Grassroots Women's Sport Positive Participation & Collaboration

What needs to happen at both elite and grassroots levels to improve gender equity in sport?

Rochelle Eime is a professor of exercise and sport science at Federation University, and she has looked into inequality and participation rates in sport.

She says recent research into traditionally male‑dominated sports, like football codes and cricket, shows strong growth in the number of women and girls playing — but low retention, with many dropping out after a season or a year.

Eime’s research also found that club culture has a major impact on women’s experiences.

“You see some really fantastic culture, and you see some really poor culture, but it comes down to the key individuals within those clubs to drive those cultures and for positive change.”

Listen to the Life Matters episode via ABC listen: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/lifematters/why-do-we-keep-dropping-the-ball-on-womens-sport-/106296316

Sport is a great way for parents to find community. Clubs can help to facilitate a safe environment for every family by completing our interactive scenario, ‘Responding to LGBTIQA+ scenarios in community sport’. The scenario highlights the role of the club in providing an inclusive culture and environment for LGBTIQA+ people, specifically same gender parents – sometimes referred to as rainbow families.

Access the scenario here: https://www.playbytherules.net.au/elearning-scenarios/responding-lgbtiqa-scenarios-community-sport

Why must player retention sit at the centre of participation planning in 2026?

As sport and physical activity systems look ahead, one finding from longitudinal participation research remains consistent: sustainable participation growth is far more strongly influenced by retention than by recruitment alone.

Drawing on PASI's long-term, professional research, Rochelle Eime highlights that participation is dynamic across the life course.

People move in and out of different sport and physical activities in response to changes in motivations, access, quality of experience, social context, and system alignment.

Retention, therefore, is not simply about keeping people involved - it reflects how well environments and policies support ongoing engagement over time.

For SSOs, NSOs, and LGAs responsible for participation planning, this evidence has important implications.

Prioritising retention requires a shift toward evidence-led decision-making that values continuity, quality of experience, and inclusive pathways, rather than short-term participation gains.

As we move into 2026, placing retention at the core of participation planning offers a more realistic, efficient, and equitable approach to strengthening participation systems - one grounded in data and a clear understanding of how people engage with sport and physical activity across their lives.

Learn more about evidence-led retention strategies at the PASI - Physical Activity and Sport Insights website - link in the comments below!