Kids pulling out of sports clubs at alarming rate

More than one third of children have told their parents they wanted to stop playing after-hours sport, research from Allianz Australia has found.

A quarter of kids made the decision to drop out of sporting clubs by the age of 15 while half of Aussie kids with a disability decided to stop playing by the time they turned 11-years-old, the research found.

Australian surfing champion Owen Wright, who was raised in the tiny town of Culburra Beach on the south coast of NSW, said it was disappointing to see participation levels dropping.

"Sport gave me such an incredible life and I know it gave a lot of my friends the same," he said.

"You can start in such a small town but with such big opportunities."

The Australian Sports Foundation published a report in May 2023 that found one quarter of small community sports clubs have considered closing due to lack of volunteer support and dropping memberships.

Mr Wright said he participated in "nearly every sport under the sun" growing up including water polo, BMX, skateboarding, football, soccer, swimming, surf life saving and, of course, surfing.

But it required a bit of convincing on his part.

The Olympic bronze medallist surfer remembered making his mum cups of tea, waving them under her nose, to coax her out of bed in time to attend early morning training sessions.

"There was a bit of arm twisting going on but generally my parents loved sport," he said.

He said he felt supported by his parents to pursue sports and was continuing the tradition with his two young kids.

He said their interest in sports ebbed and flowed but when one sport fell out of favour he would offer another.

"I feel like, as a parent, you have to think on your feet and come up with a different sport," he said.

But he said the most important thing was to cheer them on.

"Becoming an elite athlete is definitely no easy feat; it takes a lot of time, dedication and perseverance. I wouldn't be where I am today without my support network and my country cheering me on - because there is no other feeling like being cheered on to do your best," he said.

The Allianz research found that words of affirmation and feeling as though their support network was proud of them were the top motivators for kids.

To encourage kids to stay engaged in sports young athletes from grassroots teams will be invited to Allianz Stadium to experience the feeling of being cheered on by 45,000 supporters.

The stands will be empty but each time a goal is scored or a race won a recording of Olympian and Paralympian athletes cheering "go Australia" will be played.

"The confidence and encouragement it offers is indescribable, and I am so excited to share this feeling with the next generation of young athletes," Mr Wright said.