In an effort to get more Australians physically active and playing sports, the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) has directed $11 million to local community sports programs.
The Australian government has expressed concerns in recent years about Australia’s growing obesity problem (fifth highest rate of adult obesity in the developed world), along with the gulf between elite sports organizations and community sports organizations within the country.
“This is a record investment in sports participation,” said ASC CEO Matt Miller. “Both the government and ASC are committed to building on the foundations of the Australian sports system, beginning with sporting clubs at a community level.”
The investment in community sports participation was spurred by a government sports reform report called “Australian Sport: The Pathway to Success.”
According to the report:
“In order to reinvigorate engagement in sport amongst our community and to regain our competitive edge, we need to do things differently. We need to place a strategic focus on collaboration, reform, and investment across the entire sporting pathway — from the grassroots up. A new whole-of-sport approach is essential to boost sporting participation and enhance sporting pathways for the benefit of health and productivity while also contributing to and sustaining our international success. Fundamental to this new approach is is moving away from the divisive community versus elite sport debates of the past and developing a collaborative, efficient and integrated national sports system focused both on growing participation for the benefit of our community as well as the high performance system.”
The League of Fans is promoting a variety of measures to boost “sports participation for all, not just elite athletes” at the youth and adult levels in the United States.
— Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
Books
