MEASURING THE SOCIAL VALUE OF SPORT: NEW ASVB VALUES

The Australian Social Value Bank (ASVB) has partnered with Gippsport, with funding from VicHealth, to develop a new suite of Sports Wellbeing Values, which will be released at the beginning of April and integrated into the ASVB Value Calculator.

Sport plays a vital role in improving wellbeing and creating stronger, healthier, more connected and inclusive communities. However, until now, sporting organisations have had limited ability to consistently measure and communicate this impact using a shared evidence base. The new Sports Wellbeing Values represent a significant addition to the ASVB calculator and respond directly to this gap.

The Sports Wellbeing Values capture changes in wellbeing associated with participation in sport including participation for people with a disability, improved attitudes to physical activity, removing barriers to participation, receiving coaching, and attending sports events.

Together, these outcomes reflect the multiple ways sport contributes to improved wellbeing, social connection, and inclusion across communities.

The values have been derived by Simetrica-Jacobs using robust wellbeing data from New Zealand, originally commissioned by Sport New Zealand, and have been adjusted to align with ASVB’s established wellbeing valuation approach. This ensures consistency with existing ASVB values while extending the ASVB calculator to better reflect the social value created through sport.

Once released, the Sports Wellbeing Values will support organisations to:

• measure the social value created through participation in sport
• communicate wellbeing outcomes in clear and credible terms
• strengthen funding and advocacy narratives
• contribute to a more consistent and comparable evidence base for the value of sport

The addition of the Sports Wellbeing Values broadens the relevance of the ASVB calculator for the sport and physical activity sector. It enables a wider range of programs and activities to be measured using a consistent and evidence-based approach, supporting more confident reporting, decision-making, and sector advocacy.

Watch this space. We will be sharing case studies and practical examples of how the Sports Wellbeing Values can be applied across different sporting contexts, including early insights from our partners at Gippsport who have been testing the values within their programs.

Sporting organisations interested in the new Sports Wellbeing Values are encouraged to register their interest below.
By completing this short form, you will:

• receive updates as the Sports Wellbeing Values are released
• access case studies and practical examples from early adopters, including Gippsport
• be invited to upcoming webinars and training sessions