The current trends suggest sport organisations should focus on fostering positive experiences to retain existing and returning players and volunteers. Social and inclusive environments are most likely to be attractive to a broad range of cohorts who have been particularly impacted by the pandemic and/or traditionally less engaged with sport.

Young Australians have been significantly impacted by the pandemic across many areas of social importance and the concern for their levels of physical activity is further exacerbated by the concerns over their mental health. Young Australians have not only missed out on the physical benefits of sport during the pandemic, but also the valuable social interactions that help shape young lives, and on physical education in schools. Early evidence suggests this has had a negative impact on physical literacy as well as physical and mental health. Even prior to COVID-19, youth participation was a concern, with many young Australians dropping out of organised sport during their teenage years. The impact of the pandemic highlights the value of a renewed focus that could provide improved access to sport and broader life benefits.

Current trends suggest women and older Australians have been inclined to be more active during the pandemic, although not necessarily in traditional sporting environments. The informal and social elements appear to be key drivers in this trend, suggesting opportunities for organised sport to consider. With both cohorts having been significantly affected across wellbeing and financial factors, there is potentially an opportunity to leverage the recent increase in participation to target this cohort and ensure organised sport includes suitable activities to attract and retain.

People with a disability have been unable to access physical or social activities and many will not have the ability to adopt new recreational activities as substitutes. The risk of these Australians not returning to sport should be considered and opportunities to re-engage better understood.

The current trends suggest sport organisations should focus on fostering positive experiences to retain existing and returning, players and volunteers. New opportunities should target audiences where the need may be greatest or participation rates may be lower (including women and girls, people with disabilities, older adults, and culturally linguistic and diverse groups).

Social and recreational habits in Australia are changing and organised sport is not necessarily the most popular choice for many. Recreational trends, plus the rise of digital options, present challenges for organised sport but also exciting opportunities.

Hybrid sports, incorporating simulated sport in a digital environment will only increase in sophistication, popularity and affordability and thus place even more competition on traditional sport participation. There is an opportunity to integrate this evolving version of sport into modern sport offerings such as with AusCycling's and e-cycling platform Zwift's competition series which began in 2020.

The participation trends indicate that Australians are adopting recreational activities that meet their busy and social lives. Sport participation choices are becoming driven by flexibility, tailored by the needs of the individual – this was a trend even prior to the pandemic and was highlighted as a Mega Trend by the ASC and CSIRO in 2013.

COVID-19 has not so much created new trends in sport participation, more accelerated certain trends. How many of the newly adopted trends remain for the longer term, remains to be seen but certainly there are opportunities of focus for organised sport to either mitigate or integrate the trends.

As Australians seek different ways to be physically active, sport must find different ways to attract contemporary customers. For many participants a focus on social engagement and fun, rather than strong competitive elements; being inclusive for all, not just the best can lead to longer term commitments and benefits for individuals and organisations.

Sport, possibly more than ever, can play a valuable role in the lives of Australians but only if it meets the social demands and appeals to a diverse community with busier lives and less money to spend on non-essential items.

Although there are many factors that influence sports participation, the relatively 'high' cost is consistently identified in the literature, although financial cost is not always the primary consideration. Time commitment to organised sports participation is often seen as a 'cost' and therefore, becomes a potential barrier. This includes the time commitment by the participant and, in the case of a child, the time commitment of parents and family.

The pandemic has impacted the Australian economy in many different ways but the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reports the pandemic recession in 2020 was milder than in most other OECD countries. It suggests, as the recovery becomes more firmly entrenched, public policy must focus on setting the conditions for another prolonged period of strong and well-distributed growth in living standards. At the same time, steps should be taken to prevent the economy from future economic shocks and ensure the financial sector supports household financial resilience.

The impact to many Australians’ finances is likely to be widespread and ongoing. Current indications suggest non-essential spending will be impacted for several years and this could include sport participation costs, gym memberships, and other paid organised physical activities, especially if trends towards recreational pastimes are also considered as an alternative.

These spending contingencies could continue to impact sport at all levels with revenue affected and, in some cases, workforces reduced. With many community sporting clubs relying heavily on membership income, a prolonged decline in membership registrations and anticipated income would be devastating.

Outside of membership fees/income, the cost of apparel (uniforms, shoes, etc.), equipment, and travel are all likely to increase for both individuals and organisations. Funding and/or better access to quality second hand equipment and apparel may help people to become or remain engaged with sport, particularly those from disadvantaged communities.

The Australian Sport Foundation’s 2021 Impact of COVID-19 on Community Sport Report suggests the average revenue lost per club in Australia is approximately $18,500 with one in ten clubs expressing a fear of insolvency.

If costs, direct financial or time, are a barrier to organised sport participation, how can Australian governments and the sector mitigate this and support more Australians to afford access to sport and sporting organisations? Particular focus should be considered for Australians from disadvantaged communities.