Statistics and research in sports and recreation
This article appears in the June 2009 edition of Sportshorts.
How to use it to your advantage – and where to access it easily!
There is certainly lots of research out there on sport and recreation. But is it relevant and useful to the community-based sport organisation?
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This article appears in the June 2009 edition of Sportshorts. Subscribe to our e-updates to be notified of future editions - they're free!
If you’re a volunteer coach or committee person, already stretched for time, the prospect of wading through loads of figures and statistics isn’t overly appealing.
But the fact is a little information could make your life easier – and ensure your efforts are more effective.
Consider just a few of the ways a club committee could use basic industry research:
- Add weight to your sponsorship proposal with statistics. For example, “our sport is the most popular in Australia” or “female participation in our sport has doubled in the past 5 years.”
- Strengthen your proposal for enhancing facilities with census data. For example, “data shows a huge growth in families with young children in our area. Our facilities will need to expand to cope with the expected influx of juniors.”
- Improve membership by better understanding your market. For example, industry research can tell you sport ‘x, y and z’ are most popular in your area. You can then closely examine what these sports are doing to recruit members.
- Better recruit and/or retain club volunteers by reading up on the key bodies of volunteer research. They provide insight as to what motivates and turns people off volunteering. A better understanding of this could help your club.
For coaches and instructors, accessing the latest research and information on your sport is essential for participant safety and enjoyment. It can also be a huge time saver when it comes to the basics like training drills – no need to reinvent the wheel when it’s all been done before.
So where do you find the information you need?
Statistics
NSW Sport and Recreation website - www.dsr.nsw.gov.au/research
For a summary of all the major research associated with sport and physical activity
Australian Bureau of Statistics - www.abs.gov.au (all data is free of charge)
The ABS site is enormous! Here’s our best tips for finding info:
- Click on “Themes”, then “Culture and Recreation” and then “Sports and Recreation Releases” for detailed data on sport and physical activity such as types of volunteer roles, children’s participation rates by sport, major expenditure and revenue items for the sport industry etc.
- Click on “Census”, then “Census Data Online” for demographic data from the Census of Population and Housing by postcode, suburb, local government area. You can use “QuickStats” for summary data on your suburb or local government area. Select “Basic Community Profile” for detailed info.
Australian Sports Commission website - www.ausport.gov.au/information/scors/ERASS
- For trend data on adult participation by sport in the Exercise, Recreation and Sport Survey (ERASS). This survey collects information on the frequency, duration, nature and type of activities that are participated in by persons aged 15 years and over for exercise, recreation and sport from 2001 to 2007.
Libraries
- Australian College of Physical Education, Sydney Olympic Park - www.acpe.com.au
Library is open to the public - National Sports Information Centre (NSIC), Australian Sports Commission, Canberra - www.ausport.gov.au/information/nsic
Library is open to the public. Online services offered include: NCIS catalogue: view the books, reports, videos/dvds and articles NCIS hold and SportScan: search 20,000+ sports journal articles - Your local library
Go to your local council website for details on library locations. A great place to visit for all types of info and research. If they don’t have what you need, they can often access it from other libraries
General information and resources
- Your National and/or State Sporting Organisation website - Always a good first port of call. Many sites are packed with useful resources for committees, coaches and players. Register for their e-newsletter to stay in touch
- NSW Sport and Recreation website www.dsr.nsw.gov.au/sportsclubs - The “Sports Club” area has loads of info and tools to help run a club
- Australian Sports Commission website www.ausport.gov.au - Info, tools and downloads on a huge range of sport topics
- Play by the Rules website www.playbytherules.net.au - For information on harassment, abuse and fair play