National Sports & Physical Activity Convention

As part of the 2026 National Sports & Physical Activity Convention, delegates are invited to step inside the projects and facilities helping shape The Next Generation of sport, recreation and play.

Taking place on Tuesday 30 June, three curated Industry Tours will provide practical, on-the-ground insights from expert practitioners across community facilities, sports grounds and outdoor play environments.

Delegates can choose from:

🏟️ Community Sport & Leisure Facilities
Explore how contemporary aquatic and leisure facilities are balancing sustainability, community impact and financial performance.

⛹ Community Sports Grounds – Design & Innovation
See how technology, smarter surfaces and innovative design are supporting more adaptable and future-ready community sport facilities.

🛝 Planning Play for All Ages
Hosted in conjunction with Play Australia, this tour examines how outdoor play spaces can better respond to the needs of children, teenagers, young people and intergenerational communities.

Why book a seat on an Industry Tour?
The future of sport, recreation and play is shaped by the decisions being made in real facilities, public spaces and community environments. These tours give delegates an excellent opportunity to see practical examples in action, learn from sector leaders and bring valuable insights back to their own projects, places and communities to help develop the facilities required to serve The Next Generation.

Explore the range of tours on our website and secure your place before seats sell out.

Australia is ageing. Are our facilities keeping up?

Australians aged 50+ are one of the largest - and most under-recognised - participation cohorts in community sport and leisure. Yet too many facilities continue to be designed, programmed, and operated without them in mind.

That’s a missed opportunity the sector can no longer afford to ignore.

At NSC26, The Next Generation of Participants – Over 50s places this cohort at the centre of the conversation, examining what it takes to genuinely engage, retain, and support older Australians in aquatic and leisure environments.

As Australia’s population continues to age, this is not simply a demographic shift - it is a structural one. Facilities that fail to understand and respond to the needs of older adults risk losing relevance to a rapidly growing segment of the community.

On the other hand, getting it right unlocks meaningful outcomes: stronger participation, improved safety, and long-term community wellbeing.

On stage we'll have:
🔹 Ricki Jones (Data Consulting NZ) - sharing data-led insights into participation trends and behaviours shaping over-50s engagement across aquatic and recreation settings
🔹 Dr Will Koon (Royal Life Saving Australia) - exploring drowning prevention strategy and why older adults represent a critical frontier in aquatic safety
🔹 Floss Roberts (Executive Director, Royal Life Saving NT) - bringing 20 years of on-the-ground experience championing water safety across community, government, and industry in the Northern Territory

Older Australians are not stepping back - they are staying active, staying engaged, and reshaping what participation looks like. Facilities and programs must be built to reflect that reality.

📅 1–2 July 2026 | Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre
👇 Secure your place at NSC 2026

The next generation of leaders across sport, recreation and play doesn't just happen.

It's built - through access, opportunity, and being in the room where the conversations that shape our industry take place.

That's exactly what the NSC26 Future Leaders Ticket is designed to do.

Created for emerging professionals under 25, this initiative gives the next wave of sector talent a seat at APAC's leading knowledge-sharing event connecting them with the ideas, networks, and industry insights that will define what comes next in sport, recreation and play.

As NSC26 explores The Next Generation across leadership, workforce development, participation and the future of our sector - every full-price ticket holder has the opportunity to bring one Future Leaders Ticket holder with them.

One seat. One emerging leader. One experience that could change the direction of their career.

Because investing in who comes next isn't just good for them - it's good for the entire industry.

Bring a future leader with you to NSC26.
📍 1–2 July 2026 | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC)

Membership growth starts with better systems.

At TechFEST 5: Innovative Technology to Drive Membership, we're bringing together three technology leaders showcasing real-world solutions that help sporting clubs and operators reduce friction, save time and strengthen community connection.

Hear from:
🔵 Gary Bailey, Club Solution Growth Lead, Coachbetter_ltd - sharing insights from a football-specific platform supporting coaches, clubs and federations across Australia and New Zealand, with a focus on improving coaching support and club capability at scale.
🔵 Lauren Mowen, Founder, Clubland Australia - exploring how developing a commercial clubhouse can save volunteers hours of work each week, helping clubs operate more efficiently and sustainably.
🔵 Michael Johnstone, CEO, Spawtz - presenting how purpose-built technology helps social sports operators attract, convert and retain players by simplifying league management, bookings, payments and player engagement.

This session is designed for sport, government and facility leaders looking for practical technology solutions that can improve the participant journey, reduce administrative burden and support stronger membership growth.

📅 1–2 July 2026 | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC)
👉 Secure your seat before it fills up.

Who is shaping the next generation of community sport and leisure infrastructure - and are we planning far enough ahead?

Community sport and leisure facilities are long-term public assets. The decisions made today around planning, design, sustainability and community need will influence how these spaces serve future generations.

At NSC26, The Next Gen Panel 2: Planning for community sport and leisure infrastructure for the next generation of users will bring together perspectives from aquatics, architecture, infrastructure planning and sustainable engineering.

The session features:

🔹 RJ Houston | Royal Life Saving Society - Australia
Using data to better understand future pool demand, community expectations and long-term aquatic infrastructure needs.

🔹 Sarah Slattery | Warren and Mahoney
Bringing a global perspective on future-focused community sport buildings, sports architecture and urban planning.

🔹 Taio Waldhaus | AME Group, Canada
Exploring the next generation of thinking for intergenerational, sustainable and low-carbon facilities.

Chaired by Amie Higgs, Manager Regional Sports Infrastructure at the City of Greater Geelong, the panel will explore what it takes to plan facilities that are inclusive, resilient, environmentally responsible and responsive to changing community needs.

From data-led demand planning to global design insights and sustainable systems thinking, this conversation will examine how community sport and leisure infrastructure can better support the next generation of users.

Register your place at NSC26 and be part of the conversation shaping the future of community sport and leisure infrastructure at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) on 1-2 July 2026.

Recognised Voices. Real Conversations. Sector-Wide Impact.
It is always encouraging to see the breadth of leadership, insight and experience across Australia and New Zealand’s sport, recreation, play and physical activity sectors recognised.

A recent sector article highlighting 50 thought leaders in sport and recreation leadership includes 12 people who are also contributing to the NSC26 program next month.

For us, this is not simply about a ranking.

It reinforces what NSC26 is designed to do….. bring together the people shaping policy, participation, infrastructure, inclusion, community outcomes, technology, leadership and The Next Generation of sector thinking.

Across two days in Melbourne, NSC26 will create the space for these voices, and many others, to share ideas, challenge assumptions and help the sector think more deeply about what comes next.

The strength of the Convention is not found in one person, one stream or one keynote….It is found in the collective intelligence of the room.

Explore the NSC26 program and join the conversations shaping The Next Generation of sport, recreation and play.

If you would like to read the article referenced, drop a comment below and we’ll share the link.

Today is the United Nations International Day of Play — and the message is clear: play is not optional. It is fundamental to how children and adolescents move, connect, develop confidence and build lifelong relationships with physical activity, recreation and sport.

As Robyn Monro Miller AM highlights through her Weaving Play into the National Fabric work, Australia needs to embed play across health, planning, education and community life — creating the conditions for every child to have the time, space and permission to play.

At NSC26, this important conversation comes to life through the Play & Adolescence stream, delivered in partnership with Play Australia.

The stream will explore how inclusive play, thoughtful design and youth-informed policy can better support adolescents at a critical life stage — particularly as participation often declines and informal play opportunities diminish.

Join a leading line-up of speakers including:

🛝 Robyn Monro Miller AM, CEO, Play Australia
🛹 Michelle Barry, Team Leader Child Health Promotion, Healthy Cities Australia
⛹️‍♀️ Dr Kelsie Prabawa-Sear, CEO, Nature Play WA
🍁 Daniel Burton, CEO, Educated by Nature
🌳 Professor Tonia Gray, Senior Researcher, Centre for Educational Research, Western Sydney University
👣 Gweneth Leigh, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Canberra
🏃‍♀️ Christian Eckardt, Manager Education and Community Programs, Greater Sydney Parklands

For planners, educators, sport and recreation providers, policymakers and community leaders, this is a timely opportunity to consider how we support The Next Generation to move, connect and thrive.

What do you believe adolescents need more of — space, permission, time, voice, or better-designed places to play?

Bring those thoughts to the 2026 National Sports & Physical Activity Convention and collaborate with other industry professionals shaping The Next Generation of Play.

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