A forum discussing the opportunities, challenges and possibilities of informal sport for the sport, health and community sectors.

This forum aims to facilitate a discussion on the opportunities and challenges presented by informal sport, consider some of the ways the sport, health and community sectors are engaging with informal provision, and reflect on how this might develop in the future. Through a panel discussion, the forum will draw on the views of stakeholders across the sports, local government, health and multicultural sectors to provide a stimulating debate.

In 2013 the CSIRO report ‘The Future of Australian Sport’ identified informal sport participation as an important mega-trend, suggesting that ‘people are fitting sport into their increasingly busy and time-fragmented lifestyles’ that requires greater flexibility than traditional structured sport can offer. Participation statistics reaffirm the trend - with data in Australia signalling that participation in structured club sport environments will decline 15% by 2036. Furthermore, current evidence indicates that informal sport often appeals to groups who experience exclusion in mainstream sporting environments, such as those from low socio-economic backgrounds, newly arrived and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.

This shift in participation raises numerous questions for sports, health and community policy makers, practitioners and researchers:

• What infrastructure and policies are required to support informal sport?
• How might informal sport support broader inclusion and diversity agendas?
• What sort of challenges and tensions arise from groups engaging in informal provision rather than structured sporting context?

The forum will also mark the launch of the newly awarded Australian Research Council funded project, Informal Sport as a health and social resource for diverse young people. The project is being undertaken by researchers at Monash, Victoria and Edith Cowan Universities and in partnership with VicHealth, Department for Local Government, Sport and cultural industries, Western Australia, Centre for Multicultural Youth and Cricket Victoria.