Titans Leagueability program receives recognition from Griffith University for championing inclusivity in sport

The Gold Coast Titans Leagueability program has received recognition from researchers at Griffith University for championing inclusivity in sport and creating environments for individuals to succeed.

Chief investigators Associate Professor Popi Sotiriadou from Griffith University and Professor Pamela Wicker from Bielefeld University, Germany have released their initial findings of their study on the socioeconomic value of the Gold Coast Titans Leagueability program.

The Gold Coast Titans Leagueability program offers inclusive Rugby League for both men and women with intellectual and physical disabilities.

Since 2018, the program has had a 425% increase in participation numbers, an example of the need of inclusive rugby league programs.

In an interview with the Titans, Associate Professor Popi Sotiriadou said the partnership with the Titans means that the key research findings will be instrumental in progressing disability sports and disability rugby league.

“The partnership between the Titans and Griffith University has allowed for us to find some really key pieces of information that will help in progressing the area of disability sports” Dr Sotiriadou said.

“By researching the four key findings, we found that the participants involved in the program are experiencing high levels of social capital, well-being, human capital, and a collective identity”.

“These key areas are very important parts of people’s lives and their quality of life,” she said.

The findings from the study are mapped across four different key areas, listed below:

Social capital: by way of enjoying trustworthy interaction and cooperation with the people in my community (Mean - 6.06*).

Collective identity: a strong sense of belonging to the community or group where I live or work (Mean - 5.75)

Well-being: feeling good about physical and mental health and social interactions (Mean - 5.76)

Human capital: having the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies to develop as a person (Mean - 5.98)

Family members and LeagueAbility volunteers stressed that they also have advanced their social relationships through the program. Additionally, the results indicate that family members of players and Titans players have the highest willingness-to-volunteer and willingness-to-fundraise.

These findings are especially important for organisers of the LeagueAbility program because “creating inclusive environments is key to enabling engagement, participation, wellbeing and a great host of other social and economic benefits,” said Dr Sotiriadou.

“We look forward to further supporting this significant program to expand its offering to more people in the near future,” Dr Sotiradou said.