It can be expensive, time-consuming and not at all convenient. But this is why your kids need to do it.

I played a lot of sport as a kid. Tennis, dancing, netball, swimming, surfing, sailing, skiing – you name it, I probably gave it a go at some point or another.

Mind you, I wasn’t naturally sporty or particularly good at anything. But I loved it all, especially the team sports. There’s something so special about competing for something with a big group of people; the pep talks, the encouragement, the shared disappointment at a loss or the shared exhilaration at a win.

We’re lucky in Australia in that we’re such an outdoor nation. Every kid finds a passion for something, whether it be cricket or water polo or rowing or horse riding or tap dancing. And there are such great opportunities available to those who want to go further, who want to kick those goals and become the best they can possibly be.

But there’s another side to the sport story. The side that playing sport can be expensive, as well as time-consuming and not particularly convenient. Some sports transcend from hobbies into lifestyles, with kids making other sacrifices to continue playing their sport.

With that in mind, I had a chat to a couple of athletes about why they think it’s so important for kids to play sport.

The first? 16-year-old Tahlia Tupaea. The teenager plays basketball for the Sydney Flames, a basketball club that’s committed to developing elite young NSW female athletes. She signed for the club for the 2012-2013 season and officially became the second youngest debutant in WNBL history. Pretty impressive.

Tahlia was also invited to tour China and France with the Gems in April and May last year, which then led to her selection to play at the U19 World Championships in Lithuania, where they won a bronze medal. It was a huge achievement, considering the last time the Gems won a medal at World Championships was in 1997 – the year Tahlia was born.

Tahlia still attends school five days per week, and trains with the Flames on court about four times a week, as well as additional strength, conditioning and shooting training. And somehow, she still manages to balance it all.

This is what Tahlia had to say about kids playing sport:

Sport has provided me with the opportunity to put my dreams into action. Playing sport teaches you to set and reach your goals, respect for yourself and others, to be focused and disciplined, work hard and apply yourself to learn and develop skills on and off the court or field. It’s fun, challenging, keeps you active and provides a great social atmosphere for all ages and all family members.

I played many sports and also competed at state level for tennis and national level for athletics. I have met some really nice people and had the opportunity to grow great friendships through sport. I have travelled with friends, families, my family and teams throughout Australia and oversees because of my involvement in sporting teams.

I also had a chat to Madison Browne, an Australian netballer who plays for the Diamonds and the Melbourne Vixens. Madison is also a qualified teacher and runs a netball academy for kids.

Madison started playing netball when she was just 6-years-old. She loved participating so much that her parents continued to take her along to netball seasons, despite the fact that her initial ability wasn’t particularly strong. Later, the lightbulb switched on, and she became an incredibly strong player.

She told me:

There is nothing better than seeing kids out on their street, down the beach or in the park either running around playing tag, cricket, tennis or ever throwing the frisbee around. Sport teaches kids a lot of life lessons. Whether it is learning to take turns or winning and losing it also encourages them to make friends, makes them feel good about themselves and shows them how to respect their bodies and live healthy lifestyles in the future.

Coming from a team sport background, I’m pro-team sports. I have made lifetime friends and shared many amazing memories with my teammates. It’s always very rewarding sharing your success but also having each other to lean on in the tough times.

Having a teaching background as well, I wanted to not only give girls a wonderful Netball experience but teach them things that will be useful to them regardless of weather they have a sporting career or not. I teach them goal setting, nutrition education, work opportunities in the sport and recreation industry (which a lot of them then go a volunteer at their local sports clubs – and in return the clubs are very appreciative) as well as skills and fitness development. It gives them a snap shot of what it’s like to be an elite athlete but also how to be better people in their communities.

Do your kids play sport? Did you play sport as a kid? What did you get out of it? 

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And in other sport news from the week:

– The Australian winter Olympic team has been announced, just in time for the games to begin in Sochi on the 6th of February. If you want to subscribe to the female athletes on Twitter and Facebook and keep up with them, go here for a full list of all their account details.

– The Women’s Ashes are still on. England is currently on 8 points and Australia is on 2 pointes; however, there are still 8 points up for grabs in the final match, which will be played on Australia Day in Hobart.

– Exciting times for women’s gridiron are ahead: Gridiron Australia have announced that the Australian Gridiron League will now nclude full equipment women teams for the first time ever. Matt Steel, the spokesperson, said: “We have kicked a few goals this year as a sport, and to have the three women’s teams competing for the national title for the first time in full equipment shows how well those competitions taken off.” Gridiron fans, keep an eye out for the series, which starts in May.

– The final of the Australian Open is happening this weekend. China’s Li Na will face up against the Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova. Incidentally, Cibulkova is the first Slovakian woman to play in a major final – what an achievement. Who’s going to be watching?