Victorian Masters Sport Resource Kit - Australian Sports Commission

6. Masters Sport Participation
Opportunities
6.1 Impacts On Existing
Participation Structures
Masters Sport does not necessarily mean
creating a separate competition or
participation framework. The emphasis of
Masters Sport should be to get more people
involved in ways that suit them – if existing
structures, competitions, or activities will
meet these needs – great!
Some sports may not find it appropriate to
create a separate Masters element. The
creation of opportunities for Masters Sport
should not adversely affect the overall
participation structures within a sport.
Triathlon is one sport which already provides
for aged based competition and is equally
accessible by people of all ages, so some
sports may find it better just to promote
actively to the Masters age group to get them
involved rather than create separate masters
participation frameworks.
Some sports, however, will have to develop
separate participation opportunities due to the
physical elements of the sport – such as
Superrules Australian Rules Football.
6.2 Marketing Masters Sport
Participation Opportunities
Organisations marketing an opportunity for
Masters age people to participate should
market their individual sport in the usual way
with a few modifications.
Promotion
The potential market for participants in
Masters Sport can be divided into four
categories:
◗ Current participants who are about to
become eligible,
◗ Current participants who are eligible but
still choose to participate in open age
activities,
◗ Retired participants who have ceased
involvement for a variety of reasons, and
◗ People who are entirely new to the sport.
Each of these groups will require a different
message to get them either continuing their
involvement in the sport, to return to the sport
or to take up a new sport at a later age.
Examining membership records to identify
retired players, promoting directly within the
particular sport’s network, and using higher
profile participants as role models to appeal to
the Masters age category are promotional
strategies that have been successful in the past.
If clubs do not have accurate records of current
or past members, often the regional or state
association will be able to assist in this area.
Product
Photo: National Sport Information Centre
of the Australian Sports Commission
The Masters Sport market should not be
treated as a homogenous group of people. The
“product” that various sports have to offer
should be tailored to suit the demands of the
different elements of the Masters age group.
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6. Masters Sport Participation Opportunities