Getting People Moving: How Smarter Transport Can De‑risk Sport’s Invisible Economic Threat

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Getting People Moving: How Smarter Transport Can De‑risk Sport’s Invisible Economic Threat

Over the last few years, I’ve worked across two worlds: transport planning and sports governance.

In both, I’ve seen the same pattern. When everyday movement drops, the costs compound.

Sport isn’t just stadiums and scoreboards. It’s an economy built on people participating, spectating, volunteering, and traveling.

It's a business and economy built on supply and demand.

If fewer people are active, the foundation under sport’s business model weakens—and cities lose health, productivity, and resilience too. That’s the “invisible economic risk” facing sport—and transport is one of the fastest levers we can pull to reverse it. [sportsin.biz]

Below I share the transport planner’s view of this risk, and practical steps that are being taken (and can accelerate) in three countries New Zealand, Australia, and Iraq—places where I’m working or collaborating—so sport can thrive on a wider, more active base.

The risk in plain numbers

  • Participation is shrinking and costs are rising. Analyses highlighted in SportsIn warn that declining physical activity could shave US$517B a year from sport by 2030, and up to US$1.6T by 2050, by eroding the pipeline of participants, fans, and event demand. This isn’t a distant theory; it’s a demand-side constraint today. [sportsin.biz]

  • Health systems already pay for inactivity. WHO and The Lancet estimate ~500 million avoidable NCD cases by 2030 and ~US$27–48B per year in direct health‑care costs if inactivity trends persist—money that could otherwise underpin community sport and active infrastructure. [who.int], [thelancet.com]

  • Transport policy is a missing piece. WHO’s global status report shows <50% of countries have operational physical‑activity policies and only ~40% have road design standards that make walking and cycling safer—core enablers of daily activity and sport participation. [who.int], [who.int]

Translation for sport: If moving your body is hard, expensive, or unsafe between home, school, work, and club, participation shrinks. That’s a demand shock to sport and a productivity drag on cities.

How transport can grow sport (and the economy)

While there is a huge focus on climate and congestion, active and public transport aren’t just tools for this. Rather, when done right they create participants by making daily movement routine, lowering barriers to club training, school sport, events, and casual play.

  • New Zealand: Waka Kotahi’s Arataki and the National Land Transport Programme are re‑pivoting investment toward a multi‑modal system. Crucially, NZ now standardises how we monetise benefits—safety, health, access—through the Monetised Benefits and Costs Manual (MBCM) and the Land Transport Benefits Framework, which makes the case for walking, cycling and public transport projects more visible in business cases. [nzta.govt.nz], [portal.zero.govt.nz], [nzta.govt.nz], [nzta.govt.nz]

  • Australia: The National Sport Strategy 2024–2034 (Sport Horizon) explicitly links participation, inclusion, and the sport economy—timed with the “Green & Gold Decade” toward Brisbane 2032. Health agencies put a price on inactivity; the AIHW estimates A$2.4B in 2018‑19 health spending was attributable to inactivity alone, strengthening the case for active‑travel infrastructure around schools, clubs, and venues. [infrastruc...ure.gov.au], [infrastruc...ure.gov.au], [aihw.gov.au]

  • Iraq: Major urban mobility projects (e.g., Baghdad Metro procurement and designs; Basra’s Shatt al‑Arab Corniche activation with walkways and bike lanes) can seed everyday movement and unlock safe access to parks and facilities—critical for youth sport recovery and community wellbeing. Delivery is challenging, but the direction is clear. [investpromo.gov.iq], [iraq-busin...ssnews.com], [highways.today], [araburban.org]

Three country snapshots — what’s changing and what sport can do

1) Aotearoa New Zealand: Join up transport and club access

  • What’s moving: Auckland’s cycling and micromobility programme aims for 7% cycling mode share by 2030, with a call for scaled investment in connected networks; decisions like retaining the Coronation Road cycleway show how data‑led trials can stick. Nationally, Waka Kotahi’s benefits and business case reforms help councils and partners justify people‑movement projects that benefit sport. [at.govt.nz], [bicyclenet...ork.com.au], [nzta.govt.nz], [nzmobilitylab.com]

  • What sport can do: Encourage active mode and public transport connection to venues and training activities - trip to play!

  • Why it matters: Active NZ tracking shows participation patterns for tamariki/rangatahi are still rebounding unevenly. Making the trip to play easy and affordable is the hinge. [sportnz-we...bsites.net], [sportnz.org.nz]

2) Australia: Lock in participation legacy before Brisbane 2032

  • What’s moving: Sport Horizon sets a national framework for participation and infrastructure alignment, and public health analysis quantifies the fiscal upside of getting people active. States like Queensland track activity rates and burden of disease, reinforcing where to target corridors and safe access around schools and parks. [infrastruc...ure.gov.au], [choreport....qld.gov.au], [aihw.gov.au]

  • What sport can do: Again easy and safe active mode access to sports and encourage this.

  • Why it matters: Preventive‑health ROI is compelling; governments cite >$14 return per $1 for prevention broadly—sport and transport can co‑author those wins when projects are co‑designed. [health.gov.au]

3) Iraq: Build walkable waterfronts and a reliable spine

  • What’s moving: The Baghdad Metro (seven‑line concept; designs completed; DBOMFT tendering steps) plus corniche revitalisations in Baghdad and Basra aim to reconnect people to safe, shaded public space and reliable mass transit—vital for sport activation in hot climates. Progress has been uneven, but city‑shaping potential is significant. [iraq-busin...ssnews.com], [investpromo.gov.iq], [araburban.org]

  • What sport can do: There are three key things as detailed bellow

  • Program the promenade—sunrise/late‑evening running and family cycling events along new corniches.

  • Design for women & youth—lighting, passive surveillance, and inclusive amenities near courts/fields.

  • Transit‑ready venues—prioritise sites within a short walk of future metro stations to lock in long‑term access.

What we recommend to boards, councils, and clients in sports and transport

  1. Define “active access” as core sport infrastructure. Treat safe walking/cycling routes, shade, lighting, crossings, and bike parking as club assets—budget for them in facility plans and grants. Use NZ’s Benefits Framework and MBCM (or Australian equivalents) to quantify safety, health, and congestion benefits in your funding bids. [nzta.govt.nz], [nzta.govt.nz]

  2. Move from projects to networks. Isolated paths don’t shift participation. Prioritise complete corridors that connect homes → schools → clubs → parks. Auckland’s CAM‑PBC and Urban Cycleways learnings are practical templates; adapt them to your city. [at.govt.nz], [nzta.govt.nz]

  3. Program the network with sport. Co‑design timetables (e.g., junior training windows aligned to public‑transport frequency), and bake in “ride to training” and learn‑to‑ride as funded participation initiatives, not side events. Evidence from Active NZ shows regular, convenient opportunities matter more than occasional big events. [sportnz-we...bsites.net], [sportnz.org.nz]

  4. Leverage mega‑events for permanent access. Australia’s strategy toward 2032 creates a once‑in‑a‑generation chance to convert temporary operations into permanent neighborhood upgrades that make daily play easier. Measure legacy by mode share to sport, not just medals. [infrastruc...ure.gov.au]

  5. Design for equity first. Women, people who have physical or mental impediments, and lower‑income neighborhoods face bigger barriers. Lighting, passive surveillance, step‑free routes, and pricing signals should be non‑negotiable. The global evidence is clear: closing access gaps grows the whole pie. [who.int]

  6. Tell the economic story. Pair sport‑participation forecasts with health‑care savings and productivity gains from activity. Use AIHW/Lancet/WHO numbers to anchor your local case; sport CFOs and city treasuries speak that language. [aihw.gov.au], [thelancet.com], [who.int]

New ways of thinking we should normalise

  • From “build it and they will play” to “connect it and they will come.” A great facility without safe routes underperforms. Before adding lanes or grandstands, ask: How easy is the trip for a 12‑year‑old? For a parent with a pram? [who.int]

  • From event tourism to everyday activity. Sports tourism is booming but vulnerable; diversifying into daily participation is economic risk management for the sector. [sportsin.biz]

  • From siloed planning to joint transport–sport business cases. Use the same benefits frameworks and evidence standards that fund transit and road safety to fund active access to sport. NZ’s BCA/benefits guidance shows the path. [nzmobilitylab.com], [nzta.govt.nz]

What we can help with

  • Active‑access masterplans for clubs, codes and councils (route audits, costed improvements, lighting/shade, end‑of‑trip).

  • Business cases that stack up in NZ’s and Australia’s funding systems (MBCM/Benefits Framework alignment; AIHW/WHO evidence). [nzta.govt.nz], [nzta.govt.nz], [aihw.gov.au], [who.int]

  • Programming & pilots—“ride to training” schemes, event‑to‑legacy conversions, and monitoring (before/after counts, safety, mode share). Evidence from Auckland shows data‑led pilots can become permanent. [bicyclenet...ork.com.au]

Closing thought

Sport’s future customer is today’s commuter, parent, or student...

But...

Only if the trip is easy.

Transport is not a side issue; it’s sport’s growth engine and its risk hedge. If we connect homes to clubs with safe, affordable, reliable movement options, we protect sport’s economics, improve public health, and build cities where it’s normal to move.

If you lead a sport, a council, or a campus and want to turn this into a funded plan, let’s talk!!!

Til next time

Andrew Collings

Sources & further reading

Transit Trends · Andrew Collings, KA Advisory. Read and comment on the original on LinkedIn.

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