The Secret to Brisbane 2032 Success Isn’t What You Think
- Anna Walker
- Oct 7
- 4 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
By Anna Walker
7th October 2025
The number one thing you can focus on today to guarantee medal success by 2032 is to build environments that people love and want to stay with – for life. And it may be easier than you think.
Stay with me here. I know, I'm no high-performance guru. But I've spent decades helping sports grow and keep people involved. And I've learned the levers that drive participation have a multiplying effect on revenue, social impact, influence - and the depth of the talent pool. Somehow though, we've learned to treat 'participation' and 'performance' as separate entities...
The high-performance paradox
Australia’s sport system has poured around 90% of its funding into high performance, building a structure so fixated on nurturing a small and targeted pool of ‘high-potential’ athletes that it’s blind to what’s slipping away: medals, members, and the system’s future stability.
We've become arguably the best in the world at sports science, athlete wellbeing and producing elite training and competition environments. But among the worst when it comes to growing the talent pool. It's estimated up to 70% of children drop out of organised club sport before the age of 13 - well in advance of the age they can reasonably be identified as having 'high performance potential'. A culture of early talent identification, expectations of sport specialisation, constant and expensive travel and pressure to perform is causing many young athletes to drop out or burn out. It's not just costing us medals, but also health, wellbeing, and social cohesion outcomes as a nation.
Listening to the people who matter most
How do we quickly and efficiently drive change towards greater retention of all participants in the system to the age at which they can realistically be identified as ‘high potential’?
Among sport administrators, there’s a common belief that kids drop out because of schoolwork or other interests - in other words, not our fault, nothing we can do. But when you ask participants themselves, a different story emerges - and the facade of inevitability crumbles.
Through the Participant Experience Action Builder, we’ve now surveyed hundreds of people across Australia to understand why they stay and why they leave. The results are raw, personal and deeply revealing.
Unlike traditional surveys, this approach lets people speak in their own words. Their de-identified responses are compiled into a 22-page report for each sport, filled with real quotes, tailored recommendations, and evidence-based strategies for change. The results are broken down by age, gender, background and ability, so leaders can see exactly where to focus their attention.
The process replaces assumptions with facts and actionable insights based on global best practice, turning guesswork into evidence-based strategies and saving our most valuable resources - time, energy, and money.
Other benefits rapidly flow. When decisions are made with the community, rather than for them, culture shifts. Trust builds. Volunteers and members re-engage. And the sport becomes more appealing to funders and investors who value evidence-based leadership.
Change that sticks...
Change in sport is hard. Many administrators and coaches have burned out trying to drive it from the top down. The smarter approach is to start from the ground up.
When you listen first and act second, the culture becomes self-sustaining. Coaches, parents and participants all see their role in shaping something better. The result is a more human system that keeps people engaged long enough to reach their full potential. A breath of fresh air for all in an increasingly tech-driven world.
The opportunity ahead
Right now, the pressure on sporting leaders is enormous. Budgets are shrinking, targets are tightening and expectations are higher than ever. But there is still one resource that costs little and delivers a huge return: the voice of your participants.
likely Other industries have already shown how this works.
Tech companies like Apple and Airbnb built their success by listening to users and improving the experience around them.
Healthcare has transformed outcomes by designing services around patients instead of institutions.
The music industry now thrives on personalised playlists built from what people actually listen to.
It’s time for sport to do the same.
Sport’s next revolution
This is the moment to lead differently. To make sport safer, more inclusive and more rewarding. To increase participation, boost revenue, enhance sustainability, and expand the talent pool.
The champions of 2032 are likely already in our clubs and programs today. Whether they stay long enough to reach their potential depends on the environments we create for them right now.
Are you ready?
Book a free consultation to see how the Participant Experience (PX) Action Builder can help your sport create the conditions for success. Packages start from AUD 3,500 and the impact on your leadership and success may just be profound.
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