Australian Sports Commission Report Card - Rugby failing

[RugbyReg]

The ASC (the funding body for sports in Australia) has, for the first time, released their report card on how sports are performing against their pre-set standards.

A link to the report is here.

Suffice to say we got marked 2 out of 5, remembering most of the focus from the ASC is the 7s program as an Olympic etc sport.

Total investment 2013–14: $1,712,300(high performance: $1,040,000; participation: $666,000; other: $6,300)
ASC funding as a percentage of total income: 1.8%
AIS investment in the sport is targeted at the men’s and women’s 7s program with the sport making its Olympic debut at Rio in 2016. The teams’ performances at the 2013 world cup did not reach Australian Rugby Union (ARU) expectations, with both teams finishing fifth. Some positive strategic changes have commenced in the programs, however significant work remains if the sport is to achieve its medal ambitions for Rio 2016 and the men’s team targets in Glasgow 2014.
In the 15-a-side game, the Wallabies recovered from a disappointing start to the year in which they lost to the Lions and only beat Argentina in the Rugby Championships. A change of coach led to increased optimism and the team won all but their first game on the end-of-year European tour, raising their world ranking to third.
Changes to the ARU constitution in late 2012 brought the sport closer to alignment with the ASC’s mandatory governance principles. The ARU is currently redeveloping its national plan and has embarked on a comprehensive consultation process. The new plan will focus on new markets, financial stability and improved high performance results.
The sport recorded solid participation growth during the year and has increased its longer term participation targets. The new ARU strategic plan is likely to have a strong focus on growing participation, particularly through women and 7s.

This could be a blog post I guess, if I had the time, perhaps over the weekend but a quick comparison with our main 'competitors'.




League got a 4 (equal highest) because the men and women both won a World Cup; because of the creation of the Australian Rugby League Commission; the partnership with touch; record player rego numbers. They also get about half as much funding from the ASC as the ARU with bugger all going to the actual Aussie teams.



Football (focusing on the able bodied discipline as the paralympic version gets funding too) and they are a 2 as well. Interestingly the FFA lose Frank Lowy as Chairman next year which could be a massive blow for the sport. Snr outdoor numbers have decreased but they have alligned with futsal which has given them a boost. They get an extra $2m worth of funding than the ARU.

There's nothing on AFL. They obviously don't get High Performance funding.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Pretty easy for Loig to win a world cup when the game is only just more internationally competitive than Australian Rules Football.

Loig counts Touch in its numbers. Soccer counts futsal in its numbers. Rugby just counts anyone, often twice. Guess creative counting is not just limited to the Australian Electoral Commission (WA Branch).

 

[TOCC]

AFL have long been advocates of creative accountancy in participation figures, rugby union was just late to the party, hence our fantastic growth in recent years..

 

[Set piece magic]

Really need some industry standards on participation numbers. It's Rich for the ASC to give Loig high performance funding at all.

 

[Pfitzy]

There was a women's Loig World Cup?

 

[Hugh Jarse]

The Australian Sporting and Physical Recreational environment (for participants >14 years old)

It is often quoted that Rugby is the fourth main football code. There are very rubbery participation figures thrown around by the peak bodies in the sports .

In each financial year the ABS conducts a Multipurpose Household Survey (MPHS) throughout Australia. The survey is designed to provide annual statistics for a number of small, self-contained topics, and in 2011–12, one of those topics was participation in sport and physical recreation (PSPRA) . Respondents to the survey were asked for details about sport or physical recreational activity that they had participated in at least once during the 12 months prior to interview. For the survey, ABS defines the term ‘participant’ as a player, competitor or person who takes part in some other physically active role.
Participation in the PSPRA is restricted to people aged 15 years and over.

Based on the survey responses from 1 person randomly selected in 17306 private dwellings, ABS then weave some magic to come up with an estimate of people participating in various sporting and recreational activities in Australia.

According to the ABS participation survey, the following numbers reported engaging in the following sporting and physical recreational activities at least once in the 12 months prior to survey:
Walking and Running: 5,591,883
Water Sports: 1,981,939
Golf: 1,073,709
Racquet Sports: 1,073,709
Soccer: 683,292
Hockey: 576,873
Netball: 448,048
Combative Sports: 358,259
Gymnastics and Trampolining: 359,705
Cricket: 359,705
Basketball: 354,829
Dancing Activities: 259,185
Fishing: 247,163
Australian Rules Football: 241,531
Rugby (all codes): 202,902
Equestrian Activities: 148,797
Ice & Snow sports: 138,653
Wheeled Motor Sports: 76,585
Roller Sports: 70,810

Source: http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=60129549097

Conclusions:
Some sports appeal to the spectator population is disproportionate to the number of active participants.

Surprised to see Hockey so high, and Fishing so low.

The ABS estimated participation numbers seem to be at variance with figures quoted by "others".

Note:
The source document is primarily about hospitalisation and injury rates in the various sports. It makes for interesting reading, although the injury figures for Rugby, League, and Rugby (unspecified) make it difficult to make direct and valid comparisons between the Diveball, Cross Country Volleyball, Fivekick and Rugby.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Interesting that this should appear in the SMH today:

You are more likely to end up in hospital playing AFL and soccer than any other sport, according to a new study.
Three times more likely – according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/afl-and-soccer-the-sports-more-likely-to-result-in-hospitalisation-20141103-11gdpp.html#ixzz3I2zhrHgh

 

[RugbyReg]

three times more likely? Is that because there are three times the number of players?

 

[Moses]

three times more likely? Is that because there are three times the number of players?

Lawn bowls is the most dangerous sport in the country going of fatality data

 

[D-Box]

three times more likely? Is that because there are three times the number of players?

Yep though aerial ping pong still rates higher than rugby on the per player/hour rates

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Noting that there are irregularities in the differentiation between Rugby and Fivekick, a more appropriate figure for the scared Helicopter Parents would possibly be the rate of hospitalisations per 100000 participants.

As you would expect contact sports feature higher than non-contact sports.

The data from the AIHW report reveals:
Aust Rules: 1319 hospitalisations per 100000 participants
Rugby (both codes): 1292
Soccer: 433

Non-Football Activities:
Wheeled Motor Sports: 3,574
Roller Sports: 2,305
Equestrian Activities: 902
Ice and Snow Sports: 803
Hockey: 393
Basketball: 373
Netball: 282
Cricket: 254
Gymnastics: 242
Cycling: 214
Fishing: 212
Dancing: 199
Combative Sports: 168
Water Sports: 99
Racquet Sports: 64
Golf: 29
Walking and Running: 16

In nearly all instances, the major cause of injury was fracture. Netball was soft tissue injury.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Noting that there are irregularities in the differentiation between Rugby and Fivekick, a more appropriate figure for the scared Helicopter Parents would possibly be the rate of hospitalisations per 100000 participants.

As you would expect contact sports feature higher than non-contact sports.

The data from the AIHW report reveals:
Aust Rules: 1319 hospitalisations per 100000 participants
Rugby (both codes): 1292
Soccer: 433

Non-Football Activities:
Wheeled Motor Sports: 3,574
Roller Sports: 2,305
Equestrian Activities: 902
Ice and Snow Sports: 803
Hockey: 393
Basketball: 373
Netball: 282
Cricket: 254
Gymnastics: 242
Cycling: 214
Fishing: 212
Dancing: 199
Combative Sports: 168
Water Sports: 99
Racquet Sports: 64
Golf: 29
Walking and Running: 16

In nearly all instances, the major cause of injury was fracture. Netball was soft tissue injury.

I assume you went to the source HJ?
And the source means the headline is crap - or am I (as usual) missing something?

 

[Hugh Jarse]

The data I quote is taken from "Table 2.6: Key indicators for sports injury hospitalisations included in the report" on pages 13 and 14 of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Report. (pdf pages 21 and 22).
http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=60129549097

The 146 page report is chock full of data and statistics, and like all reports of this nature all sorts of inferences can be drawn from it depending on how selective you want to be interpreting the data presented.

Most of the newspaper report is a direct copy and paste from the executive summary of the report. Far be it for the "Journalist" to actually read the report in full and "add value" for their readers. Probably too much risk involved in todays time poor, risk averse, knowledge deficient, headline seeking media.

 

[p.Tah]

433 for soccer? That can't be right. Every time I watch a game of soccer quite a lot of the players are rolling around on the ground in agony after a 'tackle'. Many of them are taken off in a medicab. For some reason it occurs a lot near the goal square.

If these players aren't hospitalised we need to know what magical treatment they use that fixes their catastrophic injuries.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

^^^^ The secret about the magical treatment in soccer has been revealed:

 

[ChargerWA]

^^^^ The secret about the magical treatment in soccer has been revealed:

Rather interesting that the sound grab they attach to the rugby section of that add is sounds from the Haka.

Despite the sooking on the Haka thread, just goes to show how synonymous with the game of rugby the Haka is.

 

[cyclopath]

Interesting that cycling does not appear on participation lists. But walking once in 12 months is participation?

 

[Sully]

I thought cycling was a fashion parade not a sport.

 

[cyclopath]

I thought cycling was a fashion parade not a sport.

It's a way of life, a calling, a discipline, a belief system.
And the lycra helps all that!!

 

[Wilson]

It's a way of life, a calling, a discipline, a belief system.
And the lycra helps all that!!

Maybe they took one look at all that Lycra and filled it under dancing?