Professor Penney will warn that a business as usual approach to physical education could result in a generation of inactive Australians in the next ECU Lecture Series event.

She will argue that as participation in formal sporting clubs continues to drop and the popularity of social sport grows, encouraging participation in informal types of sport, from casual cycling groups to kick to kick at the local park, is the key to getting more people moving and reaping the health benefits of exercise throughout their lives.

Café or clubroom?

Goulburn cyclists are among the groups already embracing cafe catch up social concept suggested by Professor Penny.

“It’s already the case that a group of friends are just as likely to catch up in a café after a bike-ride than they are to chat in the clubrooms after a game – and for many people, the social aspect of participation is the major appeal,” Professor Penney said.

“If the trend of less and less people taking part in formal sporting clubs continues, then we need to encourage and support informal sporting networks to maintain positive health and wellbeing.

“While being part of a sporting club is fantastic from both a physical and social aspect, not everyone is interested, or capable of joining a club. But everyone will benefit from exercising more, so we should be helping people to get moving in whatever way works best for them at various points in their lives.”

Curriculum is key

Professor Penney said that the tendency for physical education and sport in schools to focus on competitive sport and representative sides appeals to some students but is alienating for others.

“Lots of children love competitive team sports which is fantastic. But they are not for everyone, and by focusing so much on these sports in Physical Education classes we are setting many young people up for a lifetime of inactivity,” she said.

“A better approach to Physical Education would be to recognise that all exercise is valuable, so if some students are more interested in skateboarding or Frisbee, then use that as a way to encourage a love of exercise.

Participation gender gap

Professor Penney said that efforts to increase girls’ participation in sports have a long, and arguably not very successful, history.

“The fact that we are still talking about the issue suggests that we haven’t been doing a great job,” she said

“Often when we talk about girls’ participation it is framed as around how can we make girls more interested in sports, rather than thinking how can we make sport and physical activity generally more attractive to girls,” she said.

“I think part of the way we could do this in schools is to really focus on the social aspect of sport and exercise and by allowing girls, and boys, greater freedom to focus on forms of physical activity that will appeal to them within school and outside of it.”

Professor Penney’s lecture Changing the game? Policy development, inclusion and gender equity in education, sport and health will be held at ECU’s Joondalup Campus on Wednesday, November 22.

To register visit ecu.edu.au/speaker-series