Australian nationalism, for better and for worse, is inseparable from our love of sport.
The Tests, the Cup, the Open, the Grand Final – these events structure our year as much as the big religious festivals. Questions about Bradman turn up in citizenship exams. We’ve spent more on the Olympics than on the National Broadband Network. In this country, sports mean something.
From the top right down to the grassroots, we use sports to express our values. Those values have to come from all of us and speak to all of us. They have to change with the times. We need to factor in 21st Century views of gender equality and cultural inclusion. We need to guard against old-fashioned myths and prejudices. We need to continually innovate to survive.
This conference will illuminate how sports are changing, how sports clubs are innovating, and how sports administrators, players, observers and volunteers can help shape the outcomes.
