Factors influencing participation

Due to location, population demographics, and available resources, rural, regional, and remote communities can be vulnerable to, or impacted by, extremes of climate and the environment. ^{36, 37, 38}

Climate and environmental factors can have a significant impact on people's willingness and ability to participate in sport and physical activities, especially outside. ^{8, 20} They can also impact on the type of facilities that are required, and the costs of building, maintenance, and longevity of infrastructure. For example, in northern parts of Australia shade structures must be able to withstand cyclones. ⁸ In other areas, seasonal droughts or flooding can lead to sports facilities requiring more significant or recurrent maintenance. ^{8, 20}

Some climate and environmental factors that can impact individual comfort/motivation to participate in sport, as well as the accessibility and availability of places to participate can include:

• Weather, both seasonal (e.g., rains, heat/humidity during specific times of the year), or extreme (e.g., cyclones, droughts, floods) ^{8, 20}
• Wildlife (e.g., snakes, kangaroos, crocodiles, sandflies, mosquitoes, jellyfish, etc.) ^{8, 61}

Better supply and access to facilities is generally associated with increased sport participation. ^{15, 20, 39, 40}

Research in Victoria and Queensland has shown that non-metropolitan regions often have good if not better access to sport facilities, especially for ‘traditional sports’ (e.g., swimming pools, field sports, lawn bowls, tennis courts). ^{8, 15}

However, challenges are emerging, especially with the rise in female participation in formerly male-dominated sports (e.g., various football codes) and the increase in modified programs for juniors and more social participants. ⁴¹

Increased demand for facilities (either existing or new) for more sports, competition formats, teams, appropriate change rooms, etc. can lead to higher costs, and potentially the loss of participants when changes cannot be made in a reasonable time frame, or when access to safe and accessible facilities is not equal (e.g., for different genders, ages, disability, cultural groups, etc.). ^{41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47}

There is limited research into sport injuries in Australia, but available studies suggest that incidence and severity of outcomes may be greater in rural and regional areas, especially for drowning related incidents. ^{48, 49, 50, 51}

One study of regional Victorian hospital showed a higher rate of emergency department presentations for sporting injuries in the winter sporting months, mainly sprains and strains. The increase was not necessarily due to more severe injuries, but probably reflected the increasing need for health care treatment for sports injuries, potentially due to higher participation rates and/or less alternative health services available for treament. The authors suggested that hospitals might need to optimise for types of injuries during different periods of the year, and also suggested that many of the sports injuries reported could potentially be prevented through injury and risk reduction strategies, which would reduce demand on services. ⁵²

More information on the prevalence, impact, and programs aimed at preventing sports injuries in Australia is available in the Cost of Sport Injuries topic.

Rural and regional communities play an important role in developing high-performance athletes. ^{53, 54}

Research has suggested rural and regional communities can often produce a disproportionately high number of elite athletes. This may be due to children having more space for play and sport, being exposed to a range of sports, and often participating with adults due to limited number of available competitions. ^{53, 55}

• One study found that more than 16% of players in the National Rugby League (NRL) between 1998 and 2010 started playing as juniors in towns with populations of less than 10,000 people. ⁵³
• In the mid 2000’s this phenomenon was called the ‘Wagga Effect’, named after the city of Wagga Wagga in New South Wales. The Wagga Wagga Sporting Hall of Fame highlights the number of athletes that have developed in the area. ⁵⁵

Although there is often a focus on the success stories, many individuals in rural, regional, and especially remote communities lack opportunities to access high quality competitions, sport development, and talent programs and resources. ^{14, 18, 56}

This affects not only athletes, but also coaches, officials, and administrators. Development programs and activities are most often held in metropolitan areas, leading to significant costs (both financial and in time required for travel) for non-metropolitan participants. ^{56, 57, 58}

Increasing the number of programs run in regional, rural, and remote communities (for athletes, coaches, officials, and administrators) can help to address these inequalities, and improve the development pathways and sustainability of sport. ^{14, 58}

Some other ideas suggested in the research to improve development pathways include:

• Increasing the number of qualified staff working in these regions, and/or the frequency and total time that experts (e.g., talent scouts) spend in non-metropolitan areas. ¹⁴
• Having formal mentoring and support programs, both in their home communities and for those who move to metropolitan areas. ^{58, 59, 60}
• Promoting achievements of individuals from rural, regional, and remote communities to encourage others to get involved. ⁵⁸