Many Australians are introduced to sports from a young age and it is common for children to participate in organized sports such as swimming, football, and gymnastics. Youth participation in sports can vary greatly but over 50 percent of Australian children participate in sports at least once per week.
As spectators, Australians are some of the most enthusiastic in the world. Sports such as rugby, Australian rules football, horseracing and cricket have historically drawn in large numbers, and attendance for these sports continue to be high. While male sporting events have traditionally been more popular in Australia, recent trends have shown women’s sports drawing in large numbers of spectators as well. The Australian Football League Women’s (AFLW) in particular, has seen a surge in popularity which has been translated into high attendance numbers and a spotlight on the gender pay gap disparity experienced by female athletes.
More and more Australians have been opting to join gyms over the past few years, which has become a convenient solo alternative to team sports. Accordingly, the number of fitness centers and gyms have grown steadily, despite many businesses being forced to close temporarily during lockdown periods in 2020. This indicates that the industry is on track to maintain its growth rate post-COVID and bodes well for other individual sports segments such as the wearable technologies industry.
