Sports Events Economic Impact

Sports Events Economic Impact

Introduction

Australians love sport. It gives them pleasure and helps them to define themselves and their communities.1 In any one year, more Australians are involved as active participants in sport— more than 8 million people in 2004—than take part in public education at all levels combined. Millions more take part as volunteers and attendees. In all, about half the entire population of Australia is involved annually with sport, including 55 per cent of all adults. Sport touches many aspects of Australians' lives, yet many people are unaware of how powerfully sport affects them (Baade, 2009): 

It changes individuals—including their health and well-being, their social networks and sense of social connection, and their skills; 

It affects communities—including the social cohesion and social capital of communities; 

It has an impact on the economy—creating jobs and providing work for thousands of Australians in manufacturing, retail and service industries; and 

It helps to shape our national and cultural identity. This lack of awareness may be why we are experiencing a national decline in active sport participation. 

Between 2002 and 2004, the proportion of adults aged 16 or older who actively participate in sport dropped from 45 per cent to 31 per cent. Moreover, Australians are not finding adequate alternatives to sport to keep them fit. In 2001, 56 per cent of Australians did not achieve nationally recommended levels of physical activity for personal fitness and good health. In addition, adult weight is rising: in 2008, 15 per cent of 20- to 64-year-olds were obese and another 33 per cent were overweight.3 By 2004, 23 per cent of adults were obese and 36 per cent were overweight. To help correct these trends, the federal-provincial- territorial ministers responsible for sport, fitness and recreation issued the first-ever Australian Sport Policy in 2002. Nearly 13.7 million adult Australians—55 per cent of the adult population—take part in sport as active participants, volunteers, attendees or some combination of the three (Baade, 2000):

Active participants total 7,732,000, or 31.0 per cent of the adult population aged 16 or older; 

Volunteers total 4,565,000, or 18.3 per cent of the adult population; and 

Attendees total 11,324,000, or 45.4 per cent of the adult population. 

Most Popular Sports

Australians participate in many sports but focus their energy on a few. Out of nearly 100 sports played, involvement is strongly concentrated in about a dozen sports, including ice hockey, golf, soccer, baseball, basketball, volleyball, skiing, swimming and cycling. The 2004 pattern of active participation closely resembles that in 2008, with the same 13 sports appearing in the top 15 in both years. Ice hockey, golf and baseball easily dominate both lists. Nearly half of active participants (47.1 per cent) take part in only one sport. A mere 8.7 per cent compete in four or more (Anderson, 2001).

Key Drivers Of Participation

The key drivers of participation in sport are interrelated. The principal drivers include age, gender, household composition, educational attainment and income. Education and income are closely correlated, as are age and household composition. 

Age

Active participation strongly correlates to age, falling steadily through to the senior years. Rates are the highest for young adults, who often participate through school sports. Yet the decline is slow. The 40-49 cohort rate is still half the teenage cohort rate. Remarkably, active sport participation continues to engage more than a quarter of all Australians over the age of 60, testimony to an enduring passion for sport ...