Understanding Sport Participation for 18-24 year-olds

An Exploration of Issues, Motivations, Barriers and Trends

Developed for the Sports Federation of Queensland (QSport)

Author
Donna Little
Way To Be – waytobe.com.au

Executive Summary

This research was commissioned by QSport to explore current understandings and insights into sporting participation of young adults aged 18-24 years. A combination of recent research from AusPlay Participation Data for the Sport Sector (e.g. ASC, 2017a), State Sporting Organisation and Club feedback revealed there was an immediate concern relating to the drop off and drop out rates for this age group that had not sufficiently been explored or understood in actionable ways. In response, desktop research and industry engagement workshops were undertaken to examine:

• the evidence relating to participation patterns and sporting interests of young adults;
• the context within which young adults choose their leisure, physical activity and sport engagement; and
• potential responses of good practice or interventions to help attract, retain or support this age group remain or engage in sport.
  

The research revealed notable findings for understanding and addressing the decline in sport participation for the cohort of 18-24-year-olds. These include realisations that,

• There are real leaks in the sport pipeline, and adult participation in sport and recreation peaks at 15-17 years of age;
• There is a ‘fault line’ in organised sport participation around 17-19 years of age as young people enter into emerging adulthood and move from the protection and opportunity of school-based sporting participation to greater freedoms and adult commitments;
• The transition to adulthood is complex and marked by significant milestone events that impact on the opportunity and desire to continue or begin in organised sport;
• Sport is just one of a range of physical activity and lifestyle choices available to young adults and while they may move away from organised sport, they are often still physically active;
• There is no single factor or characteristic that leads young adults to disengaging or remaining in sport, rather a combination of factors influence participation including stage of life course, gender, age, environmental conditions (e.g. facilities, access), and individual variables (e.g. perceived benefits, costs, social supports, education); and
• Fun, socialising, performance and enjoyment remain consistent motivators for sport regardless of age or stage of life.

While many of these factors are personal or social, the research also demonstrated that the structures and functions of sport and sport organisations can also actively impact on young adult sport participation. A snapshot of key understandings relating to the Australian sport structure and context reveals that while sport participation may be one of the three core foci for the Australian Sports Commissions Corporate Plan for 2017-2021, the delivery of grass roots and performance level sport is impacted by

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