Small moments shape whether people start, stay and contribute in sport.
Sport has the potential to improve health, build confidence, create friendships, strengthen communities and give people a place to belong.
But that value is not automatic.The Influence of Experiences
People do not stay involved in sport simply because sport is good for them. They stay because the experience works. They feel welcomed. They know what to do. They feel safe, supported and like they belong.
Too often, the experience quietly breaks down — in ways that are easy to miss when you are on the inside looking out.
The Sport Experience Immersion was designed to change that. It brought sport leaders together to walk in the shoes of participants and volunteers, and to reflect on the everyday moments that shape how people feel about sport.
This is a film on our experiences.
'The Influence of Experiences'
A short film about the moments that determine whether people come back.
Our Reflections
A realisation for us all was that people do not just remember the program, the event or the session.
They remember how it made them feel.
If we want more people involved in sport - more often, for longer - we need to pay closer attention to how sport feels. And we need to design better experiences deliberately, not by accident.
Your Reflections?
We all learn best from our lived experiences, if, we reflect and appy the learnings.
After watching, take a few minutes to reflect.
1. What moment in your sport experience are you most proud of — and why does it work?
2. Where do people feel most welcomed, supported and like they belong?
3. Where might people feel confused, uncertain or unsure of their place?
4. What single moment has the most influence on whether people come back?
5. What is one thing you could improve this week — and who could help you do it?
The Journey: Walking In Their Shoes
You understand the experience differently when you feel it yourself. It’s time to walk in their shoes.
Sport leaders often know their sports well. They don’t always know how those sports feel.
The Sport Experience Immersion was designed to change that - to help leaders walk in the shoes of participants and volunteers, and notice what we often miss.
Pick one moment. Make it better.
You do not have to redesign everything at once. Start with one moment in your sport experience: the first email, the registration process, the welcome, the first session, the way volunteers are supported, the way people are thanked, or the way they are invited back.
One moment, done better, is where it starts.
And here are some experiences that matter...
Making Sport Better: The Mirror
Great experiences bring people back. Poor experiences push them away.
Sometimes the best way to improve sport is to stop, look honestly, and ask 'what does this feel like for the person on the other side?'
This short video holds up a mirror to some of the moments people experience in sport - the confusing, frustrating, deflating moments that often go unspoken.
If we want to make sport better, we first need to see the experience clearly.
Pick one moment. Make it better.
Making Sport Better: Their Journey
People decide how they feel about sport through the moments we create.
The welcome. The registration. The group. The instructions. The tone. The way people are spoken to when they are unsure.
None of these moments feel huge when we are busy delivering sport.
But for the participant, parent or volunteer, they can shape everything.
Pick one moment. Make it better.
Making Sport Better: The Feeling
Poor experiences don’t just create complaints. They create feelings people remember.
“I didn’t feel heard.” “I didn’t feel appreciated.” “It wasn’t organised.”
These are not just throwaway comments. They are signals.
Because people may not remember every detail of the session, but they will remember whether they felt welcomed, supported, included and valued.
Pick one moment. Make it better.
Making Sport Better: The Influence of Experience
Experience decides whether people start, what they say, and whether they come back.
We often focus on programs, pathways, plans and participation targets.
But people experience sport through moments.
The email. The arrival. The coach. The group. The support. The thank you. The invitation back.
If we want more people involved in sport, more often, for longer, we need to design experiences people want to return to.
Pick one moment. Make it better.
Making Sport Better
People never forget how you make them feel.
A great sporting experience does not always require a new program, a new strategy or a major redesign. Sometimes it starts with one person setting the tone.
A better welcome. A better question. A better way to include people. A better way to recognise what they bring.
Because when people feel included, they are more likely to show up, stay involved and contribute.
Sport gets better when the experience gets better.
Pick one moment. Make it better.
Moment to Influence: The Welcome
The first five minutes can decide everything.
Before people decide whether they like the sport, they have often already decided whether they feel like they belong.
The welcome is not just a greeting. It is the first signal of connection, safety and belonging.
A good welcome helps people know where to go, what to do, and whether this feels like a place for them.
The Influence of Experiences | Pick one moment. Make it better.
Talk to us, we can help design or redesign the experiences you provide.