Places to Play Plan

Community sport is one of Australia’s greatest strengths. It brings people together, builds healthier and more cohesive communities and creates opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to participate, connect and belong.

The success of community sport depends on having sufficient and appropriate places to play which enable welcoming, safe and inclusive experiences.  Across Australia local facilities are vital places for sport and active recreation. For safe gathering in times of disaster, as sites of celebration and welcoming and as community hubs supporting essential social connection and cohesion across metropolitan, regional and remote communities.

Places to Play sets out a new, nationally aligned approach to community sport infrastructure, one that places participation outcomes at the centre of decision-making. It is not a blueprint for a single organisation, sport or level of government, but is designed to span traditional thinking about levels and jurisdictions. It is a shared plan for collective action by the system, one that recognises the different roles across the system, while uniting them around a Common Goal and a Common Ground.

Common Goal and Common Ground

The Strategic Shift

Participation-centred decision making recognises that infrastructure is a means to an end, not an end in itself. This approach prioritises a deeper understanding of community need and demand, better design, improved access to existing infrastructure, better scheduling and targeted investment where genuine gaps exist.

 This Plan recognises that improving participation outcomes does not always require new infrastructure. It often requires a more coordinated and deliberate approach to how existing places are planned, configured, shared and used.

Places to Play Plan One Page Summary