Women and Girls Kick Goals In 'Male' Sports
A research summary of sport participation in Victoria
The Sport Participation Research Project 2019–2021 was a deep dive into the annual participation rates of majors sports in Victoria. The research project aimed to provide a reliable measure of organised sport participation in order to inform planning, decision making and investments for State Sporting Associations, all levels of government, funding bodies and sport participation promoters, particularly relating to participation initiatives and facility planning. Further details are outlined in this research summary from the Sport and Recreation Victoria website.
Key findings at a glance: organised sport participation in Victoria, 2019 (Sport Participation Research Project).
The research was a joint effort by Victoria University’s Professor Rochelle Eime, Professor Hans Westerbeek, Dr Aurelie Pankowiak as well as Federation University’s Ms Melanie Charity and, Dr Jack Harvey, and was funded by VicHealth and Sport and Recreation Victoria.
Professor Eime was recently interviewed by the Herald Sun, with the following summary published by Victoria University News:
Victorian girls and women were joining community sport in greater numbers than ever, until COVID-19 hit, according to new Victoria University and Federation University research.
An analysis of more than five million participation records of the state’s 10 most popular sports between 2015 and 2019 found that female participation rates grew across all age groups, particularly for girls aged five to 14. These sports included Australian Rules football, basketball, cricket, soccer, gymnastics, hockey, netball, sailing, swimming, and tennis.
About 34,000 more girls of this age group played sport in 2019 compared to four years earlier – an increase of about 5% – especially sports traditionally dominated by males such as Australian Rules football, cricket, and basketball. This compares with about 15,000 fewer boys playing sport in that same age group during the period.
Change in participation rates across age and gender in 2019 compared to 2015 (Sport Participation Research Project).
Lead researcher Professor Rochelle Eime said the study funded by VicHealth and Sport and Recreation Victoria, demonstrates female participation in club-based sport is changing for the better.
“It’s great to see that the policies, strategies and investments are working – from the top-down, through government and VicHealth, and from the bottom-up, from the clubs themselves,” she said. “Boys and men have traditionally participated in club-based community sport, but with increased opportunities to play, we are seeing more girls than ever joining in.”
The growth rate for girls in sport was particularly strong in regional Victoria, where club sport extends into community life, especially in smaller centres. Here, the data showed about three-quarters of all girls aged 10-14 years participated in a community sport.
Participation rates, 2019, Victoria: by region and age (Sport Participation Research Project).
Sport more important than ever for girls and woman
VicHealth’s health promotion operations manager Maya Rivis said it was promising to see more girls getting active through sports clubs, but more must be done.
“Being active at a young age helps girls develop healthy habits for life, but they continue to face greater barriers to playing sport than men and boys.”
“After the difficulties of 2020, many women and girls were less active than usual, so it’s even more critical that we continue to support them to be active in a way that makes them feel good.”
Dr Eime acknowledged that while any growth rate in female sport participation was positive, the rates were small, and more work is required to build club infrastructure and volunteer numbers to make it easier for girls and women to get involved.
With 2020 being a write-off for most community sports due to COVID-19, this research is an important way to monitor how they recover across regions, age, and gender for healthier communities.
Interested in more sport participation research? Check out some more recent work by Prof Rachelle Eime.
Longitudinal Trends in Sport Participation and Retention of Women and Girls.
Sport dropout during adolescence: is it real, or an artefact of sampling behaviour?
** The images outlined in this post are taken from the research summary of this project outlined on the Sport and Recreation Victoria website.