Facilities
Better supply and access to facilities is generally associated with increased sport participation.
Better supply and access to facilities is generally associated with increased sport participation. 15, 20, 39, 40
Research in Victoria and Queensland has shown that non-metropolitan regions often have good if not better access to sport facilities, especially for ‘traditional sports’ (e.g., swimming pools, field sports, lawn bowls, tennis courts). 8, 15
However, challenges are emerging, especially with the rise in female participation in formerly male-dominated sports (e.g., various football codes) and the increase in modified programs for juniors and more social participants. 41
Increased demand for facilities (either existing or new) for more sports, competition formats, teams, appropriate change rooms, etc. can lead to higher costs, and potentially the loss of participants when changes cannot be made in a reasonable time frame, or when access to safe and accessible facilities is not equal (e.g., for different genders, ages, disability, cultural groups, etc.). 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47
Resources and reading
- State of Play Survey 2022-23, opens in a new tab, Change our Game, Victorian Government, (June 2023). Between October and November 2022, more than 670 Victorians answered questions on a range of topics relating to gender equality in sport, including values and behaviour in community sport, elite sport, sports media and coverage, leadership opportunities and perceptions, and experiences working and volunteering in sport. The State of Play Survey revealed that overall, while there are some positive attitudes towards women and girls in sport and their right to equal opportunities and access, change is still required in terms of underlying attitudes and behaviours. Consistently throughout the survey, men were less likely than women to perceive gender inequality in various aspects of sport. In relation to facilities some of the key insights were:
- 28% of women have considered leaving their club due to inequitable treatment.
- Of people who played community sport, women were less likely than men to agree that club facilities were shared equally between men and women or that the main playing venue was shared equally.
- VicHealth Research Practice Fellowship –Physical Activity Final report, opens in a new tab, Eime, Rochelle, Sport and Recreation Spatial, (March 2016). This research report examined participation trends for seven sports - Australian football, tennis, netball, basketball, cricket, hockey and bowls – played in Victoria. Findings related to rural and regional sports included: males (10-14 years) from non-metropolitan areas had the highest participation rate ; there was an increase in participation rate from 2010 to 2012 for non-metropolitan compared to metropolitan people ; non-metropolitan participation compared to metropolitan areas was higher during adolescence (14–18 years) and throughout mature adulthood (30+ years) ; rates of regular physical activity participation decreased as remoteness increased ; and the rate of participation for Australian football, cricket, netball, hockey, bowls and fishing was higher as geographical remoteness increased.
- The health of people living in remote Australia, opens in a new tab,National Rural Health Alliance, (2016). Remote Australia is characterised by small, isolated communities with the highest rates of ill health. Despite their high needs, people in remote Australia have the lowest numbers of health professionals per population as well as poor access to health services which results in higher rates of hospitalisation and earlier death.
- Bright Futures: Spotlight on the wellbeing of young people living in rural and regional Victoria, opens in a new tab, VicHealth, CSIRO Data61, YACVic and NCFH, (2018). Young people living in rural and regional communities have different experiences and challenges from those who live in cities especially in relation to their education, employment and social opportunities, and access to mental health services. VicHealth partnered with the National Centre for Farmer Health, Youth Affairs Council Victoria (YACVic) and CSIRO’s Data61 to explore what the megatrends mean for young people living in rural and regional Victoria. The upside of regional living is being part of community clubs, which largely form the social glue of rural and regional communities. Participation in sport is significantly higher among young people in rural and regional areas (20%) than those living in metropolitan areas (13%). Sports participation can provide both physical and mental health benefits. However, young people in the study who had interests and talents outside of sport and were not members of their local football or netball clubs, spoke about feelings of social exclusion.
- A Review of Country Cricket in Victoria 2014/15, opens in a new tab, David Richards OAM, for Cricket Victoria, (27 April 2015). Richards met with stakeholders from all eight country Regions, the Victorian Country Cricket League (VCCL), Cricket Australia and Cricket Victoria Regional Cricket Managers over a five-month period with the aim to assess the current condition of country cricket in the state and to examine the governance and structures impacting it.
- Review of Sport and Recreation in Regional Western Australia, opens in a new tab, Watson P, Perth, Western Australian Government, (2008). Report found that "sport and recreation are inextricably linked to the notion of ‘community sustainability’, something clearly understood by regional Western Australians. "Sport and recreation was identified as important in regional indigenous communities in promoting participation and in building capacity. It found that a booming economy resulted in difficulties in sourcing and retaining a range of specialist personnel e.g. aquatic and recreation centre managers, horticulturalists, sport development officers; in building sport and recreation facilities and the ability of community-based organisations to attract and retain volunteers. Solutions that were suggested included improved use of technology, developing ‘family friendly’ fixturing across sports and the development of alternative club structures to better harness the available volunteers.
- ‘Women were just there to ruin his day’: the lived experiences of women golfers and leadership roles in regional Australia, opens in a new tab, Chelsea Litchfield, Sport in Society, Volume 26(4), pp.703-723, (2023). Studies addressing the social and gendered context of golf in Australia are limited. Further, less is known about women golf club members in regional Australia and their occupancy in leadership roles at clubs. This project seeks to understand the lived experiences of women at regional golf clubs in Australia, and in particular, their experiences with leadership and decision making at golf clubs. While part of larger research project, three specific themes were identified and discussed throughout this manuscript, including a lack of females in decision making roles; women golfers facing sexism, discrimination and exclusion, and strategies to change leadership cultures. Using an intersectional lens that focuses on the intersection of gender and age, each of these themes are analysed in relation to social and historical aspects of gendered golf club cultures.
- Going on a 'witch hunt': investigating the lived experiences of women working in male team sports in regional Australia, opens in a new tab, Hotham, Gabriella; Litchfield, Chelsea; Osborne, Jaquelyn, Sport in Society, Volume 24(3), pp.396-Mar2021, Vol. 24 Issue 3, p396-411, (2021). Male dominated team sports potentially provide many opportunities for women, through both voluntary and paid employment. However, very few studies focus on the experiences of women at a regional (or rural) level in sport. By examining the experiences of women working with male team sports at this level, insight into why women choose to be involved within male dominated sporting spaces can be explored, including the benefits and the barriers faced within these spaces. Such information is pertinent to the wider discussions relating to women in sport in Australia. Therefore, the aim of this research was to study the lived experiences of female coaches, trainers, strappers, umpires, exercise scientists and administrators involved in regional male team sports in NSW (sports such as rugby league, Australian rules football, soccer and rugby union).
- Facilitators and Barriers to Physical Activity and Sport Participation Experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Adults: A Mixed Method Review, opens in a new tab, Bridget Allen, Karla Canuto, John Robert Evans, et al., International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Volume 18(18), (September 2021). The need for culturally safe facilities, appropriate activities and inclusive, respectful staff were all described as facilitators and provide important insights for program providers.
- Sink or Swim? A survival analysis of sport dropout in Australian youth swimmers, opens in a new tab, Kylie Moulds, Shaun Abbott, Johan Pion, et.al., Scandinavian Journal of Science and Medicine in Sports, Volume 30(11), pp.2222-2233, (2020). To examine long‐term participation and dropout rates in Australian youth swimming using survival analyses and to determine whether multiple individual, socio‐demographic, and competition‐related factors influenced dropout. Part 1—Registration data from N = 17 161 female (n = 9400) and male (n = 7761) New South Wales (NSW) swimmers aged 10‐15 years (inclusive). Part 2—Competition level involvement in a subsample of female (n = 1011) and male (n = 811) swimmers, aged 12‐15 years, was also examined. Residential proximity to major cities was associated with dropout, with urban swimmers reporting a 24.8% higher Hazard Rate than rural swimmers. In a large representative sample of swimmers, survival analyses identified age‐group, competition level, and city proximity were associated with increased swimming dropout rates.
- Women and girls participation in male-dominated sports, opens in a new tab, Rochelle Eime, Aurélie Pankowiak, Meghan Casey, et.al., PASI/Federation University/Victoria University for the Victorian Government, (2020?). Has some quotes from women about their experiences of organisations not providing equal access to facilities/resources for women’s teams. “We [senior women] trained on the same night as the boys. I think it was the under-15s or under-13 boys. So they would get priority over the nets, so we either only had one net or we had to train on the oval without nets.” Or “… the running of the club, and no sanitary bins, and the boys are using that facility before we are and then it’s disgusting.”
- Promoting Team Sport Participation among Older Women, opens in a new tab, Stephanie West, Jill Naar, Julie Son, et al., Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, Volume 37(4), (October 2019). Six themes emerged related to ways P&R professionals can facilitate sport participation for older women: 1) tailored rules, 2) team organization and development, 3) player recruitment, 4) promotion outlets, 5) facilities and resources available, and 6) community and organizational support. Rule modifications were perceived as a way to help older women remain safe and free from sport-related injuries. Regarding facilities and resources, communities were seen as favoring youth sports in terms of funding, equipment, and access to facilities. Parks and Recreation (P&R) agencies are therefore recommended to provide a more equitable balance. Supporting and promoting opportunities for older adults to engage in sport within local communities supports the model of successful aging and promotes LTPA benefits for seniors.
- The implications of female sport policy developments for the community-level sport sector: a perspective from Victoria, Australia, opens in a new tab, M. Casey, J. Fowlie, M. Charity, et al., International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, Volume 11(4), pp.657-678, (July 2019). This study examined trends in sport participation among females over a six-year period (2011–2016) within five popular sports, by age and region. It also identified future challenges community sports face in increasing female sport participation. Results showed that female sport participation levels increased over the six-year period, with greater proportional increases among the youngest age group (4–9 years) – the common entry age into the organised sport through modified sports programs. Retention of females in sport throughout adolescence and adulthood remains a challenge. Community-level sports face challenges to accommodate growth in female sport participation in terms of availability and quality of sport infrastructure and volunteer capacity – both human resources to deliver sport and organisational capacity to devise and implement strategies to recruit and retain females. They also face challenges associated with the social construction of gender within sport and club environments. Sport policies that encourage female sport participation need to also consider the supply of sport such as maximising infrastructure usage, gender equity facility usage policies and developing volunteer capacity.
- Participant-Centered sport development: A case study using the leisure constraints of women in regional communities, opens in a new tab, Kyle Rich, Matthew Nicholson, Erica Randl, et.al., Leisure Studies, (31 January 2019). Women in rural and regional communities experience social, cultural, and geographical constraints to sport, physical activity, and leisure participation. This study uses leisure constraints theory to explore the development and delivery of a casual, recreational physical activity program, stand up paddleboarding, for women in regional Victoria, Australia. In this study, we explore a collaborative approach to crafting a program that ensured the prescriptive, proscriptive, and descriptive constraints experienced by the women productively informed the development and delivery of a sustainable participation opportunity. We conclude that a participant-focused rather than an activity-focused approach to program development and delivery may be more effective in producing sustainable participation opportunities, particularly for underserved communities.
- Associations between environmental attributes of facilities and female participation in sport: a systematic review, opens in a new tab, Hanlon, Clare; Jenkin, Claire; Craike, Melinda, Managing Sport and Leisure, Volume 24(5), pp.294-306, (September 2019). Articles were identified through seven databases and included if female specific results were reported on the association between attributes of the physical environment and sports participation. The search yielded 3118 articles, 24 met the criteria. Most studies were moderate quality and in terms of life stage focused on adolescent girls. Environmental attributes of facilities including perceived safety, convenient location and suitable amenities in sport and school facilities were associated with female participation in sport. Attributes of the physical environment may influence female participation in sport. Conclusions are tentative based on minimal studies in this area. More attention to identify environmental attributes of facilities associated with encouraging female participation in sport across their transitional life stage is required to enhance understanding and guide facility development.
- 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). In rural Australia, the recent global economic downturn was heralded by a highly competitive, global market neo-liberalisation, coupled with the effects of climate change, and a downward spiral of rural depopulation. These structural changes enabled the erosion of once vibrant and independent agricultural regions, and the amalgamation and/or collapse of many of the long-term political, economic, and social institutions in small towns. This paper explores the intersection of these population and socioeconomic changes, and ageing, in a small town in rural Australia.
- Participation profiles and the barriers and facilitators that impact on participation of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders living in regional and remote Western Australia, opens in a new tab, Shani Mattinson, Marita Falkmer, Melissa H Black, et al., Scandinavian Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Volume 6(4), (December 2018). 32 families completed a questionnaire pack including a socio-demographic questionnaire and the Participation and Environment Measure – Children and Youth. Children with ASD had reduced participation in community activities. Within the home, children most commonly participated in computer and video games, and in school settings, children participated rarely in non-classroom and extracurricular activities. Parents reported a desire for their children to decrease time spent engaging in video games and increase time spent in the community, socializing, engaging in extracurricular activities, and completing chores. Parents reported a number of barriers to participation across community, home, and school settings.
- Physical activity of rurally residing children with a disability: A survey of parents and carers, opens in a new tab, Luke Wakely, Jessica Langham, Catherine Johnston, et al., Disability and Health Journal, Volume 11(1), pp.31-35, (January 2018). The aim of this study was to investigate parents' perceptions of physical activity opportunities for their child with a disability in a rural area. There were 34 completed surveys, a response rate of 37%. Participants' responses indicated 74% of children were not meeting daily recommendations of physical activity. Participation barriers including emotional, physical and environmental issues. Three main themes emerged from qualitative data; segregation, access to facilities and resources and barriers specific to the child. The children in this study were from rural areas and face similar barriers to children in metropolitan areas. However, they are also confronted with the same barriers children without a disability in rural areas face, participating in physical activity. This may have detrimental effects on their health and development.
- Who are the future volunteers in rural places? Understanding the demographic and background characteristics of non-retired rural volunteers, why they volunteer and their future migration intentions, opens in a new tab, Amanda Davies, Leonie Lockstone-Binney, Kirsten Holmes, Journal of Rural Studies, Volume 60, pp.167-175, (2018). A greater proportion of the rural Western Australian population was involved in volunteering than the Australian population. Sense of community and connectedness is very important for those who volunteer. 50% of those indicating they were to leave their rural community in the survey had volunteered in the previous three months. Lack of essential services was the key reason for volunteers leaving their community. Further research is required to understand changes in the nature of volunteering in rural areas over the life course.
- The relationship of sport participation to provision of sports facilities and socioeconomic status: a geographical analysis, opens in a new tab, Rochelle Eime, Jack Harvey, Melanie Charity, et.al., Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, Volume 41(3), pp.248-255, (June 2017). This study examined the geographical association between provision of sport facilities and participation in sport across an entire Australian state, using objective total enumerations of both, for a group of sports, with adjustment for the effect of socioeconomic status (SES). Better provision of sports facilities is generally associated with increased sport participation, but SES and region are also contributing factors.
- 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). Participants were 12 Indigenous Australian adults, and 12 non‐Indigenous Australian adults matched on age, sex, and basketball division. Most participants reported engaging in regular exercise; however, the Indigenous group reported more barriers to PA. These factors included cost, time management and environmental constraints. The physical facilitators identified by our Indigenous sample included social support, intrinsic motivation and role modelling. This study is the first to compare the perspective of Indigenous Australians to a matched group of non‐Indigenous Australians and provides useful knowledge to develop public health programs based on culturally sensitive data.
- 'Sacrifice and compromise': the lived experiences of regional adolescent girls in regional Victoria, Australia who have dropped out of organised sport, opens in a new tab [thesis], Carey, Lukas Peter, University of Southern Queensland, (2017). Recent research has demonstrated that the rate of dropout from sport by adolescent girls throughout regional Australia continues to increase. In response to this phenomenon and to the nature of the research into it, this study investigated the lived experiences of 12 female participants from a regional Australian area who had dropped out of sport during their adolescent years. More specifically the studies main research question was “What are the lived experiences of regional adolescent girls in relation to their participation in and dropout from sport?" The identified themes indicated that the dropout from sport by adolescent girls is individualised depending upon the individual girl concerned, and it is complex for girls more generally. It involves negative influence from peers, families, coaches, sporting clubs and the media, all of whom influence the girls’ decision to dropout from sport. The study demonstrates that the participants were required to make undue compromise and to deal with unwanted pressures via individual, community and situational means. Pressures from these were shown to often result in the adolescent girls premature dropout from sport. In order to address these concerns, the study recommends that a combination of institutional, educational and structural changes in sport, education and the media are required to deal with the phenomenon of adolescent girls’ dropout from sport.
- ‘Power regulation and physically active identities’: the experiences of rural and regional living adolescent girls, opens in a new tab, M. Case, A. Mooney, J. Smyth, et al., Gender and Education, Volume 28(1), pp.108-127, (2016). We explored the discourses and power relations operative between groups of girls that appeared to influence their participation in Physical Education (PE) and outside of school in sport and physical activity (PA) in rural and regional communities. Interviews and focus groups were conducted in eight secondary schools with female students from Year 9 (n = 22) and 10 (n = 116). Dominant gendered and performance discourses were active in shaping girls’ construction of what it means to be active or ‘sporty’, and these identity positions were normalised and valued. The perceived and real threat of their peer's gaze as a form of surveillance acted to further perpetuate the power of performance discourses; whereby girls measured and (self) regulated their participation. Community settings were normalised as being exclusively for skilled performers and girls self-regulated their non-participation according to judgements made about their own physical abilities. These findings raise questions about the ways in which power relations, as forged in broader sociocultural and institutional discourse–power relations, can infiltrate the level of the PE classroom to regulate and normalise practices in relation to their, and others, PA participation.
- Barriers to women’s participation in sport and active recreation, opens in a new tab, Dhirender Kaim, International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health, Volume 2(1), pp.96-98, (August 2015). The literature shows that the participation of women and girls in sport and active recreation fluctuates throughout the lifecycle. At different stages of life, many events and factors appear to negatively influence women’s and girls’ participation. The literature had also shown that there are many different barriers of women’s participation, and the barriers to girls’ and adolescents’ participation. These barriers are identified through a review of literature.
- A lack of community facilities is a barrier to participation.
- Poor access to venues, including venues with appropriate facilities, is a barrier to participation for young women, disabled women and rural women.
- Poor access can be compounded by a lack of transport and a lack of information on available facilities.
- A lack of physical access to premises and a lack of venues and facilities with suitable equipment are barriers for disabled women.
- Cultural factors and social norms can also exacerbate the experience of other barriers, such as competing priorities, lack of facilities, lack of access to programs, and lack of leisure companions.
- Environmental barriers and enablers to physical activity participation among rural adults: a qualitative study, opens in a new tab. Cleland V, Clarissa Hughes B , Lukar Thornton, et al. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, Volume 26(2), pp.99-104, (2015). This study explored the environmental factors that act as barriers or facilitators to physical activity participation among rural adults in three regions of rural Tasmania, Australia. It highlighted the importance of shared-use areas, particularly those that were family and dog-friendly. Participants had realistic expectations of what was feasible in rural settings.
- Sex-specific correlates of adult physical activity in an Australian rural community, opens in a new tab, Suzanne Carroll, Jim Dollman, Mark Daniel, Australian Journal of Rural Health, Volume 22(1), pp.15-22, (February 2014). Rural Australians have a higher likelihood of chronic disease and lower levels of physical activity than urban Australians. Little is known of the factors associated with physical activity among rural-dwelling Australians. This study sought to determine the correlates of physical activity among men and women of the South Australian Riverland region. In men, sufficient physical activity was associated with reporting perceived sufficient physical activity for health and having friends who encouraged physical activity. Men who reported insufficient time and getting enough physical activity at their job were less likely to be sufficiently active. In women, sufficient physical activity was associated with not being employed, higher self-efficacy, and having a regular physical activity routine. Older age, poorer self-rated health, and weekend sitting time were negatively associated with sufficient physical activity for women. Factors associated with physical activity in this rural adult population differed by sex. Strategies to enhance social connectedness among men and encourage physical activity outside of work can be warranted. Women can require programs to help them develop a regular physical activity routine and improve self-efficacy.
- 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). Research in six diverse rural Queensland shires found that half the respondents failed to meet Australian physical activity guidelines and 1 in 5 reported no activity. Some barriers to physical activity (i.e. family commitments) were similar to those from urban areas. Rural barriers included climate, culture of exercise, and community leadership. It was concluded that the promotion of healthy lifestyle in rural environments need to be tailored to the local community and not necessarily replicate urban programs.
- Location, location, location: women’s leisure in rural Australia, opens in a new tab. Campbell A, Leisure Studies, Volume 32(3), pp.249-263, (2013). This paper investigated the impact of geographical location in shaping the leisure activities of rural women living in the Yass Valley Region of NSW. Research found that the specific geographical location had a strong impact on the types of leisure activities available in which they were able to participate. It concluded the specific geographical location can facilitate or inhibit the degree of involvement in community leisure activities that engender social capital among older women living in these locations.
- ‘You're no-one if you're not a netball girl’: rural and regional adolescent girls’ negotiation of physically active identities., opens in a new tab Mooney A, Casey M, Smyth J, Annals of Leisure Research, Volume 15(1), pp.19-37, (2012). This paper reported data collected through interviews and focus group sessions with 138 females ranging from 14 to 16 years of age across six rural and regional communities in the state of Victoria. It examined the impact that dominant discourse-power relations operating in the context of rural and regional sport and physical education can have in the negotiation of physically active identities for adolescent girls.
- Balancing safety and autonomy: structural and social barriers affecting the exercise participation of women with disabilities in community recreation and fitness facilities, opens in a new tab, D.E. Rolfe, K. Yoshida, R. Renwick, et al., Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, Volume 4(2), pp.265-283, (2012). A lack of accessible facilities within the community has been identified as a major limiting factor to exercise participation among women with disabilities. To increase exercise participation among women with disabilities, we need to understand the structural and social barriers that they face within community recreation and fitness facilities. These findings suggest that simply removing structural barriers and providing ‘accessible’ equipment is not sufficient to truly increase facility accessibility. Although accessibility features within the built environment of community facilities (e.g. elevators, pool-chair lifts and grab bars) can provide increased safety and accessibility to participants, a lack of maintenance and/or inadequate staff training in their use may limit women’s autonomous use of facilities. Training of staff members to work with women with disabilities is also necessary to address social barriers to women’s exercise participation in community recreation and fitness facilities.
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