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Sport in Rural and Regional Australia

Sport plays an important role in rural, regional, and remote Australia. It can bring communities together, build community identity and sense of place, promote social interaction and inclusion, and play an important role in providing opportunities for physical activity and improved health outcomes. 1, 2, 3, 4

The strong sporting traditions in regional, rural, and remote communities can also have a positive impact on athlete development, with many successful Australian athletes, including Cathy Freeman, Petria Thomas, Jamie Dwyer, Matt Denny and more, growing up and developing in regional areas. 5, 6, 7

Recognising the unique strengths and potential barriers that affect rural, regional, and remote participants can help sports to be more sustainable and accessible to everyone in the community. 8, 9, 10

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Regional population estimates in June 2024) around 27% (7,391,400) of Australians live in regional or remote communities. 11

  • 17% of people live in inner regional areas
  • 8% of people live in outer regional areas
  • around 2% of people live in remote or very remote areas

Participation - 2024

Estimated sport-related participation 12, 13

Children (0-14) - organised outside-of-school hours sport-related activity at least once a week Australians (15+) - sport-related activity at least once a week

Children 0-14

Australians 15+

Boys 0-14

Girls 0-14

Men 15+

Women 15+

Non playing role 15+

Major cities

1,282,000  (37%) 

4,536,000  (28%) 

661,000  (37%) 

617,000  (37%) 

2,750,000  (35%) 

1,760,000  (22%)

2,295,000  (14%)

Inner regional

284,000  (34%)

984,000  (25%) 

143,000  (34%)

140,000  (34%) 

577,000  (29%) 

399,000  (20%)

562,000  (14%)

Outer regional

135,000  (32%)

520,000  (27%)

72,000  (34%)

63,000  (29%)

287,000  (31%)

229,000  (23%)

284,000  (15%)

Remote or very remote

21,000  (35%) 

75,000  (29%) 

12,000  (35%)

9,000  (34%) 

44,000  (34%) 

31,000  (24%)

51,000  (20%)

Estimated sport-related participation by age group12

*estimate has a relative margin of error between 50% and 100% and should be used with caution

Major cities

Inner regional

Outer regional

Remote or very remote

Most popular sport-related activities with estimated participants 14

*estimate has a relative margin of error between 50% and 100% and should be used with caution

Children aged 0-14

Children (0-14) - organised outside-of-school hours sport-related activity at least once a week

Major cities

Inner regional

Outer regional

Remote or very remote

  • Swimming - 834,000
  • Football/ Soccer - 503,000
  • Basketball - 238,000
  • Gymnastics - 229,000
  • Australian Football - 197,000
  • Swimming - 183,000
  • Football/ Soccer - 109,000
  • Gymnastics - 61,000
  • Australian Football - 53,000
  • Basketball - 45,000
  • Swimming - 92,000
  • Football/ Soccer - 48,000
  • Gymnastics - 32,000
  • Basketball - 26,000
  • Australian Football - 24,000
  • Swimming - 13,000
  • Football/ Soccer - 11,000
  • Gymnastics - 6,000*
  • Basketball - 6,000*
  • Australian Football - 6,000*

Australians aged 15+

Australians (15+) - sport-related activity at least once a week

Major cities

Inner regional

Outer regional

Remote or very remote

  • Running/ Jogging - 2,754,000
  • Swimming - 2,431,000
  • Cycling - 1,357,000
  • Football/ Soccer - 972,000
  • Tennis - 919,000
  • Swimming - 589,000
  • Running/ Jogging - 496,000
  • Cycling - 347,000
  • Golf - 217,000
  • Football/ Soccer – 157,000
  • Swimming - 310,000
  • Running/ Jogging - 254,000
  • Cycling - 178,000
  • Golf - 86,000
  • Basketball – 78,000
  • Running/ Jogging - 45,000
  • Swimming - 42,000
  • Cycling - 25,000
  • Australian Football - 13,000
  • Golf – 13,000

REFERENCES
  1. Bright Futures: Young people in rural and regional Victoria, opens in a new tab, VicHealth, CSIRO Data61, YACVic and NCFH, (2018).
  2. Building social capital from sport event participation: An exploration of the social impacts of participatory sport events on the community, opens in a new tab, Ran Zhou, Kyriaki Kaplanidou, Sport Management Review, Volume 21(5), pp.491-503, (2018).
  3. Review of Sport and Recreation in Regional Western Australia, opens in a new tab, Watson P, Perth, Western Australian Government, (2008).
  4. The Value and Benefits of Sport, Clearinghouse for Sport, (accessed 29 November 2023).
  5. AIS support of regional athletes 1981 to 2013, opens in a new tab, Greg Blood, Australian Sport Reflections, (9 February 2021).
  6. Matt Denny: Grassroots to Greatness, opens in a new tab, Liana Buratti, Australian Olympic Committee, (22 October 2020).
  7. First club location and relative age as influences on being a professional Australian rugby league player, opens in a new tab, Cobley S, Hanratty M, O’Connor D, Cotton W, International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, Volume 9(2), pp.335-346, (2014).
  8. Opportunities, Barriers, and Constraints To Physical Activity in Rural Queensland, Australia, opens in a new tab. Eley R, Bush R, Brown W, Journal of Physical Activity and Health Volume 11(1), pp.68-75, (2014).
  9. The facilitators and barriers of physical activity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander regional sport participants, opens in a new tab, Claudie Péloquin, Thomas Doering, Stephanie Alley, et.al., Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, Volume 41(5), pp.474-479, (2017).
  10. The Impact of Changing Demography and Socioeconomic Environments, and Ageing in a Small, Rural Town in Australia, opens in a new tab, Pamela M. Irwin, Journal of Population Ageing, Volume 12, pp.247-269, (2019).
  11. Regional population: population estimates by LGA, Significant Urban Area, Remoteness Area and electoral division, 2021 to 22, opens in a new tab, Australian Bureau of Statistics (20 April 2023).
  12. AusPlay Data Portal: Sport-related participation – frequency of participation, opens in a new tab, Australian Sports Commission, (accessed 14 September 2023).
  13. AusPlay Data Portal: Non-playing roles, opens in a new tab, Australian Sports Commission, (accessed 14 September 2023).
  14. AusPlay Data Portal: Participation by activity, opens in a new tab, Australian Sports Commission, (accessed 14 September 2023).

Topic Focus

Last updated: 7 August 2025 Content disclaimer: See Clearinghouse for Sport disclaimer

Is this information complete? The Clearinghouse for Sport is a sector-wide knowledge sharing initiative, and as such your contributions are encouraged and appreciated. If you would like to suggest a resource, submit a publication, or provide feedback on this topic, please contact us.

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