1. Auckland Secondary Schools Sports Survey. Report July 2009

2. Objectives To conduct a Survey of secondary school students to help determine strategies for engaging youth eg. developing some new initiatives based on the students feedback to make sure Squash Auckland gets it right and that clubs can do their best to attract new young people To conduct a Survey of secondary school students to help determine strategies for engaging youth eg. developing some new initiatives based on the students feedback to make sure Squash Auckland gets it right and that clubs can do their best to attract new young people

3. Areas Covered  Personal details  Participation in sports activities. For sports players, the number of hours involved per week  Reasons for playing versus not playing sport  Attitudes to playing squash  Level of exposure to squash  Reasons non-players do not play squash  Perceptions of squash by non-players  Squash player profile  Did their parents get them into squash?  Are they a Club member?  Do they intend to continue playing when they leave school?  Squash players’ ideas to make squash more attractive to non- players  Personal details  Participation in sports activities. For sports players, the number of hours involved per week  Reasons for playing versus not playing sport  Attitudes to playing squash  Level of exposure to squash  Reasons non-players do not play squash  Perceptions of squash by non-players  Squash player profile  Did their parents get them into squash?  Are they a Club member?  Do they intend to continue playing when they leave school?  Squash players’ ideas to make squash more attractive to non- players

4. Survey Details  An anonymous Survey of Auckland Secondary School students organised by Squash Auckland  The self-completion survey forms were distributed by teachers to a selection of students including:  Squash players and non-players  A range of ages from Year 9 to Year 13  Students from a range of ethnic backgrounds  Both male & female students  The questionnaire had a mix of ratings questions and open-ended questions covering 10 areas  The Survey was conducted from December 2008 to June 2009  An anonymous Survey of Auckland Secondary School students organised by Squash Auckland  The self-completion survey forms were distributed by teachers to a selection of students including:  Squash players and non-players  A range of ages from Year 9 to Year 13  Students from a range of ethnic backgrounds  Both male & female students  The questionnaire had a mix of ratings questions and open-ended questions covering 10 areas  The Survey was conducted from December 2008 to June 2009

5. Sampling  Feedback was received from 520 students from 19 different Secondary Schools  Of these students, 103 were regular squash players and 417 were not regular squash players.  NB. This split of players/non-players was designed to obtain both points-of-view and does not represent an accurate measure of the proportion of squash players in Auckland secondary schools  Similarly, the students chosen to take part by teachers represent a ‘good mix’ of students, rather than a completely accurate representation of the make-up of the Auckland secondary school population  For these reasons, this Survey represents a very good indication of students’ attitudes towards sport rather than a highly robust measure  Feedback was received from 520 students from 19 different Secondary Schools  Of these students, 103 were regular squash players and 417 were not regular squash players.  NB. This split of players/non-players was designed to obtain both points-of-view and does not represent an accurate measure of the proportion of squash players in Auckland secondary schools  Similarly, the students chosen to take part by teachers represent a ‘good mix’ of students, rather than a completely accurate representation of the make-up of the Auckland secondary school population  For these reasons, this Survey represents a very good indication of students’ attitudes towards sport rather than a highly robust measure

6. Reports 1.The current overview PowerPoint report 2.The Verbatims Report – a Word document summarising the open-ended comments from the Survey 3.Detailed Excel tables 1.The current overview PowerPoint report 2.The Verbatims Report – a Word document summarising the open-ended comments from the Survey 3.Detailed Excel tables

7. Key Findings & Recommendations

8. Attitudes to organised sport  80% of those surveyed play an organised sport, indicating a large pool of prospects to play squash  Year 12 & 13 and male students are more likely to play a sport. However, no one demographic group has less than 75% playing organised sport, so Squash Auckland’s campaign to attract secondary school squash players can be a broad one rather than targeting specific demographic groups  The three main reasons secondary school students don’t play sport are preferring more casual activities, not being good at sport and sport taking too much time. To attract non-sports players to squash, the main emphasis should be on relatively casual, not too time-consuming options in a supportive environment - make it short and fun and positive The three main reasons secondary school students do play a sport are liking to exercise and be fit, having fun with my friends and it’s fun for me. Therefore, communication from Squash Auckland encouraging students to play squash should stress fitness and fun and images and messages of students playing squash with their friends and having fun should resonate well with potential players. In this context the Squash NZ’s tagline Have fun, keep fit, play squash is very much on target. Attitudes to organised sport  80% of those surveyed play an organised sport, indicating a large pool of prospects to play squash  Year 12 & 13 and male students are more likely to play a sport. However, no one demographic group has less than 75% playing organised sport, so Squash Auckland’s campaign to attract secondary school squash players can be a broad one rather than targeting specific demographic groups  The three main reasons secondary school students don’t play sport are preferring more casual activities, not being good at sport and sport taking too much time. To attract non-sports players to squash, the main emphasis should be on relatively casual, not too time-consuming options in a supportive environment - make it short and fun and positive The three main reasons secondary school students do play a sport are liking to exercise and be fit, having fun with my friends and it’s fun for me. Therefore, communication from Squash Auckland encouraging students to play squash should stress fitness and fun and images and messages of students playing squash with their friends and having fun should resonate well with potential players. In this context the Squash NZ’s tagline Have fun, keep fit, play squash is very much on target. Key Findings & Recommendations

9. Attitudes to squash Non-players have some strong positive impressions of squash eg. It gets you fit, it’s a good social sport, it’s fun, it has a lot of action and excitement. These favourable impressions suggest that promoting squash to non-players will receive a good reception. This promotion should address various ‘don’t know’ areas eg. Does squash require a lot of skills? Is it time consuming? Is it expensive? Do you need to join a Club? etc. The three main reasons students don’t play squash are being committed to another sport, not having the equipment/gear to play and it’s a time consuming sport. To attract these students, the two main areas to address would be having the equipment/gear to play and/or offering options which are not too time consuming Secondary school squash players are very positive about a whole range of aspects of squash eg. It’s fun, it get you fit, it has a lot of action and excitement etc. They also disagree with a number of more negative statements eg. It’s time consuming, You need to join a Club etc. Student squash players are great fans of the sport and we recommend a campaign featuring their positive endorsements is developed to communicate to non-players and/or an ‘enrol your friends’ campaign 11% used to play squash regularly but no longer do so. These students in general also have very positive attitudes to the sport and it is likely they will be well-disposed to take up squash again in the future Attitudes to squash Non-players have some strong positive impressions of squash eg. It gets you fit, it’s a good social sport, it’s fun, it has a lot of action and excitement. These favourable impressions suggest that promoting squash to non-players will receive a good reception. This promotion should address various ‘don’t know’ areas eg. Does squash require a lot of skills? Is it time consuming? Is it expensive? Do you need to join a Club? etc. The three main reasons students don’t play squash are being committed to another sport, not having the equipment/gear to play and it’s a time consuming sport. To attract these students, the two main areas to address would be having the equipment/gear to play and/or offering options which are not too time consuming Secondary school squash players are very positive about a whole range of aspects of squash eg. It’s fun, it get you fit, it has a lot of action and excitement etc. They also disagree with a number of more negative statements eg. It’s time consuming, You need to join a Club etc. Student squash players are great fans of the sport and we recommend a campaign featuring their positive endorsements is developed to communicate to non-players and/or an ‘enrol your friends’ campaign 11% used to play squash regularly but no longer do so. These students in general also have very positive attitudes to the sport and it is likely they will be well-disposed to take up squash again in the future Key Findings & Recommendations cont’d

10. Non-Players Consideration of Playing Squash Around a quarter of non-players (26%) have considered playing squash regularly. These students are more likely to be Year 12 students, males and of NZ European ethnicity - key prospects to play squash. However, no one group has a low representation, indicating a broad campaign is called for rather than targeting specific demographic groups Other Aspects in a Campaign to Attract More Youth Players Non squash players had a high level of ‘don’t know’ responses re Can I hire a court to play casually without being a member of a club? While two-thirds of non-players (65%) don’t mind either way, twice as many would prefer to play casually as join a squash club (24% vs. 12%) – this suggests that casual court-hire options should be available Price – check with Trudy? Ideas of Squash Players to Attract Non-Players to Squash The main ideas involve: 1) Advertising, publicity and promotion, 2) Courts at school or in the local neighbourhood, 3) Holding fun days or friendly games with a social atmosphere While the second item (building courts at schools) may be a more long term goal, Squash Auckland and the Clubs in Auckland can immediately plan to promote the sport more and run fun social days for secondary school students

11. Report in Detail

12. 1. Survey Demographics

13. Survey Demographics Gender School Level Ethnicity A fairly even gender split Two-thirds are NZ European and there is a good mix of other ethnic groups All levels are represented although Year 9 & 10 students account for 61% of the responses 61% Base: 515Base: 514 Base: 515

14. Secondary Schools Involved Strong representation by Orewa College (30% of responses) A good spread of other schools from different areas of Auckland Base: 514 Survey Demographics less than 1%

15. 2. Playing Sport Sport is defined in the Survey as involving structured competition with rules and regulations such as cricket, netball, touch, tennis, soccer, rugby or squash etc

16. Do you play any sports? 80% of those surveyed play sport, indicating a very large pool of active students for Squash Auckland to target to play squash This compares with 37% of adults participating in organised sport in the 2007/8 SPARC Active NZ Survey Base: 516

17. Sports player demographics There are no marked differences by demographics although Year 12 & 13 and male students are more likely to play a sport (83% male vs. 76% female) The male/female difference in playing organised sport in the SPARC Survey is much greater amongst adults (45% males vs. 30% females) As all demographic groups of students have a high proportion of sports players, Squash Auckland’s campaign to attract squash players can be a broad one rather than targeting specific demographic groups Base: 516 Do you play any sports?

18. 3. Not Playing Organised Sport

19. Reasons for not playing organised sport From a list of 14 reasons, students were asked to list all reasons they did not play sport and also their two main reasons….

20. All reasons for not playing organised sport There are a wide range of reasons for secondary students not playing organised sport, with the main reasons being: preferring more casual activities without so many rules and regulations, such as skateboarding or surfing sport taking too much time not being good at sport rather spending time on the computer Base: 103

21. Main reasons for not playing organised sport (two main reasons indicated) The three main reasons secondary school students don’t play sport include: preferring more casual activities without so many rules and regulations, such as skateboarding or surfing not being good at sport sport taking too much time To attract non-sports players to squash, the main emphasis should be on relatively casual, not too time- consuming options in a supportive environment In essence, “make it short and fun and positive” Refer to the last section on players’ suggestions to attract students to play squash Base: 103

22. 4. Players of Organised Sport

23. Hours involved per week Secondary school sports players show a strong commitment to their sport with 79% spending 3 or more hours per week including playing and practicing Males and Year 12 students devote the most time to sport Base: 422 79 % More likely to spend 5 or more hours: Males 49% Year 12 students 56% Less likely to spend 5 or more hours: Females 32% Year 9 students 31%

24. Reasons for playing organised sport From a list of 11 reasons, students who play sport were asked to list all reasons they play sport and also their two main reasons….

25. All reasons for playing organised sport There are a wide range of reasons for secondary students playing sport, with the main reasons being: it’s fun for me having fun with my friends liking to exercise and be fit liking the challenge Base: 103

26. Main reasons for playing organised sport (two main reasons indicated) The three main reasons secondary school students play sport include: liking to exercise and be fit having fun with my friends it’s fun for me Communication from Squash Auckland to students encouraging them to play squash should stress two main elements: fitness and fun The social element of sport is important to students and images and messages of students playing squash with their friends and having fun should resonate well with potential players In this context the Squash NZ tagline Have fun, keep fit, play squash is very much on target Base: 422

27. 5. Attitudes to Squash

28. Attitudes to squash All students were asked whether they agreed or not with a range of 13 statements about squash…

29. Some very solid perceptions of squash Note, the three main statements students agree with are also the main reasons students play sport: good for exercise & fitness a good social sport (for having fun with friends) it’s a fun sport in general Base: 501 Attitudes to squash overall

30. Encouragingly, non- players have some strong impressions of squash (eg. It gets you fit, it’s a good social sport, it’s fun, it has a lot of action and excitement) These favourable impressions suggest that promoting squash to non-players will receive a good reception This promotion should address possible issues and ‘don’t know’ areas eg. Does squash require a lot of skills? Is it time consuming? Is it expensive? Do you need to join a Club? etc Base: 321 Attitudes to squash by non-players

31. Squash players are in general very positive about a whole range of aspects of squash. (It’s fun, it get you fit, it has a lot of action and excitement etc) They also disagree with a number of more negative statements (eg. It’s time consuming, You need to join a Club etc) Student players are great fans of the sport and their opinions could play a key role in popularising the sport for non-players We recommend their endorsements are used to communicate to non- players Base: 98 Attitudes to squash by regular squash players

32. As covered in the next section of this report, 11% of those surveyed used to play squash regularly but no longer do so, and this could be a concern However, these students also tend to be very positive about squash, with a large proportion seeing squash as a fun sport, a good way to get fit, competitive and exciting etc It is likely that these students will be well- disposed to taking up squash again in the future Base: 55* * Note small sample Attitudes to squash by previous regular players

33. 6. Playing & Exposure to Squash

34. Playing and Exposure to Squash Around one in six (17%) have parents who play squash while one in five (21%) have other members of their family who play squash 11% used to play squash regularly 21% of those surveyed currently play squash regularly out of 52% who have tried playing the sport Base: 505

35. Exposure to Squash by Demographics Base: 505 More likely: Regular squash player 36% Less likely: Not a regular player 12% More likely: Regular squash player 48% Less likely: Not a regular player 15% More likely: Regular squash player 100% Year 11 student 61% Year 12 student 71% Less likely: Not a regular player 41% Year 9 student 35% More likely: Year 12 student 18% Note the influence of parents & family on regular squash players

36. Playing Squash by Demographics Base: 505 More likely: Males 25% Year 11 students 28% Year 12 students 29% On balance, Year 11 & 12 male students are the most likely group to be regular squash players More likely: Male students 19% Year 11 students 20% Year 12 students 22% More likely: Year 11 students 18% Year 12 students 20% Year 11 & 12 students are more likely to play outside of school (no male/female difference) Male students in Year 11 & 12 are more likely than other secondary students to play squash at school

37. 7. Non squash players

38. Have non-players considered playing squash regularly? Around a quarter of non-players (26%) have considered playing regularly These students are more likely to be Year 12 students (38%), males (31%) and of NZ European ethnicity (29%) - key prospects to play squash. However, no one group has a low representation, indicating a broad campaign Base: 401 Demographics of those who have considered playing squash

39. From a list of 14 reasons, students who don’t play squash regularly were asked to list all reasons that put them off Reasons for not playing squash

40. There are a wide range of reasons for secondary students not playing squash, with the three main reasons being: being committed to another sport not having the equipment/ gear to play it’s a time consuming sport Squash Auckland will find it difficult to challenge students’ commitments to other sports, but still 39% of these students are not committed to another sport To attract these people the main areas to address would be having the equipment/ gear to play (especially for Year 9 students) and/or offering options which are not too time consuming Base: 401 Reasons for not playing squash An issue for 59% of Year 9 students

41. In their own words, the main ‘other’ reasons for not playing squash were: too lazy/can’t be bothered negative comments – its boring/dumb etc don’t like squash or don’t like sport While many of these reasons have low percentages, the other way of looking at these answers is that by far the majority did not feel this way eg. Only 1% mentioned lack of transport as an issue, suggesting Squash Auckland can put this concern in perspective Base: 401 “Other reasons” for not playing squash (accounting for 26% of all reasons)

42. Almost six out of ten non-players (56%) don’t know if it is possible for a secondary school student to hire a squash court without being a member of a squash club This is clearly an area Squash Auckland needs to communicate to non-players Base: 376 Perceptions of non-players - is it possible for a secondary school student to hire a squash court without being a member of a squash club?

43. While two-thirds of non-players (65%) don’t mind either way, twice as many would prefer to play casually as join a squash club (24% vs. 12%) This suggests that Squash Auckland should ensure that casual court-hire options are available Base: 376 Perceptions of non-players - Do you want to be a member of a squash club or do you want to play casually/hire a court if you want to play?

44. Half of non-players believe it would cost $10 or more for them to hire a squash court after school in Auckland Base: 376 Perceptions of non-players - How much do you think it costs for a secondary school student to hire a squash court after school in Auckland?

45. 8. Squash player feedback

46. While almost four out of ten secondary school squash players (38%) got into playing squash through their parents, still 62% came to squash on their own accord Base: 104 Did your parents get you into playing squash?

47. 40% of the Auckland secondary school squash players surveyed are Club members Base: 104 Are you a member of a squash club?

48. Just over half of players (52%) say they will definitely play squash after they leave school. However, as they progress through school the “don’t know” level drops and by Year 13, 79% say they will continue playing squash Base: 104 Do you think you will play squash when you leave school? Analysis by school level* * NB no differences were found by gender or ethnicity

49. The main ideas from players involve: - Advertising, publicity and promotion - Courts at school or in the local neighbourhood - Having fun days or friendly games with a social atmosphere While the second item (building courts at schools) may be a more long term goal, Squash Auckland and the Clubs in Auckland can immediately plan to promote the sport more and run fun social days for secondary school students Suggestions by players to encourage non-players to play squash

50. Re Advertising, publicity and promotion Actually advertise it in the sports sign up thing Have it publicly advertised Maybe promote squash more in school and really show how interesting squash is. Give freebees etc don't just put in notices since not everyone reads them Tell them what it is & how cool it is Re Courts at school or in the local neighbourhood Have squash centre & courts at school It would be better if our school had squash courts or courts more avail for people who aren't members of a club Re Having fun days or friendly games with a social atmosphere Do lots of fun social time after school that isn't very expensive to have lots of fun and can be possibly quite competitive Meet lots of new people that are nice, free food. Have fun days. Examples of Students’ Suggestions

51. Re coaching/training Having training at local courts for school squash team members Offer coaching courses etc Re p laying at school Playing squash during PE so people get a better taste of it. Promote it through curriculum, have coaches come to schools and encourage participation Re Longer season It should be played throughout the whole year in order to keep fit and keep the team spirit going Since squash is an indoor sport it can be played round the year. I would like squash to be played around the year by students. Re rackets/ equipment Loans of rackets Free rackets and balls provided Examples of Students’ Main Suggestions