Organizational factors inform the ways sport, recreation, education & other organizations create & deliver programs for their participants & athletes.

• Sports need to update their LTD framework to ensure they are incorporating the latest sport, societal & science developments.
• LTD is most successful when it is fully embedded in an organization, including governance, competition structure & rules, coaching education, & officials’ development.
• Participants need to be made aware of a wide range of sporting & physical activity opportunities, & their first involvement should be a positive (safe, welcoming & inclusive) experience.
• There are right & wrong times to specialize in a sport or physical activity. Specializing too early may limit athletes’ development & success at older ages. Specializing too late & athletes may miss key developmental opportunities. Except in early specialization sports—such as gymnastics, figure skating, & diving—athletes should not overspecialize until their early teens. Before that, they should participate in a wide range of sports & activities to build physical literacy & well-rounded sport skills.
• Periodization is time management in annual & seasonal training plans in order to bring about optimal improvements in performance at the right times. Periodization plans connect the LTD stage of the athlete with the training & development requirements of that stage.
• Athletes need to train & compete according to training-to-competition ratios that develop skills & fitness while preventing injury & burnout. The quality of competition & the timing of competitive events need to serve the needs of the participant, allowing them to test the stage-appropriate skills they are developing.
• Development in sport has many transitions—the transition into a sport, the transition between LTD stages, transition between sports, & the transition to be active for life. Transitions that are well-planned & well-executed maximize sport talent, enabling individual potential to be reached.