CANBERRA, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- More Australians are playing football than any other sport, said a survey released on Friday.
The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) provided updated results of the AusPlay survey, the largest survey of its kind in Australian history, which revealed that 1,152,144 Australians said they played football for a club.
"Football has never been bigger or busier," David Gallop, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Football Federation of Australia (FFA), said in a media release on Friday.
"It's is the people's game. Wherever you are around this country, whatever your age, background or ability, there is a place for you in football."
The results came two days after the Australian national men's football team, the Socceroos, qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
"We expect to see even more people taking up football over the coming year," Gallop said.
"We will continue to work with our Member Federations and governments at every level around the country so that the necessary infrastructure is available.
"For parents of young children looking for a safe, accessible and inclusive sport, football is the answer - and these figures show just how many people are making that choice."
The number of people playing football represented 18 percent of Australians who participate in club sport.
Golf was the second most prominent sport with 751,766 regular participants followed by Australian rules football with 673,986.
The number of people playing cricket, considered football's biggest rival due to the two codes' professional leagues season's overlapping in summer, was 562,107.
