Football participation rises....

[j s]

http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=aflfocus&spg=display&articleid=129504

Some interesting stats from this report....

QLD and NSW have similar total participation numbers to SA (55K)though weighted more heavily towards the young kids. If numbers alone are what matters we should be eventually seeing QLD and NSW players in AFL ranks in equal numbers to those from SA

NSW (934) has more women playing footy than VIC (550)
QLD (1594) has the greatest number of women playing.

QLD (15K) has more kids playing footy at school than VIC (12.5K).
(NSW is the lowest, behind even NT and TAS)

NSW has the second highest Auskick numbers (25K) behind VIC (45K) but only the 4th highest club football numbers.

[floppinab]

QLD and NSW have similar total participation numbers to SA (55K)though weighted more heavily towards the young kids.

This is clearly where NSW needs to take the next step. When my young kids starting playing footy here I was amazed at the lack of mid-age footy teams around the place (13 +) compared to the pretty large number of teams at the lower age levels.
Private schools play a part in that equation but I can't believe that is the only reason why kids drop out at around this age group. I suspect that once kids are hitting high school a bit of peer pressure comes into play making more kids follow the more widely followed rugby codes.

[j s]

There is a high drop-out rate from ALL codes when the kids hit high school. Up here on the northern beaches it's worse than most areas with the generally accepted reason being the beaches. The North-West seems to have the lowest drop-out rates perhaps (ducks for cover) because there is not much else to do out that way.

But what I think the stat really means is that the game (in NSW and QLD) is growing at the younger levels and that growth should eventually move through into the teen and adult competitions.

In SA the opposite seems to be happening. The numbers at junior level are reducing.