ISD Blog

The first experience any prospective member has at your club can make or break whether a person chooses to join. While most clubs are aware of some of the barriers that limit participation in sport such as facility access, cost, lack of transport etc. many may not be aware of the less tangible factors. In this post I will walk you through some suggestions on how to make every new member feel welcome from day one.

One of the biggest myths about making inclusion happen in sport is that it costs a lot of money. This is simply not true! There are plenty of things you can do that won’t cost you a cent.

Here we provide you with some handy data tools that will help you build a better picture of what types of people make up the communities you deliver your sport activities in. The best thing is these are all free!

Modifying or adapting sport activities to meet the needs, skills and abilities of participants can be a simple way for programs to be more inclusive. The inclusion spectrum is about considering the range of options available and adapting these to suit the needs, goals and capabilities of participants.

While complying with legislation alone won’t always lead to successful inclusion in sport activities it is important that clubs and sports organisations at all levels understand and comply with Australian discrimination laws. Read on for summaries of the various Acts.

In this post we provide a collection of the best web resources to help you create welcoming and inclusive sport opportunities for everyone!

One of the most important contributors to successful inclusion in sport activities is adapting things to suit the needs of individual participants. In particular this applies to disability, where, adaptations are applied so that participation in activities or development of sport-based skills can occur effectively.

Good businesses understand their consumers needs and wants then design and deliver products and services accordingly. This article explores how the "Supply and Demand" model can help sport practitioners understand of the interaction between sport program provision and the target markets they wish to engage with.

At the centre of the conversation about social inclusion is the concept of disadvantage. Inclusion happens when the barriers and challenges that lead to disadvantage are removed. In doing so everybody has a fair opportunity to participate. In other words, no one has an undue advantage or disadvantage in a given setting.

One of the key elements for successful inclusive sport programs is the ability to establish, tap into and maximise strong networks. When it comes to achieving true lasting engagement in sport activities, particularly for people in the community who might face disadvantage when it comes to getting involved in sport, sometimes its difficult to know exactly who or what the main influencers are.

Inclusion in sport is as all about shifting the way people think and act so that barriers to participation are removed. It’s about much more than just the activity itself and requires all the people and groups involved to be on the same page and moving in the same direction. Building and maintaining effective partnerships and networks plays an important role in achieving success. The question is how can we achieve this? This is where Collective Impact could provide sport administrators with a way forward.