Research
There is wide a range of research available relevant to the development of community sport infrastructure and the wider sport sector, a selection of which will feature here.
The value of sport
Football clubs are increasingly engaged with their communities, delivering a range of services such as school holiday clinics and health awareness programs in schools, while supporting other community groups’ events and fundraising efforts, supporting health awareness and education campaigns, and supporting socially disadvantaged members of the community participate in football.
Value of a Community Football Club - AFL, AFL Victoria, La Trobe University Centre for Sport and Social Impact (2015).
The NRL is a powerful vehicle for change. The aim is to help communities thrive; to lead and inspire people to be the best they can be, by providing pathways and opportunities to live positive, respectful and healthy lives. Target groups: Young people, women and girls, multicultural and indigenous.
Social Impact Report 2016 - The NRL is a powerful vehicle for change.
Golf is in a period of transition. Recent cultural shifts towards flexible, fun and non-competitive recreation activities have led to the introduction of new game formats, programs and participation options. As an industry, golf must now set its sights on raising awareness about the diversity and inclusivity of our offer, which allows the sport to be accessible by all, and truly ensures that it is ‘the game for life’.
Community Impact Study: Golf in New South Wales - Commissioned by Golf NSW, prepared by SBP Street Ryan (November 2017).
It’s a sport for all ages, with 21% of children aged 5-14 playing football in NSW, a greater number than the other winter outdoor sports combined, eg AFL, rugby league, rugby union, netball and hockey. Almost one-quarter of registered players, some 64,000, are female. Football faces real challenges at all levels of the game to access enough facilities of the right quality to play, especially in regional areas.
This report to the NSW Government outlines a facilities infrastructure solution for football.
Meeting the future needs of football in NSW; A partnership approach - NSW Government, Northern NSW Football, Football NSW (October 2015)
See also:
Community impact of football in New South Wales - Northern NSW Football, Football NSW (2018)
The Community Impact of Football in NSW - Economic, Health and Social - Football Federation Australia, Northern NSW Football, Football NSW (2016)
Other research
AusPlay - Clearinghouse for sport
The AusPlay Survey (AusPlay) is a large scale national population tracking survey funded and led by the Australian Sports Commission.
- AusPlay Survey - Participation data for the sport sector (user name & password required) - Australian Sports Commission (ASC)
Market Segmentation for Sports Participation - Clearinghouse for Sport
The Market Segmentation Studies provide key insights regarding how participation in sport is consumed among the Australian population.
Play.Sport.Australia (user name & password required - Australian Sports Commission (ASC)
The game plan to get more Australians, particularly young Australians, playing sport more often – at school or with mates at their local club.
The Australian Sports Directory (user name & password required) - Australian Sports Commission (ASC)
Contains contact details of national sporting organisations (NSOs) and NSOs for people with a disability. The organisations listed are not necessarily assisted or funded by the Australian Sports Commission (ASC).
Australia's Winning Edge - High Performance Strategy (user name & password required) - Australian Sports Commission (ASC)
Developed in partnership with Australia's high performance network, Australia's Winning Edge provides the high performance sports sector with clear performance targets and a framework for collaboration from 2012-2022.
High Performance Sport - Clearinghouse for Sport
A range of expert evaluated information resources covering good and promising practice in sport and physical activity.
Our participation in and passion for sport creates significant benefits for Australia. The sector’s economic contribution is equivalent to 2–3% of GDP, employing more than 220,000 people and attracting 1.8 million volunteers – Australia’s largest volunteer destination.
Sport also makes a major contribution to our health and wellbeing, with high participation by children creating the foundations for an active, healthy life that is essential to combat obesity and physical inactivity.
Intergenerational Review of Australian Sport 2017 - The Boston Consulting Group
Several countries, including the UK and Australia, have sought to increase mass participation in sport to achieve various population health objectives, and policies have been established promoting the development of sport infrastructure to achieve this goal. Gaining a clear understanding of the relationship between proximity to specific sports facilities and participation is essential for evidencebased strategic facility planning and development. This study is the first to examine the geographical association between participation of a large cohort of participants in a defined group of sports and provision of facilities for those sports across a large geographic region (an Australian state) using objective total enumerations of both.
The relationship of sport participation to provision of sports facilities and socioeconomic status: a geographical analysis - Eime, Dr Rochelle et al (October 2016)
NSW Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (SPANS) 2015 - Health (NSW Government)
SPANS is a cross-sectional, school based population survey of school children age 5 to 16 years which measures a range of children’s health behaviours including dietary patterns and eating behaviours, physical activity and measures of fitness and fundamental movement skills, and identified factors related to healthy growth and development.
Sector support
The Office of Sport is committed to providing support to all stakeholders involved in community sport infrastructure. As part of this commitment, regular sports talks and other forums are organised to share information and facilitate networking opportunities across the sector.
Sector sport talk
The Value of Community Sport Infrastructure Forum included presenters from KPMG, Sport Australia, Office of Sport, School Infrastructure and Tennis NSW who have extensive experience advising on sports infrastructure planning and projects.
Sport Infrastructure planning and investment - Office of Sport
The value of community sport infrastructure - KPMG
Future of tennis in NSW - Tennis Australia
Sport Data Insights - Office of Sport
Community Sport Infrastructure - Sport Australia