Gatorade has brought its global Fuel Tomorrow platform to Australia, launching a national campaign to help teens stay in team sport by addressing confidence issues as a major dropout factor.
The campaign is underpinned by research from La Trobe University’s Centre for Sport and Social Impact, commissioned by Gatorade, which identified ten key principles for building teen confidence in sport. The study, conducted with insights agency Fiftyfive5, engaged over 1,200 young people aged 13–18 across both surveys and in-person workshops.
Susan Press, Marketing Director at Gatorade ANZ, said the campaign was about delivering tangible support: “Fuel Tomorrow is about creating long-term change, and that starts with truly listening to teens. Everything we’re building is shaped by their insights.”
Developed by Team Fuel, a cross-agency collaboration between Akcelo, Chisel, TSE, and TRIO, the first initiative is the launch of Gatorade Confidence Cards. The free, digital tool was co-created with sports psychologist Professor Richard Keegan and is designed to help parents navigate post-game conversations with their teens, particularly during the emotionally charged car ride home.
Gatorade’s Confidence Cards
The campaign is supported by a three-part documentary series exploring real stories from teens involved in netball, AFL and soccer, highlighting the pressures they’ve faced in sport. The series will be distributed nationally across digital and social platforms.
In addition, a national radio partnership with NOVA will see on-air talent discussing the issue of confidence in teen sport, aiming to raise awareness and encourage supportive conversations at home.
According to the La Trobe white paper, teen participation in sport has fallen from 68 per cent in 2018–19 to 60 per cent in 2022–23, a drop of 128,133 teens over four years. Gatorade aims to hopes to reverse the trend through its Fuel Tomorrow program by building confidence and support around young athletes.
Nearly one in two teens who dropped out of team sport in the past two years originally joined for fun rather than competition. The report also found that 89 per cent of teens say their confidence in sport is influenced by those around them, from parents and coaches to teammates and sideline spectators.
Oliver Cassidy, Client Partner at Team Fuel and Akcelo, said the team’s personal connection to the issue helped shape the campaign. “Everyone involved had a story about how sport shaped them. That shared commitment helped us build something that’s not just meaningful – but hopefully makes a real difference.”
The Fuel Tomorrow program is part of Gatorade’s global goal to help 2.5 million teens access sport by 2030. In Australia, it now stands as one of the most research-driven efforts to retain teen athletes.
More information is available at gatorade.com.au/fueltomorrow.