Why Queensland needs a sport and active recreation strategy

Activate! Queensland aims to see more Queenslanders moving, more often.

The Activate! Queensland strategy will help us achieve our goals to:

Balance elite success and community participation

Community participation and elite success are inter-dependent. We recognise that elite athletes can be great role models for our communities and Queenslanders have a great appetite for sport. However not everyone is an Olympian or Paralympian, and we want to use the strategy to make sure everyone benefits from participating in sport and is having fun.

We want to connect high-performance athletes to the community to provide motivation and empowerment, by investing in sport pathways and excellence. We also want to connect the active industry, and provide mechanisms for collaboration.

Queensland Active Precincts

We will repurpose existing government venues at the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Townsville into Queensland Active Precincts to:

  • provide community access to adventure sports, outdoor activities, and other positive experiences
  • serve as training hubs for athletes aspiring to the elite level.

Invest in our athletes

We will invest in sporting excellence, including establishing the Queensland Academy of Sport as a national hub of sport science and performance with:

  • better technology
  • new partnerships
  • a focus on high performance programs.

The Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre at Nathan will become an industry hub for state-level organisations to collaborate.

Get Queenslanders active in their communities

We will invest in place-based and co-designed physical activity solutions that address barriers to participation in high needs communities.

Organisations will be provided with support for the equipment and training they need to deliver quality services to Queenslanders, and there will be support for disaster recovery when it is needed.

We will sponsor and support events in local communities and inspire behaviour change through active ambassadors.

Invest in infrastructure projects

Under Active Community Infrastructure, investment is being dedicated to ensuring universally designed infrastructure promotes equitable access to participation opportunities for all.

This will allow local sport and recreation clubs and organisations to address barriers to participation through infrastructure such as new changerooms for sporting clubs or additional lighting for safety.

Support women and girls

Our focus will be on inspiring women and girls to participate by:

  • making their experience a positive one
  • providing clear pathways for female athletes, coaches and leaders.

Community infrastructure projects will include building inclusive change rooms and amenities, which will seek to improve female participation. Projects will focus on universal design principles, providing equal access for women and girls and best-practice design. This process will be overseen by the new Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Partnerships Office.

Financial support through FairPlay vouchers will be broadened to ensure Queensland children and young people are able to participate in the physical activity of their choice.

Focus on Queensland kids

The Community Use of Schools initiative will include:

  • opening up school facilities to the broader community for physical activity
  • support for community coordinators to form partnerships between schools and community that facilitate access to school facilities
  • allowing local sporting clubs access to high quality facilities in schools.

Financial support through FairPlay vouchers will help reduce the cost of participating in sport for children and young people who need it the most.

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Last updated: 18 Jul 2023