PERCEPTION OF STUDENT-ATHLETES ON GENDER COMPETENCE OF SPORTS ADMINISTRATORS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SPORTS IN THE UNIVERSITY.

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the perception of student-athletes on gender competencies in the management of sports in Nigerian universities. This is in view of the popular assumption that females are weaker gender than their male counterparts. Three research questions were raised to guide the study, and these revolves around finding out the gender perceived to have the competence of coordination of human and material resources for the achievement of sports goals in Nigeria universities; capacity to adapt to administrative duties in sports administration; requisite knowledge in sports. The Ex-Post Facto research design was used to conduct the study. The population of the study comprised of 243 male and female student-athletes in the University of Benin, Benin City. Of these, 100 athletes were used as respondents for the study. A 20 item questionnaire with reliability index of 0.823 was used to elicit responses from the student-athletes. The research hypotheses were tested using t-test independent sample at 0.05 levels of significance for inferential purposes. Findings of the study showed that there was no significant difference in the perceived competence of skills to coordinate human and material resources for the achievement of sports goals in Nigeria universities among others. It was therefore concluded that female sports administrators are perceived to have the same competency in sports administration with their male counterparts in Nigerian universities‟ sports organizations; both male and female have the required skills for effective coordination of available human and materials resources for the effective administration of sports in Nigerian universities amongst others. Based on the findings, the researcher thus recommended that;

i. There should be no basis for discrimination in appointing sports administrators based on gender competency in Nigerian universities sports administration. And as such, sports administration should not be a preserve of a gender against another,

ii. male and female should be appointed into positions of sports administrators where skills for effective mobilization of human and material resources for achieving organizational goals are required,

iii. Male and female administrators should be appointed into positions of administration for their ability to adapt to administrative duties in Nigerian universities amongst others.