Sports for seniors a $23m goal

SPORTING clubs are being targeted in a $23m program aimed at making sports more accessible for older Australians in a bid to boost the benefits of sport.

RUNNING competitions during the day, modifying games to be less physically exerting, and promoting volunteer potential are being touted to get more older adults into sporting clubs.

A $23 million pot of federal funding is being made available to associations that get more seniors active, as part of a national sporting strategy.

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But sport participation researchers said clubs needed to include older adults into their strategic plans to truly make the program sustainable.

Victoria University’s Institute for Sport and Health Associate Professor Rochelle Eime said Sport Australia’s strategy was a vital boost to ensuring more older adults gained the physical and social benefits of playing sport.

But she said associations needed to change the way they structured competitions and the physically accessibility of their grounds.

“Sports don’t necessarily have the capacities or expertise to work with this new target market, who have completely different needs to young children,” Assoc Prof Eime said.

“If they don’t prioritise older adults in their strategic plan, they’ll grab at this money but not have the cap­acity to make it sustainable.”

Shirley Whitaker, 84, and Joyce Rogers, 82, represent Australia in Super-Seniors events. Picture: Mark Stewart

A similar program is being led by VicHealth, encouraging associations to get creative to modify sports to attract teenagers through a $6 million state government initiative.

Associate Prof Eime said sporting clubs could boost their numbers, as well as and take advance of the volunteer roles older adults could help fill, by getting creative.

“Infrastructure like ramps and rails is important, but also modifying the traditional competitive sport model so it’s not run in the peak heat of the day, you use softer balls or bring the boundaries in,” she said.

“Sporting facilities are clogged after school hours, but older adults could potentially use them during the day when they’re free.

“People want to play against others with a similar level of skill, but similar ages as well.”

National representative tennis players Joyce Rogers, 82, and Shirley Whitaker, 84, struggle to find competitors their own age to play against to qualify for international competitions.

“Nine times out of 10, an 85-year-old will have to go down and play in the 75-year-old division,” Mrs Rogers said.

The pair will head to Croatia this month to represent Australia at the International Tennis Federation’s Super-Seniors competition.

“When you belong to a group, it doesn’t matter what standard you are, as long as you keep on trying,” Mrs Rogers said.

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