2024 Count Us In Festival Making Sport Inclusive For All

Source: City of Newcastle

With only 1 in 4 Australians with a disability playing a sport, the City of Newcastle (CN) aims to work with the local community to remove barriers and increase participation.

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Everyone knows Newcastle is famous for our devotion to our local sporting teams.

Yet, one in six residents face significant barriers to participating in sports and recreation activities due to a disability.

With the 2024 Paralympics on the horizon, CN is taking practical steps to address these barriers with the launch of the 2024 Count Us In Festival, an annual celebration of disability inclusion.

Since the inaugural 2019 festival, CN has worked with 120 providers to deliver over 150 events for 5000 attendees.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes says Count Us In has made a real difference in the local community over the last five years.

“By listening to our Access Inclusion Advisory Committee, we’re listening to people with disabilities, understanding barriers, finding solutions and sharing practical ways to promote inclusion with sports, business and community stakeholders,” she said.

Highlights of the 2024 program include an Inclusive Sports Forum, featuring former Newcastle Knight Alex McKinnon as Guest Speaker, a Come-and-Try Sports Day, the launch of a new Inclusive Sports and Recreation Register, and an Inclusive Sports Pitch Night.

“We’ve designed a program to bring the sporting and disability communities together as one,” said Cr Nelmes.

“For sporting organisations, making activities more inclusive for people with a disability can seem daunting. It can be equally daunting for people with disabilities to take a leap of faith and try something new. We hope Count Us In 2024 helps bridge the gap to increase participation in sport for everyone.”

City of Newcastle’s 2024 Count Us In Festival runs from 8 to 15 August. Visit https://newcastle.nsw.gov.au/community/our-community/disability-access-and-inclusion/count-us-in-2024 to view the program and register your interest.