future sport labs

Participation Experience

VicSport is introducing the Future Sport Labs - a new approach to building the capability of the Victorian sporting sector through evidence, collaboration and practical experimentation.

We know that Victorian sport has no shortage of ideas, reports, events or resources, but when organisations face similar challenges, they are still too often left to investigate them, develop solutions and build capability on their own.

Supported by the Together More Active program, the Future Sport Labs will bring together a invited cohort of sport organisations around a shared sector challenge. The Lab attendees will work with presented evidence, hear from sector voices and specialist experts, and use AI along with one another to understand the challenge, design practical responses - and then - test them in the real world.

Please note we will asking a bit more of our attendees that other industry forums - the emphasis is on building capability by doing the work - not simply attending a meeting.

Applications are now open for Future Sport Lab 01: The Participant Experience

We have seen and heard in recent sector plans and research the core role the experience plays in our sports. And there is a greater understanding that the way people experience sport is shaped by far more than the activity itself. How they are welcomed, communicated with, supported, included, recognised and able to see progress can influence whether they try sport once - choose to return – and whether they might stay and contribute as volunteers, coaches or officials.

And so, our first of three labs focuses on a key question:

How might we design sporting experiences that are easier to start, more worth staying for and more natural to contribute to?

This first Lab will help organisations build the capability to understand participant experience, intentionally redesign it, test an improvement and measure what changes.

Across three focused sessions over six weeks, participating organisations will:

• bring one real participant experience challenge;
• identify one participant and one Moment That Matters;
• speak with and learn from real participants;
• design and build a practical prototype;
• test it within their organisation; and
• leave with evidence, an improved response and a 90-Day Improvement Plan.

This is not a passive learning program. It is designed for organisations ready to work on a challenge and test something in practice.

You can also explore the Participant Experience Lab or learn more about Future Sport Labs.

Why ‘The Participant Experience’?

As context, our research and conversations with the sector, including the 2026 State of Victorian Sport & Recreationreport, along with our analysis of State Sport Organisations strategic plans, identified the importance of the participant experience in all of our work. It has also identified aspects of experience design, delivery and measurement as a area of capability development for our sector, and, it aligns with our role as the sectors peak body – to make Victoria the best place to be involved in sport – for everyone.

Who should apply?

The Lab is open to Victorian sport organisations with a genuine participant experience challenge and the ability to test an improvement.

Relevant roles may include participation and development, club development, member experience, programs and competitions, coach development, community and inclusion, volunteering, communications and senior leadership.

Organisations are encouraged to nominate one or two people to attend.

KEY DETAILS:

Session dates: Tuesday 10 November, Tuesday 24 November and Tuesday 8 December 2026
Time: 11.00am-1.00 pm 
Location: Melbourne, venue to be confirmed
Applications close: Friday 16 October 2026
Cost:

• Members: Free
• Non-members: $100

Places are deliberately limited, and the cohort will be invited based on challenge quality, readiness, diversity, implementation potential and willingness to share learning.