INVOLVEMENT IN ORGANISED SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, QUEENSLAND, APRIL 2007

Introduction
Selected Characteristics of Persons Involved
Involvement in Non-playing Roles
Further Information


INTRODUCTION

People can be involved in organised sport and physical activity as either players, non-players or both. Non-playing roles include coach, instructor or teacher; referee or umpire; committee member or administrator; scorer or timekeeper; medical support; or other role. A person can be involved in more than one kind of sport or physical activity and in more than one role.

In the 12 months prior to April 2007, an estimated 876,700 Queenslanders aged 15 years and over reported that they were involved in organised sport and physical activity. This represents 28% of all persons aged 15 years and over in Queensland. Of those reporting involvement in organised sport, 573,600 (18% of Queensland's population aged 15 years and over) were players only and 168,600 (5.3%) were players who also had non-playing involvement. In all, 303,100 persons (9.6%) had non-playing involvement and, of those, 44% (134,500 persons) had only a non-playing involvement.

SELECTED CHARACTERISTICS OF PERSONS INVOLVED

Sex

Males were more likely to be involved in organised sport and physical activity than females: 462,700 males or 29% of Queensland males aged 15 years and over compared to 414,100 females or 26% of females in the same age group. Males had a higher participation rate as players (26%) than females (21%) although both males and females had the same rate (9.6%) for non-playing involvement.

Age

Persons aged 15–24 years had the highest participation rate (41%) of all total involvement, while persons aged 65 years and over had the lowest rate of participation (19%).


Males in the 15–24 years age group had the highest participation rate of any group with 47% being involved as either a player only or a player with non-playing involvement. There were no males in the 15–24 years age group involved only in non-playing roles.

Country of birth

People born in Australia had the highest participation rate (30%), persons born in the main English speaking countries (refer to Glossary for definition) had the next highest rate at 25% while persons born in other countries reported the lowest participation rate at 17%.

Labour force status

Persons who were employed in either a full-time or part-time capacity in the week prior to interview were the most likely to be involved in organised sport and physical activity: 661,700 persons or 32% of employed Queenslanders aged 15 years and over. Persons not in the labour force were least likely to be involved at 20%, while 24% of unemployed persons had some form of involvement.

Both males and females who had part-time employment were the most likely groups to participate in organised sport or physical activity with 33% of males and 34% of females in this group having some type of involvement.

INVOLVEMENT IN NON-PLAYING ROLES

Of the 303,100 Queenslanders with non-playing involvement (including those who were also players), the groups with the largest participation rates were coach, instructor or teacher with 124,400 persons and committee member or administrator with 123,100 persons. Both groups had a participation rate of 3.9%. Other major roles were scorer or timekeeper with 112,100 persons involved, equating to a participation rate of 3.5% and referee or umpire with 76,700 persons and a participation rate of 2.4%.


Qualifications

Persons with non-playing involvement in a sport or physical activity were more likely to have a qualification relevant to their role if their involvement was providing medical support (93%), as a coach, instructor or teacher (56%) or as a referee or umpire (49%).



Females in these roles were more likely than their male counterparts to have a qualification. Of the 16,300 females providing medical support 15,600 or 96% had relevant qualifications compared to 87% of their male counterparts. Similarly, 62% of females involved as coach, instructor or teacher had a qualification compared with 51% of males and 59% of female referees or umpires were qualified compared with 41% of males.

School or junior sport

Of the 303,100 persons participating in non-playing roles in sport or physical activity, 61% (184,700 persons) were involved in school or junior sports (refer to Glossary for definition). The role of coach, instructor or teacher had the highest participation rate at 79% followed by that of referee or umpire with a rate of 63%. The role of committee member or administrator had the lowest representation (51%).

Males had a greater participation rate for involvement in school or junior sport as coach, instructor or teacher (81%) than females (77%). In all other types of non-playing involvement females were more likely to be involved than males.



FURTHER INFORMATION

More information on this topic can be found in Involvement in Organised Sport and Physical Activity, April 2007 (cat. no. 6285.0) and in 6285.0 State Tables for Queensland accessed from the Details page of the web product.