• 42% of parents say their children are playing less sport than they would like to, with cost being the biggest barrier.
• Children of parents on lower incomes are the most likely to miss out on sport all together.
• See our report for more.

More than two in five Aussie kids are playing less sport than they would like to, with the costs of registration, equipment, uniforms and travel creating barriers for many families. 

The DemosAU report, Barriers to Sporting Participation, polled 5,361 Australians to better understand sporting participation and barriers to further involvement.

While 73% of parents reported that their children had played sport outside of school PE classes in the past 12 months, many of those on lower incomes indicated their children were missing out. 

Among parents earning more than $125,000 a year, only 15% reported that their children hadn’t participated in a sport outside of school, rising to 27% for those who earned between $45,000 and $125,000 and 36% for those earning less than $45,000.

It was a similar experience for parents who were renting – more than 4 out of ten (41%) said their children hadn’t participated in a sport, compared to 20% among those who owned their home with a mortgage. 

Cost is the main barrier to sporting participation

Meanwhile, 42% of parents said their children would like to participate in more sport than they were currently able to, with cost being the main barrier.

The top three reasons for being unable to participate were cost of registration or club fees (55%), followed by cost of equipment, uniforms or gear (48%) and cost of travel to training or games (39%).

For parents earning under $45,000, 66% nominated cost of registration as a barrier to their kid being able to play sport compared to 52% for mid-income earners and 49% for high income earners.

DemosAU Head of Research George Hasanakos said cost was a major factor affecting kids’ sporting participation.

“We know sport can make a huge difference to a child’s life, equipping them with a lot of social skills and getting the best start in life physically,” Mr Hasanakos said.

“But our data shows that being involved in organised sports is becoming more of a luxury for kids as parents grapple with the cost of living.

He said children from low-income families were disproportionately affected.

“Around 85% of kids from higher-income families played sport in the past 12 months compared to 64% for those earning under $45k.

“Our data shows the more money you earn the more likely your children are playing sports.

“The most disadvantaged are kids from low-income families where there’s simply not enough money to stretch to put your kids in sport.”

With issues like childhood obesity, excessive screen time concerns, and escalating behavioural concerns in schools, Mr Hasanakos said policy-makers should consider incentives to support more kids to play sport.

The report also found 60% of Australian adults did not participate in any sport in the past 12 months, rising to 72% among those earning less than $45,000, and falling to 38% among those earning more than $125,000.

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