Sport is fundamental to Australia’s society, culture and economy. Participation in sport improves mental and physical health, enhances community well-being and contributes significantly to employment.

However, the role and nature of sport in Australian society continues to change with the emergence of new lifestyles, social values, technology and competitive advantage. Identifying these trends and their impact is vital if we wish to plan for sport’s future success.

The ASC has partnered with CSIRO to jointly conduct ‘The Future of Australian Sport’ – a project examining the multiple trends that may impact sport out to 2040. Looking across a range of social, economic, political, environmental and technology trends, the project will paint a vivid picture of what Australian sport will look like in ten, 20 and 30 years from now.

The project findings will be communicated to our audiences in government, industry and the wider community, enabling us to make wiser decisions, invest more effectively and better shape policy. With a 30-year scope and a sector-wide approach, this project is a first for the Australian sport sector and will enable us to increase our field of vision, capitalise on new opportunities and avoid the pitfalls.

What is a trend?

A trend is a pattern of activity that will change Australian sport over coming decades.  Examples of sports-relevant trends might include:

• Australia's ageing population
• new migrant populations settling in Australia
• growth or decline of sports sponsorship
• increasing importance of physical and mental health
• greater uptake of non-organised sport (e.g. running alone with an iPod versus playing a weekly team game).

How to get involved

We need your help in creating a better sporting future for Australia.  To have your say on ‘The Future of Australian Sport’ and contribute your views to the study, either:

• Visit the online forum to share your views on future trends that may impact Australian sport. To access this forum, please email CSIRO at futuresports@csiro.au  
• Fill in an electronic form to share your views on future trends. To request this form, please email futuresports@csiro.au

The ASC and CSIRO have identified industry experts both within and outside the sport sector to seek their knowledge and expertise on future trends. This involves:

• Interviews with a cross-section of industry experts to seek their in-depth insights. 
• Workshops with a targeted selection of key experts to obtain their high-level insights on the most significant trends.

The research team is also conducting a review of relevant literature.

Results

The results of this project will be shared through:

• a brief report describing sports trends and the opportunities and risks they create for the Australian sports sector 
• a short video describing sports trends 
• conference talks, presentations, seminars, workshops and a journal publication.

Contacts

The research team will comprise CSIRO researchers and ASC staff working together to review the relevant literature and engage with identified experts. The research team can be contacted on futuresports@csiro.au

Alternatively, you may contact the team representatives as follows:

CSIRO: 
Dr Stefan Hajkowicz   
Principal Scientist  
Phone: +61 7 3833 5540           
Email: Stefan.Hajkowicz@csiro.au

ASC:
Ms Janice Wong
Research Consultant (National Sport Research)
Phone: +61 2 6214 1093
Email: Janice.Wong@ausport.gov.au

CSIRO Social Science Human Research Ethics Committee:
Manager of Social Responsibility & Ethics
Phone: +61 7 3833 5693     
Email: csshrec@csiro.au