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EVIDENCE BASE FOR SPORT

Men in Sport

Sport is an important activity for many Australian males. 1 Motivations to participate include benefits to health and fitness, as a social activity, and because it’s fun. 2

Because so many men and boys are already engaged in sport – as participants, volunteers, employees, and fans – it can be an important vehicle for bringing together different age-groups, cultures, and socio-economic backgrounds, and to encourage healthy individual and social behaviours. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Addressing barriers to participation, especially for certain groups (e.g., those with disability or from lower socio-economic backgrounds) can help create an equitable and diverse sport environment that allows everyone enjoy the benefits of sport. 8, 9

In 2022 Australia’s estimated resident population was 26,268,359 people, 49.6% (13,037,315) were men and boys and around 49% of the male population participated in a sport-related activity at least once a week. 1, 10

PARTICIPATION - 2022



50% of Australian men [aged 15+] participated in a sport-related activity at least once a week. 1
47% of Australian boys [aged 0-14] participated in organised outside-of-school hours sport-related activity at least once a week. 1
17% of Australian men [aged 15+] were involved in a non-playing role at least once in 2022. 11
Estimated sport-related participation by age group 1
Estimated sport-related participation at least once a week by State/Territory, Men [15+] 1
  • Australian Capital Territory - 56%
  • New South Wales - 51%
  • Northern Territory - 49%
  • Queensland - 48%
  • South Australia - 44%
  • Tasmania - 44%
  • Victoria - 50%
  • Western Australia - 52%
An estimated 548,000 [32% of] Australian men [aged 18+] with a disability participated in a sport-related activity at least once a week. 1
An estimated 104,000 [40% of] First Nations' men [aged 18+] participated in a sport-related activity at least once a week. 1
An estimated 899,000 [49% of] Australian men [aged 18+] who speak a language other than English (LOTE) at home participated in a sport-related activity at least once a week. 1
Most popular sport-related activities with estimated participants 12
Boys aged 0-14
Swimming - 868,000
Football/Soccer - 511,000
Australian Football - 342,000
Basketball - 325,000
Cricket - 195,000
Gymnastics - 179,000
Tennis - 156,000
Rugby League - 133,000
Running/Athletics - 127,000
Rugby Union - 80,000
Young Adult aged 15-24
Running/Athletics - 429,000
Basketball - 367,000
Football/Soccer - 362,000
Swimming - 220,000
Australian Football - 189,000
Cycling - 173,000
Cricket - 122,000
Tennis - 111,000
Volleyball - 109,000
Rugby League - 104,000
Adult aged 25-54
Running/Athletics - 1,440,000
Cycling - 1,052,000
Swimming - 918,000
Football/Soccer - 593,000
Golf - 476,000
Basketball - 433,000
Tennis - 285,000
Cricket - 360,000
Surfing - 294,000
Australian Football - 266,000
Mature Adult aged 55+
Cycling - 623,000
Swimming - 524,000
Golf - 523,000
Running/Athletics - 249,000
Tennis - 187,000
Bowls - 135,000
Surfing - 115,000
Canoeing/Kayaking - 99,000
Sailing - 82,000
Mountain Bike - 69,000
  1. AusPlay Data Portal: Sport-related participation – frequency of participation, Australian Sports Commission, (accessed 1 May 2023).
  2. AusPlay National Sport and Physical Activity Participation Report, Australian Sports Commission, (November 2022)
  3. Sons of the West [program], Western Bulldogs, (accessed 15 August 2023).
  4. The community network: an Aboriginal community football club bringing people together, Alister Thorpe, Wendy Anders, Kevin Rowley, Australian Journal of Primary Health, Volume 20(4), pp.356-364, (August 2014).
  5. The longitudinal study of Australian children: 2015 Annual report: Chapter 5, Australian children’s screen time and participation in extracurricular activities, Maggie Yu and Jennifer Baxter, Growing up in Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies, (September 2016).
  6. Sport participation and academic performance in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis, Katherine Owen, Bridget Foley, Katrina Wilhite, et al., Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, Volume 54(2), pp.299-306, (February 2022).
  7. Overweight and obese men’s experiences in a sport-based weight loss intervention for men, Timothy Budden, James A. Dimmock, Brett Smith, et.al., Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Volume 50, 101750, (2020).
  8. Effectiveness of Adult Health Promotion Interventions Delivered Through Professional Sport: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Emma George, Aymen El Masri, Dominika Kwasnicka, Sports Medicine, Volume 52, pp.2637-2655, (June 2022).
  9. Value and Benefits of Sport: Social and mental wellbeing, Clearinghouse for Sport, (accessed 15 August 2023).
  10. National, state and territory population: December 2022, Australian Bureau of Statistics (15 June 2023)
  11. AusPlay Data Portal: non-playing roles, Australian Sports Commission, (accessed 13 July 2023)
  12. AusPlay Data Portal: Participation by activity, Australian Sports Commission, (accessed 1 May 2023)

Related Topics

Participation in sport

Physical Activity

Women in Sport

Australia's First Nations Peoples and Sport

Sport and Persons with Disability

Mature-aged Sport

Sexuality and Gender Perspectives on Sports Ethics

Volunteers in Sport

Last updated: 28 June 2023
Content disclaimer: See Clearinghouse for Sport disclaimer

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