Junior sport participation in Australia: how many kids play organised sport
Children aged 0-14 in organised sport, AusPlay CY2025
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TL;DR
Junior sport in Australia, in four numbers
- 1.83 million children aged 0 to 14 played organised sport or physical activity at least once a week in 2025.
- That is 38 per cent of all Australian children in the age band, as estimated by AusPlay.
- By sport, the verified child counts are swimming 1.12 million, basketball 342,000, netball 239,000 and tennis 187,000.
- All four come from the AusPlay CY2025 release of 30 April 2026 and may be reused under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 with attribution.
Across all sports, 1.83 million Australian children aged 0 to 14, or 38 per cent of that age group, took part in organised sport or physical activity at least once a week during calendar year 2025, according to AusPlay results released by the Australian Sports Commission on 30 April 2026. This page presents that headline with its definition, population and period, alongside the per-sport child figures already verified on the sibling pages, and explains what the weekly measure does and does not include.
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The weekly organised-sport headline
AusPlay's child measure is deliberately narrow. It counts a child aged 0 to 14 who took part in organised sport or physical activity, outside school hours, at least once a week on average, as reported by a parent or guardian. The 1.83 million figure and its 38 per cent share are therefore a measure of regular, structured participation, not of whether a child ever kicks a ball. The AusPlay tables also rank the top five activities within each age band; those rankings were not part of the verified figure set and are referenced rather than reproduced.
- Weekly: on average at least once a week across the 12 months before interview, derived from reported frequency.
- Organised: run by a club, association, centre, coach or school program; informal play does not count.
- Outside school hours: physical education and school sport during the school day are excluded.
- 38 per cent is the share of all Australian children aged 0 to 14, not of children who play sport.
- Top-5 rankings by age band are in the AusPlay tables and were not verified for this page.
| Measure | Figure | Population | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children in organised sport weekly | 1.83 million | Children 0-14 | Jan-Dec 2025 | AusPlay CY2025 |
| Share of all children | 38% | Children 0-14 | Jan-Dec 2025 | AusPlay CY2025 |
| Top 5 activities by age band | In AusPlay tables | Children 0-14 | Jan-Dec 2025 | AusPlay CY2025 |
Child participation by sport, from the sibling pages
The per-sport child figures below use AusPlay's standard child measure (organised participation in the previous 12 months, parent-reported), which is broader than the weekly measure in the headline table. They are the same figures cited on this site's tennis, netball, basketball and swimming pages and are repeated here so the junior picture can be read in one place. They cannot be summed to the 1.83 million headline because the measures differ and a child can appear in more than one sport.
| Sport | Children 0-14 | Measure | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swimming | 1.12 million | Organised, 12 months | Jan-Dec 2025 | AusPlay CY2025 |
| Basketball | 342,000 | Organised, 12 months | Jan-Dec 2025 | AusPlay CY2025 |
| Netball | 239,000 | Organised, 12 months | Jan-Dec 2025 | AusPlay CY2025 |
| Tennis | 187,000 | Organised, 12 months | Jan-Dec 2025 | AusPlay CY2025 |
Trend: why no growth rate appears here
The junior headline verified for this page is a single calendar-year estimate. Earlier AusPlay releases reported children's participation for financial years, and the weekly measure is sensitive to which months fall inside the period, because term sport and summer sport peak at different times of year. Setting a July-to-June share against a January-to-December share would print a change that is partly an artefact. The next calendar-year release will allow a genuine comparison, and this page will carry it with both periods stated.
How the junior figures are collected
In every AusPlay household interview with a parent or guardian, the survey selects one child aged 0 to 14 and asks about that child's organised sport and physical activity outside school hours over the previous 12 months, including which activities, how often, and who organised them. Results are weighted so the selected children represent all Australian children in the age band. Weekly participation is derived from the reported frequency. The calendar year 2025 estimates, covering January to December 2025, were published by the Australian Sports Commission on 30 April 2026.
- One child per household, selected at random, reported by a parent or guardian.
- Organised activity outside school hours only; school PE and lunchtime play are excluded.
- Weekly participation is derived from reported frequency over the previous 12 months.
- Weighted to population benchmarks; estimates carry a sampling margin.
How to cite the junior sport figures
AusPlay is licensed CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 by the Australian Sports Commission. Quote the figures unchanged, for non-commercial purposes, with the attribution line:
- Australian Sports Commission - www.ausport.gov.au
- Suggested citation: Australian Sports Commission, AusPlay calendar year 2025 results (released 30 April 2026), children aged 0-14 in organised sport at least weekly.
- Distinguish the weekly headline (1.83 million, 38%) from the 12-month per-sport child figures when quoting both.
What 1.83 million weekly junior players means for clubs
Every one of those children has a parent doing the enrolling, the paying and the Saturday morning logistics. Junior programs live or die on how easy that parent's side of the job is: a term program they can enrol in online, a reminder before each session, a waitlist that tells them when a place opens, and a make-up session they can book without emailing the coach. Clubs that get that right retain the family; clubs that run it over a group chat lose the child at the next term boundary.
What AllSquads is
AllSquads is booking, payments and admin software for sports coaches and clubs. Players find your classes, book and pay online, and get reminded before every session. You get the roster, the money and the contact record in one place, with a payout to your bank every week. It runs term programs, casual classes, camps, private lessons and court hire side by side, so the whole operation is in one system rather than a booking tool plus a spreadsheet plus a payment app.
- Over ten thousand
- bookings taken
- Thousands
- of players
- Hundreds
- of classes live
- A growing group
- of Australian clubs
“I had all of term 1 paid in the first week. 75% less admin, 100% fewer late cancellations, and 80% fewer emails and phone calls.”
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Frequently asked questions
Where this comes from
- 1.83 million children (38%) play organised sport at least weekly
- AusPlay, Clearinghouse
- Per-sport child figures: swimming, basketball, netball, tennis
- AusPlay, Clearinghouse
- Release date of the CY2025 junior figures: 30 April 2026
- ASC (ausport.gov.au)
- Licence terms are CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence
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