Choice is an important part of sport and recreation for everybody. Often people who are part of an underrepresented group or from a minority group, the choices that are available to them may initially appear limited, and often the people who are in, or the situation, can influence those choices at a local level, driven by the attitudes and flexibility of the local providers and their willingness or ability to have a look at what things they can change or adapt to create greater choices for the people who may turn up and wish to be part of their sport or recreation opportunity. Everybody likes choice, and everybody would like to have a choice, or the opportunity to participate in sport and physical activity at a level or in a way of their choosing.  

That becomes a challenge for prospective providers or people engaged in providing that service, but often a great way to help create the choice is engage directly with the people who are seeking to be involved. So often the best person or the best people that can tell you what they’re after, or can tell you what’s missing, or can help provide a more rounded opportunity are people that their seeking to provide the service for. So yeah, lots of people move in and out of a sport and recreation opportunity at different levels and in different ways throughout their life, and what we all want to see is as many people engaged in as much sport for as long as possible, in a way that best suits them and in a way of their choosing.

And the reality is, it’s not that hard to create more choices for more people. I think when people take the time to consider it, and have a look at what’s around them, and use the resources around them, in particular the other people that would be there, people get better at it all the time, and it becomes relatively easier to help create more choice more often.