As a sport organisation wanting to increase participation by Aboriginal people, you don’t need to re-invent the wheel as you think about your approach. The following tips and suggested strategies are based on learnings from the State Sport Association Participation Program evaluation and consultation by Vicsport and VicHealth.
Consultation by VicHealth found that Aboriginal communities must be at the center of any initiative or program that seeks to boost participation by Aboriginal people. Each community is different, and each will have their own unique perspective on what works and what is appropriate. These insights should be at the core of your program design. In addition, building trust has frequently been reported as a crucial element to building participation. This means when you provide a participation opportunity you need to commit over a period of time, even if numbers remain very low at the beginning. By maintaining a consistent presence, people are more likely to trust that you are committed to providing the opportunities for a sustained period.
An example of a State Sport Association which has successfully engaged Aboriginal people is Surfing Victoria. Check out this great video about their surfing programs:
You may also train local Aboriginal leaders to conduct your sport’s activities. During the State Sport Association Participation Program, Canoeing Victoria trained Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, resulting in locally based qualified trainers to deliver canoeing activities. This provided benefits including increasing participation and reducing the number of hours required by Canoeing Victoria staff to deliver programs.
Feedback from sport organisations working with Aboriginal people , and surveys such as the AusPlay national participation survey, have highlighted that a key driver for people to get involved in sport is the social connections and friendships they make, and the joy of participating together. The power of a fun environment should never be underestimated.
Part of making sport fun is having coaches who know how to adapt and modify programs. The Australian Sport Commission has information to support coaches to be inclusive here.
Vicsport has consulted with Victorian sport organisations who are already working with Aboriginal people and developed the following list of suggestions to make programs appealing:
- Offering fun, social and recreational formats of your sport
- Ensure programs are physically accessible
- Make programs, competitions and memberships are affordable
- Be flexible with your competition or program days and start times
- Conduct come & try days to allow people to experience your sport
- Create a point of difference in your sport. For example, Cricket Australia organise the National Indigenous Cricket Championships, and Surfing Australia organise the Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles. These events create unique pathway for Aboriginal people to engage with.
Several sports, including AFL, netball and basketball, have delivered state-wide carnivals open to Aboriginal people. Carnivals involve a mix of individual and team activities held over a day, and generally involve families and other community members. Carnivals continue to play a vital role in the sporting lives of Aboriginal people because they bring the whole community together. These events have been successful given their capacity to incorporate young and old, transcending sport through culture and music. While carnivals are not the only key to sustained and year round participation, they are a great way to engage lots of people in your sport.
Partnership Case Study: Victorian Aboriginal Community Services Association Limited Statewide (VACSAL) Football and Netball Carnival.
Netball Victoria and AFL Victoria partner with VACSAL to deliver the state wide junior carnival which attracted over 700 participants in 2017.
A common approach by local sporting clubs and associations is to host an Indigenous Round. Hosting an Indigenous Round can help to promote respect and community harmony, as well as showcasing the sporting talents of the local community. Gippsport runs a program called Deadly Sport, and they have developed a resource to support clubs to conduct their own Indigenous Round.
Partnership Case Study: Churchill Football Netball Club Indigenous Round
The Churchill Football Netball Club partnered with the local Regional Sports Assembly – Gippsport – to deliver an indigenous round in 2017.
To ensure participation is sustainable, sport organisations should consider how pathways for Aboriginal people can support both ongoing community participation and elite success. The AFL and the AFL Players Association have been leaders in this area, and developed a resource called Many Stories, One Goal: Supporting Indigenous Footballers.
Watch: Kelly Applebee from the AFL Players Association talks about their approach to pathways for Aboriginal people.