• Australia's health 2020: Rural and remote health snapshot, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, (23 July 2020). Around 7 million people—about 28% of the Australian population—live in rural and remote areas, which encompass many diverse locations and communities (ABS 2019d). These Australians face unique challenges due to their geographic location and often have poorer health outcomes than people living in metropolitan areas. Data show that people living in rural and remote areas have higher rates of hospitalisations, deaths, injury and also have poorer access to, and use of, primary health care services, than people living in Major cities. Despite poorer health outcomes for some, the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey found that Australians living in towns with fewer than 1,000 people generally experienced higher levels of life satisfaction than those in urban areas and major cities
• Rural and remote health, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, (last updated 22 October 2019). On average, Australians living in rural and remote areas have shorter lives, higher levels of disease and injury and poorer access to and use of health services, compared with people living in metropolitan areas. Poorer health outcomes in rural and remote areas may be due to multiple factors including lifestyle differences and a level of disadvantage related to education and employment opportunities, as well as access to health services.
• Bright Futures: Young people in rural and regional Victoria, VicHealth, CSIRO Data61, YACVic and NCFH, (2018). Young people living in rural and regional communities have different experiences and challenges from those who live in cities especially in relation to their education, employment and social opportunities, and access to mental health services. VicHealth partnered with the National Centre for Farmer Health, Youth Affairs Council Victoria (YACVic) and CSIRO’s Data61 to explore what the megatrends mean for young people living in rural and regional Victoria. The upside of regional living is being part of community clubs, which largely form the social glue of rural and regional communities. Participation in sport is significantly higher among young people in rural and regional areas (20%) than those living in metropolitan areas (13%) (Eime et al. 2016). Sports participation can provide both physical and mental health benefits. However, young people in the study who had interests and talents outside of sport, and were not members of their local football or netball clubs, spoke about feelings of social exclusion.

• The Impact of Changing Demography and Socioeconomic Environments, and Ageing in a Small, Rural Town in Australia, Pamela M. Irwin, Journal of Population Ageing, Volume 12, pp.247-269, (2019). In rural Australia, the recent global economic downturn was heralded by a highly competitive, global market neo-liberalisation, coupled with the effects of climate change, and a downward spiral of rural depopulation. These structural changes enabled the erosion of once vibrant and independent agricultural regions, and the amalgamation and/or collapse of many of the long-term political, economic, and social institutions in small towns. This paper explores the intersection of these population and socioeconomic changes, and ageing, in a small town in rural Australia.

Since the 1980's there have been several national, state, and sport specific reviews and conferences that have examined the role, value, and potential issues with sport in rural and regional communities.

• A Review of Country Cricket in Victoria 2014/15, David Richards OAM, for Cricket Victoria, (27 April 2015). Richards met with stakeholders from all eight country Regions, the Victorian Country Cricket League (VCCL), Cricket Australia and Cricket Victoria Regional Cricket Managers over a five-month period with the aim to assess the current condition of country cricket in the state and to examine the governance and structures impacting it.
• Review of Football in Country Victoria, AFL Victoria, (2011). Review found that country football needs to change its governance structures to provide greater strategic focus and investment of resources directly in regions. There were four major regions - Ballarat, Geelong, South East and Bendigo - with growth. These regions have strong population growth but there has been a decline in other regions. It found that AFL participation is not directly related to population growth but appears to be dependent on available resources, skills of administrators and coaches and the level of collaboration.
• Review of Sport and Recreation in Regional Western Australia, Watson P, Perth, Western Australian Government, (2008). Report found that "sport and recreation are inextricably linked to the notion of ‘community sustainability’, something clearly understood by regional Western Australians. "Sport and recreation was identified as important in regional indigenous communities in promoting participation and in building capacity. It found that a booming economy resulted in difficulties in sourcing and retaining a range of specialist personnel e.g. aquatic and recreation centre managers, horticulturalists, sport development officers; in building sport and recreation facilities and the ability of community-based organisations to attract and retain volunteers. Solutions that were suggested included improved use of technology, developing ‘family friendly’ fixturing across sports and the development of alternative club structures to better harness the available volunteers.
• Inquiry into Country Football - Final Report, Submission and Government Response, Victorian Parliament Rural and Regional Services Development Committee, (2005). Report found that football was not in decline even though there had been club amalgamations and mergers since 1990. The major issue was the impact of population shifts and an ageing of the traditional volunteer base.  The Government’s response was centred on the long term sustainability of country football. Through the A Fairer Victoria policy new place-based approaches will support rural communities to overcome disadvantage caused by population decline, including greater investment in new and redeveloped services and infrastructure.
• Community sport counts: local sport and recreation in Victoria, Sport and Recreation Victoria, Melbourne, Dept. for Victorian Communities, (2005). This series of summary reports provides information on the local sport and recreation scene in Victoria and identified the commonalities and differences between and within Victoria's regions.
• The status of sport in rural and regional Australia: literature, research and policy options, Mugford S, Canberra, Sport Industry Australia, (2001). Comprehensive review of sport in rural and regional Australia. It provides a review of the literature and findings of an online survey. Report found that rural and regional Australia does not exist as a single, meaningful social entity – each area has its own structure and issues. Mugford’s conclusion was “Sport contributes to national identity and well-being. It is also a major source of social capital, especially in rural and regional Australia. However, it is precisely in rural and regional Australia that sport is in trouble - under-funded and declining because of the many difficulties faced by people and institutions in the country. Therefore we should actively support sport in rural and regional Australia and shore up sporting organisations so that they can continue to provide these important services to Australia”
• Country sport report, Western Australian Sports Council, (1987). Report identified the needs and priorities of country sport in Western Australia.  Outcomes included the poor dissemination of information throughout country areas, the need to strengthen sports councils at local and regional levels and the administration of grants by regional sports councils rather than Department of Sport and Recreation. The most notable issued raised was providing travel assistance to country areas.

Conferences

• Sport in Regional Australia. Hosted by Latrobe University, (2015).
• Who's Looking After the Bush. Hosted by Central Queensland University and the Australian Sports Commission, (2002). Conference proceedings were published and focused on developing sport education opportunities in rural and regional Australia.
• Regional Sport and Regional Games Seminar. Hosted by Riverina-Murray Institute of Higher Education (now Charles Sturt University) and the Australian Sports Commission, (1988). Conference proceedings were published and examined issues such as regional games, talent development and participation.

• Commemoration of Athletes and Racing Animals in Regional and Rural Australia, Greg Blood, Australian Sport Reflections, (May 2020). This paper will endeavour to expand research in this area by examining the role of sport in community identity through the examination of sports statuary, sports museums and halls of fame in rural and regional cities and towns in Australia. [Orginally published in the Australian Society for Sports History Bulletin No.71, February 2020]

• Australia's health 2020: Rural and remote health snapshot, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, (23 July 2020). Around 7 million people—about 28% of the Australian population—live in rural and remote areas, which encompass many diverse locations and communities (ABS 2019d). These Australians face unique challenges due to their geographic location and often have poorer health outcomes than people living in metropolitan areas. Data show that people living in rural and remote areas have higher rates of hospitalisations, deaths, injury and also have poorer access to, and use of, primary health care services, than people living in Major cities. Despite poorer health outcomes for some, the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey found that Australians living in towns with fewer than 1,000 people generally experienced higher levels of life satisfaction than those in urban areas and major cities
• Rural and remote health, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, (last updated 22 October 2019). On average, Australians living in rural and remote areas have shorter lives, higher levels of disease and injury and poorer access to and use of health services, compared with people living in metropolitan areas. Poorer health outcomes in rural and remote areas may be due to multiple factors including lifestyle differences and a level of disadvantage related to education and employment opportunities, as well as access to health services.
• Bright Futures: Young people in rural and regional Victoria, VicHealth, CSIRO Data61, YACVic and NCFH, (2018). Young people living in rural and regional communities have different experiences and challenges from those who live in cities especially in relation to their education, employment and social opportunities, and access to mental health services. VicHealth partnered with the National Centre for Farmer Health, Youth Affairs Council Victoria (YACVic) and CSIRO’s Data61 to explore what the megatrends mean for young people living in rural and regional Victoria. The upside of regional living is being part of community clubs, which largely form the social glue of rural and regional communities. Participation in sport is significantly higher among young people in rural and regional areas (20%) than those living in metropolitan areas (13%) (Eime et al. 2016). Sports participation can provide both physical and mental health benefits. However, young people in the study who had interests and talents outside of sport, and were not members of their local football or netball clubs, spoke about feelings of social exclusion.
• Mental Health in Rural and Remote Australia, National Rural Health Alliance, fact sheet, (December 2017). Despite a similar prevalence of mental illness in urban and country areas, the lack of access to mental health services and a reluctance to seek help contribute to the fact that rates of self-harm and suicide increase with remoteness. Specifically, poorer access to a GP and specialised mental health services, a fear of the stigma associated with mental illness, and socio-economic factors compound difficulties in treating mental health issues in more remote areas. Young men, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, farmers and older people are noted as groups particularly vulnerable to poor mental health and higher rates of suicide.
• The Health of People Living in Remote Australia, National Rural Health Alliance, fact sheet, (April 2016). Remote Australia is characterised by small, isolated communities with the highest rates of ill health. Despite their high needs, people in remote Australia have the lowest numbers of health professionals per population as well as poor access to health services which results in higher rates of hospitalisation and earlier death.

• The social impact of a regional community contemporary dance program in rural and remote Western Australia, Julia Anwar-McHenry, Annette Carmichael, Mark P. McHenry, Journal of Rural Studies, Volume 63, pp.240-250, (2018). This research sought to establish the social impact of a regional community contemporary dance program, Ausdance WA's Future Landings 2013. Specifically, whether the project enabled participants to ‘belong’ more to the local community and whether the projects increased capacity for contemporary dance in regional Western Australia. The findings suggest that the three Future Landings projects were successful in achieving the stated aims. That is, more than 90% of post-project survey respondents felt they had a good bond with, and were connected to their community, and over 80% of audience survey respondents felt the performance had a moderate to strong impact on their opportunities to socialise and feel part of the community. All the participants who responded to the post-project survey stated that their views on contemporary dance had changed as a result of participating in this project. These benefits were thought to extend to the audience as well, whose understanding of contemporary dance changed to something that is more accessible, relevant, and something that they can enjoy.
• Expanding social inclusion in community sports organizations: evidence from rural Australian Football clubs, Frost L, Lightbody M, Halabi A, Journal of Sport Management, Volume 27(6), pp.453-466, (2013). This paper utilised the evidence from the Parliament of Victoria’s Inquiry into Country Football (2004) to explore the current focus of rural Australian Football clubs regarding social inclusion, in the light of changes occurring in society in general and in rural towns in particular in the 21st century. It found that country football clubs have become more family friendly particularly with their merger with netball clubs. In addition, women are taking on leadership roles in this new environment.
• Warlpiri warriors: Australian Rules football in Central Australia, Mackinnon B, Campbell L, Sport in Society, Volume 15(7), pp.965-974, (2012). Yuendumu, located in the Tanami desert of the Northern Territory, is home to the largest Warlpiri community in Australia. This study examined the role of Australian Rules football in this remote indigenous community. Football in Yuendumu was revealed as a vehicle for social cohesion, group identity, pride and joy, and as an expression of manhood, enabling its young men to see themselves as modern-day Warlpiri warriors.
• Alive and Kicking Goals!: Preliminary Findings from a Kimberley Suicide Prevention Program, Tighe J, Mckay, K, Advances in Mental Health, Volume 10(3), pp.240-245, (2012). Alive and Kicking Goals! (AKG) was a pilot program in the Kimberley, Western Australia that took an innovative approach to suicide prevention peer education. This region has high suicide rates in young indigenous males. Players from the Broome Saints Football Club undertook training in suicide prevention in order to become Peer Educators (PEs) for the Kimberley region. At the conclusion of the pilot, 16 young men became PEs where they were equipped with practical skills in suicide awareness and prevention.
• Competitive sport and the construction of place identity in rural Australia, Tonts M, Atherley K, Sport in Society, Volume 13(3), pp.381-398, (2010). This paper explored the notion that competitive sport is a central component of Australian rural life. Through a case study of two rural communities in Western Australia, it demonstrated that sport does indeed contribute to the formation of place identity through diverse local and regional social interactions, practices and memories.

In 2010, an Australian Research Council Research Grant was awarded to further investigate the issue of talent development 'hot spots' in regional and rural communities raised by the 'Wagga effect' thesis. The Improving determinants of Australian sports talent identification and development: a multi-disciplinary approach grant was managed by Griffith University and involved the Australian Football League, Australian Sports Commission, Cricket Australia, and Tennis Australia. Research outcomes include:

• Improving the identification and development of Australia’s sporting talent, Toohey K, Funk D, Woolcock G, MacMahon C, Hahn A, Auld C, Farrow D, Bauman A, Weissensteiner J and Gulbin J, Australian Research Council Linkage Project, LP1001000324 (April 2015). Report identified and analysed the individual, combined and interactive effects of athlete, environmental and system determinants of talented athlete identification, confirmation and development (TID) in Australia. The research team investigated environmental, psychological, socio-cultural and developmental attributes previously overlooked in research specific to athlete recruitment and development. Findings from this research project provide sport organisations with strong evidence to help them refine their TID strategies, resource provision, and program design. This research represents a significant step towards a more detailed and nuanced understanding of sport participation and pre-elite development than has previously been undertaken in the Australian context.
• Improving the Identification and Development of Australia's Sporting Talent Symposium, Australian Institute of Sport, (10 December 2014). The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) hosted this Symposium as part of the ‘Sporting Talent’ research program, enabled through an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant. This project, led by Professor Kristine Toohey from Griffith University, represents one of the most comprehensive analyses of talent identification and development ever conducted. The project has been running for four years, over which time the research team has collaborated to understand how a number of factors may influence the identification and development of athletes, including community environments, athlete development and training, social and organisational factors, and psychology and participation.
• Measuring spatial variations in sports talent development: the approach, methods and measures of ‘Talent Tracker’, Woolcock G, Burke M, Australian Geographer, Volume 44(1), (2013). Paper in Griffith University Online provided data from AFL draft records, informants and secondary sources identified the place of junior talent development for the 1,290 players who were drafted and played at least one game of senior AFL football in the period 1997-2010. Data is displayed by regions throughout Australia.
• The impacts of transport accessibility and remoteness on Australian Football League (AFL) talent production: findings from the ‘Talent Tracker’ project, Burke M, Woolcock G, Australasian Transport Research Forum, ATRF 2012 - Proceedings, (2012). Authors researched AFL players from 1997-2010 to identify their place of junior development, defined as the club or school where they were registered whilst playing during the ages of 11 to 15. Study found that as transport accessibility increases and remoteness decreases, a region is more likely to produce talented AFL players. But the strength of the association is limited. The research raised questions about locations such as the Wheatbelt of Western Australia, as to what has allowed them to produce so many AFL players? Is there something about transport and the sports landscape at the regional scale that allows them to overcome these problems? Or are other non-spatial factors – such as the Western Australian Football League’s considerable investment in regional and remote community development – working to overcome these limitations?

• AIS support of regional athletes 1981 to 2013, Greg Blood, Australian Sport Reflections, (9 February 2021). Research found that 27.5 percent of 2016 Australian Olympic Team grew up in rural and regional Australia. Other research on this issue includes more than 16 per cent of professional NRL players (1998-2010) started as a junior in a town with a population less than 10,000 people and country Victoria has provided 22% (279 of a total of 1281) of the draftees into the AFL competition since 1997.
• Matt Denny: Grassroots to Greatness, Liana Buratti, Australian Olympic Committee, (22 October 2020). With talent to burn and a penchant for excelling at every sport he played, he went from rugby league prodigy to the town’s first Olympian, a feat he says he could never have achieved without his small town behind him.
• Review of Football in Country Victoria,Peter Jackson, AFL Victoria, (2011) Highlighted that country Victoria provided 22% (279 of a total of 1281) of the draftees into the AFL competition 1997-2011.

• First club location and relative age as influences on being a professional Australian rugby league player, Cobley S, Hanratty M, O’Connor D, Cotton W, International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, Volume 9(2), pp.335-346, (2014). This research found that players who began their participation as juniors in a country club are statistically overrepresented in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. It examined the ages and first clubs of NRL players' between 1998 and 2010. The findings supported the idea that small rural communities have a more beneficial playing or social environment that helps to nurture professional players in the long-term. More than 16 per cent of professional NRL players started as a junior in a town with a population less than 10,000 people.

• AFL Talent Hotspots and the 'Wagga Effect' [video], Associate Professor Geoff Woolcock, Smart Talk Presentation, Australian Institute of Sport, (18 March 2009). The 'Wagga Effect', a term used frequently in the Australian media to describe the disproportionately large number of elite sportsmen and women that originate from the city of Wagga Wagga in southern New South Wales, highlights that not enough is known about why this occurs in Wagga Wagga or other similar sport development 'hotspots'. It is generally acknowledged that critical social factors such as family upbringing and the socio-economic status of resident communities are likely predictors of sporting talent development but in Australia, aside from a few ad hoc and sport-specific case studies, little rigorous and longitudinal empirical data has been collected and collated to advance causal claims in this area. It is speculated - via the 'Wagga Effect' - that the phenomenon may arise in rural areas where the population is large enough to sustain the presence of a large number of sporting codes, but small enough to ensure that talented individuals are exposed to adult-level competition at an earlier age. However, this speculation remains just that in the absence of rigorous data collection and analysis across a range of sports. Associate Professor Geoff Woolcott presented his findings of a pilot study looking at AFL talent hotspots. [note: available to Clearinghouse 'High Performance' members only].

NSW Office of Sport supports and provides annual grants to the network of Regional Academies of Sport (RASi). A total of nine independent community based academies.

The NSW regional academies help developing athletes reach their potential by providing specialist services within a local environment. Regional academies provide a stepping stone for athletes on the pathway to elite athlete development as they progress from local club to NSW Institute of Sport support.

• Central Coast Academy of Sport (Mingara)
• Hunter Academy of Sport (Newcastle)
• Illawarra Academy of Sport (Wollongong)
• North Coast Academy of Sport (Lismore)
• Northern Inland Academy of Sport (Tamworth)
• South West Sydney Academy of Sport (Campbelltown)
• Southern Sports Academy (Wagga Wagga)
• Western Region Academy of Sport (Bathurst)
• Western Sydney Academy of Sport (Parramatta)

The Gold Coast Academy of Sport (GCAS) is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to offer the community inclusive sports development programs for youth who are committed to high achievement. The Academy is the first in Queensland. The business partners of the GCAS include the Gold Coast City Council, local business on the Gold Coast, and a host of other corporate sponsors.

All Victorian regional academies of sport are community based organisations that have established comprehensive programs to provide talented regional athletes with access to coaching and education programs of excellence, assisting them to reach their full sporting potential and enhance their access to pathways into state and national representation. Regional academies assist in the identification and nurturing of young athletes by providing programs and services to bridge the gap between club and elite levels. Considerable effort is focused on overcoming possible disadvantages faced by regional athletes, such as limited local resources and greater travelling time and distances.

• Bendigo Bank Academy of Sport
• Gippsland Sports Academy
• SouthWest Academy of Sport
• Sunraysia Academy of Sport
• University of Ballarat, WestVic Academy of Sport

• Mid West Academy of Sport (MWAS), Geraldton, WA. Promotes, develops and services sporting talent (athletes, coaches, and officials) throughout the Mid West Region of Western Australia. The Academy concept was proven to be financially viable and has continued to attract support from the WA Department of Sport and Recreation with local businesses also providing a significant in-kind and financial support.
• South West Academy of Sport (SWAS), Bunbury, WA. Is styled after the Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) and successful regional models in the eastern states of Australia. It supports identified SWAS athletes to their reach potential through identified pathways and programs delivered in the South West with support services such as nutrition, fitness, injury prevention, and mental skills training to hold them in good stead for a future in sport.