, community and family engagement strategies, and advocacy for culturally adapted female sports participation frameworks. Keywords: female sports participation, barriers, university students, North East Nigeria, mixed-methods