Intro
March 2018
Sport and Recreation has an essential role in forming and maintaining the fabric of our communities and our society overall. A vibrant Sport and Recreation culture can provide social benefits far beyond the sporting field – to underpin happy, healthy, cohesive and resilient communities.
Sport and Recreation must position itself as a leading player in achieving these social benefits – where physical and mental health, social inclusion and community connectedness are at the heart of our policies and programs. It must lead the way in the fight against obesity through preventative health, promote inclusion of all sections of society and play a leading role in building and maintaining strong communities.
There are enormous social and economic benefits to having a vibrant sport and recreation culture. Sport has played a huge role in the formation of the Australian identity—we are a sporting nation of people with a happy-go-lucky attitude to life.
Sport provides the environment where our kids learn that it takes hard work to collect a medal, ribbon or other award in front of their family members, peers and coaches. Sport teaches us that there is no shame in not coming first, second or third, or losing a match, when you have given your all. This is a lesson people can take far beyond the sporting field.
This builds resilience, shared pride and achievements, and a culture of good sportsmanship and being ‘true sports’ in our youth.