Grab a share of $100,000 worth of sports gear

Parents, kids and schools are encouraged to submit their application for a share of vital sports equipment plus elite training opportunities in Decathlon’s Playgrounds to Podiums initiative.
Research, commissioned by Decathlon, reveals that whilst one in three NSW primary kids dream of becoming an elite athlete, they play less than five per cent of the 40 medal winning sports on a regular basis and worryingly nearly 20 per cent are inactive across those sports.
Decathlon Auburn, Store Manager, Nicholas Callaway said: “We want to make it as accessible as possible for local kids to try as many different sports as possible and promote both the physical and mental benefits of sport.
“We could have future elite athletes in our community, so we want to ignite these aspirations and help take local kids from playgrounds to podiums in the years to come.”
According to the research, the main reasons parents said their children don’t play more sports was because of money and accessibility.
Sports psychologist, Alan Hely, believes we’re only scratching the surface when it comes to uncovering talent.
“There’s so much opportunity for Australia to be on more podiums if our young kids are trying and regularly playing a more diverse set of sports. With the average age of elite athletes being 26, there’s a huge potential for future games and beyond if we start working with primary-aged children now,” Hely said.
Among the most regularly played sports for kids aged five to 12, aquatics (42.7 per cent), soccer (31 per cent), and athletics (16.8 per cent) take up the top spots. Surprisingly board sports didn’t come close with only 2.5 per cent regularly surfing and 4.1 per cent skateboarding.
The Decathlon Playgrounds to Podiums initiative will see primary schools awarded Gold and Silver packages totalling more than $100K worth of sports equipment. All primary schools will also automatically be awarded a Bronze package, providing a discount of 10 per cent off all sports equipment at Decathlon.
Nominate at playgroundstopodiums.com.au. Nominations close midnight August 8.