And I actually got interested in sports psychology when I worked with a sports psychologist at age 13. And I worked with him from 13 till I was 18. ANd by the time I decided to retire from sports, I had an understanding of the many life lessons I had acquired through my sport experience. And I use those lessons to this day. My feeling is that girls don't receive those benefits just from signing up for a team or taking lessons.
Personal factors affect motivation and performance, and so does the environment in which kids train.
So, when shaping a sport experience we have to try to structure the environment in a way that's going to benefit kids. The environment that seems to have the most benefit for kids is one called the Task Environment. Every athlete has a role to fill on the team or in the gym, and collaborative learning is encouraged. Kids that train in a Task involving climate have shown to have better self-esteem, more enjoyment of sport , less stress and better body image. The boys however are always immediatly accepted no matter what skill level.