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In the 12 months to April 2003, the most popular organised sports for boys aged 5-14 years were outdoor soccer with a participation rate of 22.3%, Australian Rules football (21.9%), and outdoor cricket (12.5%). For girls aged 5-14 years, the most popular sports were netball with a participation rate of 19.0%, swimming (12.7%), and hockey (7.8%).

For some sports, there is a clear difference between the sexes in terms of participation. For example, almost 97% of netball players were girls, while more than 97% of Australian Rules footballers were boys.

CHILDREN PARTICIPATING IN THE MOST POPULAR ORGANISED SPORTS(a), Tasmania - year ended April 2003
	Number				Participation rate
	Males	Females	Persons		Males	Females	Persons
Sports	'000	'000	'000		%	%	%
Soccer (outdoor)	7.5	*1.6	9.1		22.3	*4.9	13.8
Australian Rules football	7.3	**0.2	7.5		21.9	**0.5	11.5
Swimming	3.1	4.0	7.2		9.3	12.7	10.9
Netball	**0.2	6.1	6.3		**0.7	19.0	9.6
Basketball	3.0	2.1	5.1		9.0	6.6	7.8
Hockey	2.1	2.5	4.6		6.2	7.8	7.0
Cricket (outdoor)	4.2	**0.2	4.4		12.5	**0.5	6.6
Athletics and track and field	2.8	*1.5	4.2		8.4	*4.4	6.5
Tennis	2.4	*1.3	3.6		7.1	*3.9	5.5
Gymnastics (trampolining)	*1.0	*1.7	*2.8		3.1	5.3	4.2
Martial arts	*0.8	*0.7	*1.5		*2.5	*2.0	*2.3
Total organised sports(b)	22.9	16.9	39.8		68.2	52.8	60.7
* estimate has a relative standard error of between 25% and 50% and should be used with caution ** estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use (a) Children aged 5 to 14 years who participated in organised sport outside of school hours in the 12 months before interview in April 2003. (b) Total includes other organised sports. Source: ABS data available on request, Children's Participation in Cultural and Leisure Activities Survey.