Participation in Sport

Background

We know many Australians participate in sport during their life course through AusPlay. We also know people leave and return to sport for various reasons and motivations.

What is less clear is why sports participation in both playing and non-playing roles is, or becomes, less inviting or appealing for some.

What we do know can be found in our evidence base topic:

Proposed Research Focus

How active are people in Australia and what sports and physical activities are they taking part in?

We are seeking to better understand the participation in sports and physical activities landscape in Australia and how it will evolve over time for:

• Australians at all life stages and abilities.
• Specific communities, groups, or other population cohorts and segments.
• At a national population level, and at other jurisdictional and/or geographical levels.
• Individuals, groups and communities recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What are the barriers and enablers to sports participation across different populations?

We are seeking to expand our current understanding of participant barriers and enablers at a system and program level for:

• Australians at all life stages and abilities.
• At a national population level.
• Current and future sports participation product offerings.
• Specific communities, groups, or other population cohorts and segments.
• Participation in specific settings, such as Australian schools.

How do we increase volunteer participation and retention rates in community sport?

We are seeking to expand our current understanding of attraction and retention strategies for volunteers in sport, including:

• Australians at all life stages and abilities.
• Specific communities, groups, or other population cohorts and segments.
• At a national population level.
• Current and future sports volunteering options and opportunities.

What is the impact of injury in sport?

We are seeking to expand our current understanding of the occurrence, type, and impact of sport injuries in sport for:

• Australians at all life stages and abilities.
• Specific communities, groups, or other population cohorts and segments.
• At a national population level.

We are also seeking to identify strategies, interventions, and effective risk mitigation measures to reduce the occurrence of sport injuries in community sport for:

• Australians at all life stages and abilities.
• Specific communities, groups, or other population cohorts and segments.
• At a national population level.