Earlier in 2023, researchers from La Trobe University and Griffith University worked with Sports Focus, the Regional Sports Assembly for the Loddon Campaspe region, to consult with the community about their ideas on sporting legacies as a result of co-hosting the Victorian 2026 Commonwealth Games.
As we finalised the findings from the survey, news came through that the Victorian Commonwealth Games were to be cancelled. Instead, the Victorian government would be investing $2bn in the associated legacy benefits, without hosting the event.
As such, we have reconsidered the community survey findings in light of the cancellation, and what opportunities the $2bn investment program may offer the community with respect to what they identified as local strengths, challenges, negative impacts and potential positive impacts and legacies for sport.
Core strengths identified for Bendigo and Central Victoria through the survey:
- Some good facilities, or others easy to upgrade;
- A local passion for sport; and
- A track record in hosting sport events
What does this mean now the Commonwealth Games are cancelled?
These strengths remain regardless of the cancellation of the Commonwealth Games and present a solid base for development of regional sport in Bendigo and Central Victoria over the coming years.
Challenges identified for Bendigo and Central Victoria through the survey:
- Access to adequate facilities (for event hosting, as well as securing post-event long-term legacies) and,
- A range of factors affecting the current operational capacities of sport clubs (e.g., dealing with challenges in the current sporting landscape, access to volunteers, participation numbers and access to elite opportunities in the regions)
What does this mean now the Commonwealth Games are cancelled?
The co-hosting of the Victorian Commonwealth Games prompted a range of reflections about the future of sport and sport facilities in Bendigo. While the event has been cancelled the 'ideas bank' remains and Bendigo now has an opportunity to address the abovementioned challenges in a manner that is driven by and responsive to the community (rather than been driven by the needs of hosting an international-level sport event).
Potential negative impacts to sport in for Bendigo and Central Victoria identified through the survey:
- Disruption to local sport around Games-time;
- Investment focused on event delivery rather than shared across regional sport;
- Volunteers time-switching or burning out due to Games commitments; and,
- Potential for less people participating post-event due to cost-of-living pressures
What does this mean now the Commonwealth Games are cancelled?
While the cancellation of the Commonwealth Games means we are now unlikely to see negative impacts brought about by event hosting, issues related to shared investment across the region, continued efforts to recruit and retain volunteers and challenges presented by the cost of living (and cost of sport participation), need to be considered and addressed in any future development of regional sport in Bendigo and Central Victoria.
Potential positive impacts and legacies for sport in for Bendigo and Central Victoria identified through the survey:
Survey responses identified potential positive impacts and legacies across all 9 themes, including:
- The benefits of new and upgraded facilities;
- Opportunities to re-energise the sport sector (inc. support, partnerships and collaboration);
- Opportunities to generate revenue for sports;
- Opportunities to upskill and broaden experiences of volunteers (and recruit more volunteers);
- Opportunities to promote inclusion and diversity;
- Opportunities to use the excitement of event hosting to encourage greater sport participation;
- Opportunities to attract elite performers into the regions;
- Opportunities to experience a sense of inspiration and community passion for sport; and 9) potential for Bendigo to host other events into the future.
What does this mean now the Commonwealth Games are cancelled?
The Victorian government has committed to investment across some key areas initially identified as event and legacy objectives. For instance, planned venue and facility upgrades will still be committed to, for Bendigo this means upgrades to Bendigo Stadium are still expected to go ahead.
In addition, further funding has been earmarked for tangible developments including facilities and infrastructure through the $60 million Regional Community Sport Development Fund, which Bendigo and Central Victoria may be able to access for priority projects. Regarding the intangible aspects of inclusion and diversity, a funding commitment has been made to grants, scholarships and mentoring for people with a disability through the $40 million All Abilities Sport Fund.
Certainly, these funding commitments go some way to addressing aspects of facilities and inclusion for people with disabilities. However, there are a range of further aspects the community survey identified which have not yet been addressed, and potentially the community will miss out on.
Australia continues to move ahead with a decade of large-scale events planned in the lead up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games. The cancellation of the Commonwealth Games does create an opportunity for the community to pause and consider what are the priorities for the development of regional sport and strategically identify some opportunities to deliver on these.
Bendigo and Central Victoria may look to the hosting of regional, state or national-level events which have a profile suited to the local sporting context and may be able to deliver on some of those sport capacity and legacy aspects, including the inspiration piece, the volunteer opportunities and recruitment, and local sport participation.
Examples of events that would provide a boost for both the development of the local sport industry, and local tourism, include national or international University Games, or a national or international Masters Games.
Bendigo previously held a regional university games in 2010, attracting 1000 students from 14 Australian universities and an Oceania Masters Athletics Championships in 2014, attracting 400 athletes from across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Island nations.
Background to survey design and implementation
- A community survey was open from 8 February 2023 through to 21 March 2023 to capture the local community’s ideas and insights about V2026 legacies for sport in Bendigo and Central Victoria. A set of standard demographic questions were also included. The research team and Sports Focus staff implemented a locally focused PR campaign to encourage engagement with the survey, in addition to Sports Focus’s mailing list and social media advertising.
- The questions included about sporting legacies were:
- Q1. What benefits would you like to see for community sport in Bendigo and Central Victoria as a result of co-hosting the Victoria 2026 (V2026) Commonwealth Games?
- Q2. How do you think community sport in Bendigo and Central Victoria will be impacted (positively or negatively) by co-hosting V2026?
- Q3. What are the barriers/challenges that Bendigo and Central Victoria will have to overcome to realise sporting legacies from co-hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games?
- Q4. What local opportunities or strengths will help ensure Bendigo and Central Victoria secures long-term legacies to community sport from co-hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games?
- The survey attracted 195 lands to the survey site, and the sample of respondents appear very engaged in sport and a middle age to older demographic with the biggest response groups being 40-44 and 50-54 years. The group reflected gender balance, the majority (75%) did not report a disability or long-term illness, and small percentages reported being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (2.9%) and speaking a language other than English at home (4%).
- We identified 9 themes directly relevant to securing sporting legacies, including: 1) Facilities; 2) Local sport club development; 3) Local sport club financial supports; 4) Local sport club human resources (inc. officials and volunteers); 5) Sport offerings and promotion; 6) Sport participation; 7) Performance and competition; 8) Inspiration and community passion for sport; 9) Capacity for event hosting (inc. Pre-event training). Within these themes were categorised strengths, challenges, potential negative impacts and potential positive impacts and legacies.
Contact the La Trobe University Media Team
Contact the authors:
Dr Alana Thomson, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Management and Marketing, La Trobe Business School
Dr Ashleigh-Jane Thompson, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Management and Marketing at the La Trobe Business School
