With over 1,400 people attending the three-day National Sports Convention (NSC) events and over 900 purely attending the conferences in July this year, the consensus was that there needs to be greater emphasis on a Collective Systems Approach. This means that all levels of government and sport working together nationally and locally as well as the importance of embracing health, education the physical activity and the commercial sector. Examples from New Zealand, Canada and the UK were shared with the delegates and the resultant polls and delegate feedback has identified four priority areas:
- A collective approach – all working together with combined resources needed to really be able to make a difference;
- A greater inclusive approach – to ensure there are no barriers to participation, whether by gender, ability or specific demographic with a strong focus on children and young people;
- Physical activity – needs to be encouraged in all environments, schools, urban environments, work as well as greater play areas; and
- Community sport – needs to be supported to embrace the changing demands for participation, so new pathways and opportunities need to be considered.
A discussion paper to appreciate the priorities has been developed and is available from nationalsportsconvention.com.au
