PASI - Physical Activity and Sport Insights

PASI - Physical Activity and Sport Insights A collaborative venture of Federation Uni and Victoria University, Australia

We integrate mixed data about sport and physical act participation and facilities, and health, for evidence-based decision making for the sport and recreation sector.

Sports facility planning and investment decisions shape communities for decades. Are your facilities and programs built ...
17/06/2026

Sports facility planning and investment decisions shape communities for decades. Are your facilities and programs built on evidence you can rely on?

Population growth, shifting demographics, and changing participation patterns all affect where and how people play sport.

For Local Government Authorities, getting infrastructure planning right means looking beyond current demand - and anticipating what communities will need in the years ahead.

PASI - Physical Activity and Sport Insights spatial analysis and community profiling work helps councils:

Benchmark current facility provision against comparable communities
Identify gaps in access and equity across geographic areas
Forecast future demand based on population growth and participation trends
Prioritise infrastructure investment with confidence and clarity

Our research - including published analysis on the relationship between sports facility provision, participation rates, and socioeconomic status - provides the evidence base that turns infrastructure planning from guesswork into strategy.

Because the communities that will use tomorrow's facilities are already growing today.

💬 Is your council using data to drive sports facility planning? We'd love to hear how - or help you get started.

Sport infrastructure decisions made today will shape participation outcomes for decades.Supporting those decisions with ...
11/06/2026

Sport infrastructure decisions made today will shape participation outcomes for decades.

Supporting those decisions with robust, longitudinal evidence is no longer optional - it is central to responsible facility planning.

PASI’s sports facility forecasting draws on over a decade of ethics-approved participation research, tracking more than one million participants annually across 16 major sports, to analyse current and projected facility requirements.

For LGAs, state governments and sporting organisations investing in built environments for sport, this analysis helps reduce assumption in one of the most capital-intensive areas of sport and recreation planning.

LGAs across Victoria have used PASI’s forecasting work to prioritise facility investment with greater confidence and precision.

Under-provision can limit community access to sport and constrain participation growth. Overprovision can lead to a significant misallocation of public investment.

The right facilities, in the right locations, planned around actual and projected participation demand, are what allow infrastructure to continue supporting the outcomes they were designed to deliver over the long term.

PASI’s forecasting integrates participation data, demographic trends, geographic analysis and facility benchmarking to give planners a clear, evidence-based picture of what is required - and where.

Before your next facility plan is finalised, ask: is it based on actual and projected participation demand?

Local government authorities make some of the most important decisions in community sport and recreation.But too often, ...
08/06/2026

Local government authorities make some of the most important decisions in community sport and recreation.

But too often, those decisions are made without the place-based evidence needed to understand what each community and sporting code, actually needs.

PASI’s community profiles help address that gap.

Drawing on over a decade of longitudinal research tracking more than one million participants annually, PASI analyses and benchmarks LGAs across key indicators, including demographics, health outcomes, education, physical activity levels, sport participation and facility provision.

This matters because participation patterns are not the same everywhere.

Regional and metropolitan communities can differ significantly, and those local differences need to be understood before planning decisions are made.

PASI - Physical Activity and Sport Insights community profiles are not generic national data applied locally.

They provide place-specific intelligence that reflects the actual conditions, population characteristics and participation patterns of each community.

For councils and planners, this means stronger evidence to support infrastructure planning, program investment, policy development and long-term measurement.

LGAs across Victoria have used PASI’s community profiles to guide sport and recreation planning with greater confidence.

For LGAs responsible for community sport and recreation strategy, PASI helps translate research into locally grounded evidence that supports more informed planning, policy and investment decisions.

To learn how PASI can support your LGA’s community sport planning, drop a comment or send us a message.

Retention reveals what recruitment figures alone cannot.Recruitment remains essential to growing sport participation, bu...
03/06/2026

Retention reveals what recruitment figures alone cannot.

Recruitment remains essential to growing sport participation, but it only tells part of the story.

A fuller understanding of participation requires looking beyond who joins, to who continues, who disengages, and what these patterns reveal over time.

PASI’s sport retention research helps organisations examine participation trends across different cohorts, locations and sporting contexts.

This evidence can support more informed planning, policy, investment, recruitment and development decisions.

The value of retention research lies in its ability to identify where participation systems may be working well, where challenges are emerging, and where more targeted support may be required.

For NSOs, SSOs, clubs and sector partners, this evidence provides a stronger foundation for strengthening participation pathways and supporting long-term community outcomes.

To learn how PASI - Physical Activity and Sport Insights research can support evidence-informed planning and decision-making and connect with us to find out more.

Evidence-led insight is essential to stronger decision-making across sport and physical activity.PASI - Physical Activit...
02/06/2026

Evidence-led insight is essential to stronger decision-making across sport and physical activity.

PASI - Physical Activity and Sport Insights - helps organisations move beyond assumptions by translating research, data and sector knowledge into practical intelligence for decision-makers.

Our work supports a deeper understanding of the factors shaping participation, retention, re-engagement, facility programs and requirements, wellbeing outcomes and long-term sector impact.

For sports governing bodies, local government and sector leaders, this evidence provides a stronger foundation for planning, policy, investment and participation strategy.

It can help answer important questions:

• Who is participating, and who is missing?
• Where are people dropping out, and why?
• What does community demand look like across different places and populations?
• Where will investment have the greatest long-term impact?

From national and state-level analysis to local community sports insight, PASI provides the evidence base required to move from assumption to informed action.

If your next strategy, funding submission, facility decision or participation plan depends on understanding people, place and demand, connect with PASI to explore how evidence-led insight can support stronger outcomes.

Dropout doesn’t always mean goodbye.Leaving sport does not always mean a young person has lost interest.For many former ...
27/05/2026

Dropout doesn’t always mean goodbye.
Leaving sport does not always mean a young person has lost interest.

For many former netball players, dropout was not about walking away from the sport completely. It was often about life becoming harder to balance - school, university, work, changing friendships, training commitments, and competition pressure all played a role.

As one former player shared:

“If there was a social competition that didn’t require as much commitment I would probably join.”

Another reflected:

“I would definitely play again if it was more about having fun with friends.”

These insights highlight an important opportunity for sporting organisations.

Former players may still want to be involved - but the format needs to better fit their life stage.

Flexible participation options such as shorter seasons, social competitions, reduced training requirements, and more flexible game times can help create a pathway back into sport.

Re-engagement is not just about asking players to return.

It is about understanding what changed, what barriers exist, and what kind of experience would make participation feel possible again.

At PASI - Physical Activity and Sport Insights, our research helps sporting organisations better understand participant behaviour, dropout patterns and re-engagement opportunities - so sport can become more inclusive, flexible and sustainable across the lifespan of players.

How could your sport create more flexible ways for former players to return?

Do players feel like they belong?A young player may enjoy the sport. They may have the skills. They may even want to kee...
25/05/2026

Do players feel like they belong?

A young player may enjoy the sport. They may have the skills. They may even want to keep playing.

But when their sense of connection to the team starts to fade, their motivation to stay can slowly decline.

This was one of the important insights from the recent Netball Player Study we undertook, where former players reflected on how friendships, team culture and belonging shaped their participation journey.

For some, being with friends made the environment feel safe, familiar and enjoyable. For others, when those strong friendships were no longer present, the team no longer felt like a strong reason to stay.

For sporting organisations, this creates a practical opportunity.

Retention planning should not only focus on competition structure, training schedules or skill development.

It should also ask:

Are players building meaningful connections?
Are new players being included properly?
Are teams creating a culture where young people feel safe, valued and part of something?

Because for many young people, social connection is not separate from participation.

It is part of the reason they keep coming back.

At PASI - Physical Activity and Sport Insights, we work with sporting organisations to translate participation research into practical decisions - helping them identify what keeps people involved, where barriers emerge, and how sport experiences can better support participants over time.

Talk to us about how participation research can support stronger retention and more meaningful experiences for your sport.

The power of sport is the people.Even when world championships are won and awards are celebrated, the true power of spor...
21/05/2026

The power of sport is the people.

Even when world championships are won and awards are celebrated, the true power of sport is often found in the connection it creates between people.

It was wonderful to attend the Vicsport Awards again last week at the iconic MCG, celebrating significant contributions across the Victorian sport sector, from elite performance through to community volunteers.

While sporting achievements were rightly acknowledged, what stood out most was the shared message across the evening: sport matters because of the people it brings together.

Sharelle McMahon, recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Victorian Sport Award, spoke about the importance of support from family and the powerful moments within a netball team huddle, with every player and coach close together, arms around each other, having each other’s back.

Narelle Draper, winner of Community Coach of the Year, reflected on the joy of coaching many netball teams and the importance of connecting with each player, understanding them, and helping bring out their best development.

A very special highlight was Frankston Softball Association, winner of the Peter Norman Inclusion Award, for its partnership with Doable Australia to create meaningful volunteer canteen opportunities for people with disability.

The joy, contribution and sense of belonging experienced by those individuals was a beautiful reminder of what inclusive sport can make possible.

At its heart, sport is not only about performance, participation or recognition.

It is about connection, belonging and the people who make sport meaningful.

Photos: Vicsport Board and CEO Elyse Jenkins, and MC Paul Kennedy.

Cost-of-living pressures are creating real challenges for community sport participation.Professor Rochelle Eime recently...
14/05/2026

Cost-of-living pressures are creating real challenges for community sport participation.

Professor Rochelle Eime recently joined a live TV discussion to share insights on how rising costs, fuel pressures and regional travel demands are affecting families, volunteers and grassroots sport communities.

For many families, participation is not only about registration fees. It can also involve transport, equipment, accommodation, time commitments and difficult decisions about which activities can continue.

These challenges are particularly important in regional areas, where public transport options may be limited and families often rely on private vehicles to access sport.

The discussion also highlighted the broader value of community sport, including physical activity, social connection, mental wellbeing and a stronger sense of belonging.

Understanding these barriers is an important step in supporting more accessible, inclusive and sustainable participation opportunities for all communities.

What barriers are you seeing in your community when it comes to sport participation?

The value of being active extends well beyond participation numbers.Sport and physical activity contribute to healthier ...
12/05/2026

The value of being active extends well beyond participation numbers.

Sport and physical activity contribute to healthier people, more connected communities and stronger social and economic outcomes.

For governments, sporting organisations, councils and sector leaders, understanding this wider value is important. It helps shift the conversation from simply measuring how many people participate to understanding what participation contributes over time.

PASI’s work supports this through evidence-led research and applied insights into the health, social and economic value of sport and physical activity.

These insights help decision-makers plan with greater confidence, communicate impact more clearly and support participation strategies that are grounded in evidence.

Because when the broader value of being active is better understood, better decisions can be made for people, communities and the future of sport.

Learn more about PASI’s work via the link in the comments.

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