AUS-mosis

The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) defines sport as 'a human activity, capable of achieving a result requiring physical exertion and/or physical skill, which by it's nature and organisation, is competitive and is generally accepted as being a sport.' By definition, eSports are 'competitive video gameplays, between internet-connected players and the fandom that cheer them on.' eSports are already established as a multi-billion dollar industry with an enviable global viewership and a unique ability to compete internationally from the 'comfort' of ones living room. So having been exposed to a variety of differing opinions over the last couple of weeks in Australia, I feel it only appropriate to delve further into these to establish whether we can learn anything from Generation Z's contribution to our sporting landscape. Australia is a relatively young contender in the eSports arena, hitting the start button in 2016 when Sydney hosted the Intel ...

Context; never exhilarating, sometimes useful, always necessary... Sports Participation and Retention in Young People: A Comparison Between Programmes Run in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand" is the title of my Winston Churchill Fellowship. Awarded in 2015, I have finally found the time to venture across to the other side of the world to undertake what I hope is going to be some valuable research into how the Aussies and Kiwis inspire young people to be active, above and beyond the obvious. "If you can't change your mind, you can't change anything"  - Winston Churchill I chose to travel to Australia because of their strengths on the  international sporting stage and due to the landscape/climate, it is a very organically active country. New Zealand, was a combination of reading 'Legacy' a book that delves into why the All Blacks are so successful and the desire to explore sport from a cultural perspective. This week I've been exposed a co...

Do you want a game of wall ball with that coffee? So this first, of what I hope to be many, short posts, is a metaphoric comparison between coffee and sport - both are anchor points to many peoples lifestyles and both are accessible everywhere you look, drive, walk and go. Whether that be in the chilled coastal city of Newcastle of the busy metropolis that is Melbourne.  The average Australian spends $70 (£39) a week on coffee which is four times the amount they spend on gym membership and equates to an $8.3 billion industry. Sport and physical activity on the other hand, are equally accessible, but cost a quarter of the price and in some cases is completely free. 70% of 18-25 year old Aussies participate in an average 1 hour a day of physical activity, which equates roughly to the time spent thinking about coffee and consuming it. So with both coffee and sport being so dominant in a young persons life, it only makes sense to look at what both of them have in common - we may...