Victorian participation in organised sport

Now in its 7th year, this annual research project is a partnership between VicHealth, Sport and Recreation Victoria, Victoria University, Federation University, and 13 Victorian state sporting associations. You can access all the reports below.

Sport participation in Victoria 2015–2021

The 2021 research summary looks at how the organised sport participation has evolved over a 7-year period with a special focus on the impact of COVID-19 and the recovery of participation in sport.

The research involves data gathered across 10 popular sports and compares participation rates across age, sex and region between 2015–2021.

TL;DR – the important bits

• The impact of COVID-19 on community sport participation in Victoria during 2020 was significant, with an overall participation decrease of 27%.
• However, in 2021, sport organisations in Victoria have managed to bring back many participants to playing sport at pre-pandemic levels.
• Fewer young Victorians and females returned to sport, making a strong case for more flexible, inclusive and equitable sporting opportunities.
• The research calls for sport organisations to think beyond the traditional competitive structures - and focus on the fun, friendships and social connections aspects - to ensure lifelong participation in sport.

Quick stats

• The total participation numbers and participation rate (of the Victorian population) across the sports in 2021 were: 866, 736/12.9% of total population.
• Sport participation is highest among children and adolescents (10–14 years) (57%) and drops significantly during late adolescence (32%).
• Sport participation rates (across all ages) are higher for males (17%) than females (9%) in Victoria.
• Sport participation rates are higher in regional Victoria (16%) compared to metropolitan Melbourne (12%).
• Metropolitan-growth areas have considerably lower sport participation rates (9%) compared to all other regions.

Recommendations

• Design programs and activities that re-engage females back into sport.
• Develop retention strategies to address high drop-out rates among young adolescents (aged over 14 years).
• Consider people focused engagement frameworks like Sport4Me.

More resources

• Getting more women active: Sign up as a This Girl Can Vic supporter to access resources to make your services safe and inclusive
• Doing Sport Differently resources can help you in designing alternative ways to make sort engaging for everybody

Previous research