Urban sportscapes: An environmental deterministic perspective on the management of youth sport participation

•Sport participation is researched from an environmental deterministic perspective.•The study builds on previous work on the topic (Wicker et al., 2013).•Sport geography and central place theory are used to frame the study.•The concept of ‘gravitas’ is introduced and developed as a way of conceptualizing facility attractiveness.•The sportscape impacts youth sport participation with implications for policy and programs.