Video
I’m Stefan Hajkowicz, I’m a scientist
at CSIRO, and I lead CSIRO Futures that does
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long range strategic foresight and strategy
projects for industry and government clients.
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I’ve got a background in geography, economics
and decision theory. This particular project
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looks at the future of Australian sport over
the next 30 years.
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We identify six megatrends which will reshape
the Australian sporting sector.
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The first of those megatrends we call a perfect
fit, and this captures the rise of the fitness
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industry in Australia.
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Gym membership is increasing, gym revenue
is increasing, the number of personal trainers
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is increasing, and Lycra sales are off the
chart.
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The fitness and health and well being objectives
are key drivers for Australians in participating
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in sport in the future, and likely to move
more so in that direction.
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The second megatrend we call from extreme
to mainstream and this looks at the rise of
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lifestyle and adventure sports which are particularly
popular with the younger generations, which
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is Gen Y and Gen Z.
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And this captures the rise of sports like
kite boarding, surfing, skateboarding, mountain
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climbing, that are growing in popularity especially
with younger generations who have a lot of
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discretionary expenditure.
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The next megatrend we call everybody’s game,
and this captures Australia’s ageing population,
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we’re currently 13% over the age of 65.
By the year 2030 this will be closer to 25%,
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older people are wanting to stay connected
to sport and keep playing.
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Also as Australia culturally diversifies we’re
likely to see different types of sports played
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and people from different cultures have different
sporting preferences.
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The next megatrend we call more than sport,
and this is an important one because this
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captures the importance of social and economic
benefits surrounding sport such as physical
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and mental health. Sport, especially for children
has been associated with better outcomes later
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in life, but sport has also been associated
with decreased crime rates in remote Australia,
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and it’s also associated with the building
of international relations between countries
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and helping countries put themselves on a
path of sustainable development. So sport
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has a lot of roles to play which are off the
sports field and I think we see an increase
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focus on these benefits into the future.
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The next megatrend we call new wealth and
new talent, and this captures the rising income
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in Asia, Asia is rapidly growing it’s economy
and as it does so it’s investing in sports
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along with a lot of other activities, but
their sporting capabilities are growing, they’re
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getting much tougher competitors on the international
field, and they’re increasing opportunities
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for Australian businesses to play into the
Asian sports sector.
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The last megatrend is called from tracksuits
to business suits, and this looks at the rise
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of corporatisation of sport which has been
happening for some time and will continue
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for some time yet to come, and also the increased
cost of sports, cost is becoming a key factor
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that is a barrier for Australians to participate
in some sports.
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We saw fantastic rates of volunteerism amongst
the baby boomers, but whether Gen Y, Gen Z
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volunteer to the same extent is yet to be
found out. Sport is a central part to who
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Australians are and its part of our culture,
it’s really crucial that we make the right
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decisions to get the most out of it in the
future, that’s what this study aims to do,
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this study is a thought starter that hopes
to inform a lot of decision making by others.



