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Athletics participation numbers surging nationally
The sport of Athletics is enjoying strong growth across the country with Athletics Australia reporting that registration rates around the nation have soared this season.
Nearly every state and territory of Australia has experienced strong senior participation growth this season.
Victoria has recorded strong growth in the 2012/13 Summer Season registrations, with figures up 8% on last year. That growth hasn’t been cooled by the approach of winter either, with an 11% increase in registrations for the opening round of the XCR season, and a 15% boost in registrations for the Cross Country Schools Competition Relays.
Athletics Australia Chief Executive Officer Dallas O’Brien said he was delighted that athletics centres around the country had experienced a significant surge this season.
The rise in popularity of the sport of athletics isn’t confined to the senior ranks of athletics either, with Little Athletics Australia (LAA) also reporting that they have broken their previous record for national registrations this season.
With the registration period still yet to close, LAA have processed 103,667 registrations, which is a 19.7%, increase on last season and surpasses the previous record number of 98,432 set back in 2000/01.
“A sport is only as strong as it’s grassroots support and we are delighted to see that our participation base around the country has recorded significant growth this season,” O’Brien said.
“As a sport we‘ve been focusing on growing our participation base through a range of innovative programs designed and delivered by our state and territory Member Associations to suit their local markets, and those programs are clearly striking a chord with the community. The messages of healthy living and physical activity that are naturally associated with the sport of athletics also resonate strongly with the public, especially given the growing concerns around obesity in the community” added O’Brien.
Read the full AA Media Release here.