Australians love sports. They love watching those but they also actively involved in different sports. We all know them for their affinity for surfing, but you should know that team sports are also quite popular here. Football, swimming, tennis, cycling, these make Aussies’ delight. Especially team sports for children have increased in popularity, parents today being keen to enrol their little ones in more and more activities of this kind.
In Australia, the cricket league, the rugby league, the cricket and netball league are all very appreciated and all show great results in international competitions for both men and women’s teams. Besides internationally-known sports, Aussies have their own team sport, Australian Rules Football. But why do Australians love so much competitive team sports?
It’s mainly in their tendency of involving their children in multiple team sports at a young age and encouraging them to become more active and involved. Plus, being fully aware that similar sports accentuate other traits in their children, they try to open their appetite for a variety of other sports besides the locally-established ones. Keep reading below why it’s a great idea to enrol your children in those highly popular sports in Australia.
#1. Soccer
Statistically speaking, almost half of the Australian children (48.7%) are actively involved in soccer. This comes very close to swimming, where 48.8 of the Australian children are actively practising it. The reason why this particular competitive team sport is growing in popularity might be in a tight relationship with the growing success of the international soccer teams that Australia has for both men and women. The men’s team made it to the finals of the last two world cups and just recently won the Asian Cup. The national league, the A-League is the competition in which all local soccer teams play and it is also boosting in popularity.
Besides being a highly appreciated competitive sport by all Australians, soccer grows in popularity among parents that want to implement in their children’s behaviour some of the highly rooted values of soccer: teamwork, competitivity, collaboration and so on. Besides, soccer is a sport that will certainly improve your child’s exercising capabilities, offering a good workout for their developing muscles and bones, joints and hearts. Search for reliable football programs in your area and make sure that your child will get all the exercising and values needed later in life for a higher living standard.
#2. Basketball
When it comes to 6 to 13-year-old playing basketball frequently, Australia shows some impressive numbers. Almost 750,000 of children in that age window play this particular sport and this accounts for almost 32%. The national affinity for this particular sport continues to grow and it has become over the past few years a sport actively played in schools as well. It offers immense health and wellness benefits to its players and children in the age window above certainly need more sport in their life. Plus, this is a type of competitive sport that can be played by anybody.
#3. Cricket
Cricket has a long history in the past times of this country and their international teams have always been highly appreciated and acclaimed. The passion Australians have for cricket sometimes resembles a real obsession and truth be told, this rightfully happens. With so many emblematic players, the active cricket players in the 6-13 age window account for more than 25%.
It’s fairly safe to say that all Australian children have played at some point in their life played cricket. Besides, it has so many health benefits, it would be a shame not to try to enrol your children in this particular team sport. The most frequent health benefits associated with it are described below.
- Stamina and endurance;
- Balance and coordination;
- Physical fitness;
- Improving hand-eye coordination.
Besides offering an array of health benefits, cricket comes with plenty of other advantages for children that are involved in it.
- Team skills;
- Social skills like communication, cooperation and learning how to manage emotions in both scenarios: winning and losing;
- Social interaction, since it is a great sport to meet new people from different background, no matter the child’s social skills until then.
#4. Netball
Netball comes in Australian’s preferences close to cricket. More than 20% of the Australian children are actively involved in competitive netball. However, this particular sport is prominent thanks to the women’s netball team, which is the dominant force in Australia. The rivalry with the neighbouring New Zeeland team is maybe what fuels the Australian’s affinity for this particular sport. Although it has been preferred by women, netball successfully attracted in the past few years men and boys of all ages as well.
#5. Aussie Rules Football
Played by almost 18% of the Australian children, the Aussie Rules Football is a competitive teams sport that is exclusively played in this country.
The sport first appeared in several states like Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia. It shortly became more of a religion than a sport as so many people started to intensively play this particular football version. Now, the sport has a great success and enjoys national recognition.
#6. Rugby
Another sport that enjoys high popularity rates in Australia is rugby. The country has had the number one rugby team in the world for a very long time and it has been dominating the world cup for quite a while. Rugby is a sport that is loved by everybody in Australia, being played by almost 10% of the children between 6-13. Whether you would like your child to play professional rugby or simply to have more hours at school, make sure that you are familiarized with all the necessary skills for this.
These are some of the most popular sports in Australia. Make sure to do your homework and research each option carefully before picking one. Take into consideration their preferences and desires and make sure to always invest in proper equipment, no matter their sport of choice.
