A landmark new study will investigate major trends likely to impact Australian sport over the next thirty years.

Launching soon, ‘The Future of Australian Sport’ is a partnership between the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and CSIRO.

The study will investigate trends and their likely impacts on Australian sport in the next ten, 20 and 30 years. These trends include lifestyles, social values, technology and competitive advantage.

The study is the first of its kind conducted across the Australian sporting sector. It reflects the ASC’s renewed focus on enhancing our ability to plan and shape the future success of Australian sport.

ASC Deputy General Manager of Research and Innovation, Paul Fairweather, said the research was vital to planning Australia’s sporting future.

‘The project will produce an evidence base to assist government, the sports sector and the wider community to make wiser decisions, invest more effectively and better shape policy,’ he said.

The study will include a literature review, online forum, workshops and interviews with a cross-section of industry experts. The research team will analyse and synthesise these inputs to identify sports megatrends, a set of particularly important trajectories for Australian sport over coming decades.

If you are interested in contributing to the project by entering a trend or editing an existing trend on the project’s online forum, email futuresports@csiro.au.

The results of ‘The Future of Australian Sport’ research will be released in early 2012.