Decline in family spending on out-of-school children’s sport and physical activity in 2017

Australian parents spent $2.1 billion on organised out-of-school children’s sport and physical activity last year, a decline from 2016 when $2.5 billion was spent.

The spending, identified in the latest AusPlay report from the Australian Sports Commission, shows that $1 billion was spent on boys’ activity in 2017 and $1.1 billion on girls’ activity.

Dancing and taekwondo topped the list of sport registrations at $440 and $420 respectively, while the cheapest sports for registration included Australian football, which is heavily subsidised by the AFL, and Touch Football at $115 and $100.

Commenting on the dip in expenditure, Nicole Lessio, acting Executive Director at The Parenthood, said parents were doing all they could to save money and sport was no exception, advising “basically people don’t have the sorts of cash that they once did and as the cost of living goes up parents are looking around at different clubs and codes and seeing the cheapest and easiest way they can get their kids participating in sport.”

The AusPlay findings also show a rise in children’s activities in fitness clubs with children as young as five taking part in special sessions designed to improve their fitness – largely to boost their sporting performance.

With children’s activites delivering a $40 million boost for the fitness industry, around 63,000 youngsters are involved in gym-based programs, with parents spending a national average of $200 per child over the 12 months in 2017.

Kate Palmer, Chief Executive of the Australian Sports Commission, advised that children could be wanting to model their own parent’s gym habits, with fitness/gym the number one physical activity for adults nationally, telling the Australian “the gym absolutely can provide children the ability to learn about their limbs and muscles but what it doesn’t do is give you a team environment. It is not a play space.”

Fiona Brooks, Professor of Public Health at the University of Technology in Sydney said families could save on that $40 million-a-year figure by getting outside and exercising together rather than in a gym, advising “sending kids to the gym might be putting pressure on them that is just not necessary. I would say running together in a park with your child is much better for them than running on a treadmill.”

Troy Walker, YMCA Health and Wellness Manager, said demand for youth gym memberships was at a high, concluding “the reality is that not all young people are interested in playing footy or netball so YMCA gyms provides a real opportunity for them to get active and develop healthy habits for life.”

The AusPlay report surveyed more than 20,000 individuals, including more than 3000 parents, about their activity levels and the activity levels of their children. 

Image: The Fitness First Kids program (top) and Les Mills' Born to Move youth program (below).

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