AusPlay commenced in October 2015 and is the largest and most comprehensive survey of its kind ever conducted in Australia. Each year, 20,000 adults aged 15+ complete the survey. Apart from providing information about their own participation, parents/guardians of children under the age of 15 are asked about organised physical activities undertaken by one of their children outside of school hours.

Respondents are asked about their participation in sport and physical activity in the 12 months prior to interview. These interviews are conducted by mobile telephone and were able to continue uninterrupted during COVID-19. In order to provide sufficient sample size for some of the smaller sports (such as Sailing), the AusPlay data in this report is aggregated, using a combined data set from 2016–2020.

Click here to read the full AusPlay Report for Olympic Sports.

Out of almost 40 summer Olympic Sports, Sailing is the fifth most successful sport, since 1896. The research also showed that Olympic success can lead to almost 80% of Australians feeling proud, which is a fantastic impact on the population.

As our own quarterly reports and membership numbers suggest, the AusPlay survey also shows that more than 100,000 people participate in Sailing. A further statistic that is worth noting is that 77% of sailors state that ‘fun/enjoyment’ is the reason for participating. This focus on fun and enjoyment is an outstanding marketing opportunity for clubs (and Australian Sailing), especially in the lead-up to the Olympics, to showcase Sailing as an attractive sport for people to participate and grow our participation even further.