Have you ever wondered which Australian cities or states have produced the most professional athletes or Olympians?

We did too. So, we crunched the numbers and mapped out the nation’s sporting hotspots, analysing the birthplaces and hometowns of more than 1,700 current athletes across Australia’s Rugby League, Soccer, Cricket, AFL, Netball, Basketball, Rugby Union and the 2024 Australian Olympic team.

When it comes to producing elite sporting talent, Sydney stands out as Australia’s top athlete hotspot, with 449 athletes calling the city home. The Harbour City has produced NRL stars such as Nathan Cleary and Cameron Murray, AFL legends like Josh Dunkley and cricket icons like David Warner and Pat Cummins. Melbourne follows in second place with 214 athletes, including international NBA star Ben Simmons and Matildas vice-captain Steph Catley. Brisbane, home to 147 athletes, has produced Big Bash League star Chris Lynn and AFLW standout and former professional boxer, Tayla Harris.

Interestingly, four of the top ten cities are not capital cities. Wollongong ranks sixth with 42 athletes, while the Gold Coast and Tweed Heads region and the Newcastle and Maitland area tied for eighth with 29 athletes each. Townsville rounds out the top ten with 25 professional athletes. Coastal Wollongong is home to eight-time world record-holding swimmer Emma McKeon, while Townsville is the birthplace of rugby league star Valentine Holmes.

 

New South Wales is the leading state in Australia for producing professional athletes, with an impressive 701 athletes across a range of sports. That’s more than double Victoria’s 341 and well ahead of Queensland’s 307. Together, these three states dominate the national sporting landscape, driven by larger populations and well-developed sporting infrastructure.

At the other end of the spectrum, the ACT, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory have each produced fewer than 50 athletes. However, the picture changes when population is taken into account. When looking at athlete density (the number of athletes per 100,000 people), New South Wales still leads with 11.14, but smaller states like the Northern Territory (10.75) and the ACT (9.99) climb the ranks. While these states produce fewer athletes overall, there is clearly a higher percentage of professional sportspeople within the population. Meanwhile, Victoria and Queensland fall down the leaderboard in this measure.

In terms of gender, male professional athletes continue to outnumber female professional athletes in every state, with a national ratio of 2.53 to 1. The disparity is even greater in the ACT (4.14), Northern Territory (4.25), and Tasmania (3.13), suggesting a potential lack of opportunity or support for women in sport in these areas. Queensland, however, shows promise with a more balanced ratio of 1.60, indicating a more level playing field for both men and women.

Australian Rules Football

Melbourne is undeniably the heart of Australian Rules football, producing 59 professional players, double that of Adelaide, which sits in second place with 29. This reflects Melbourne’s deep cultural connection to the sport, being its birthplace and home to multiple AFL teams. Perth and Adelaide also record strong numbers, thanks to their passionate fan bases and well-established junior development pathways.

Rugby League

Sydney dominates rugby league, producing a staggering 171 professional players. This is largely due to the city’s historical roots in the sport, extensive junior club system, and multiple NRL teams. Brisbane also performs strongly with 38 players, while regional areas such as New South Wales (outside major cities) contribute 36, and Newcastle-Maitland (15) and Wollongong (14) further highlight that rugby league’s heartland extends well beyond the capitals. Newcastle and Wollongong are particularly notable for their strong local clubs, grassroots systems and deeply embedded rugby league culture that continues to produce elite talent.

Cricket

Sydney once again leads, with 40 professional cricketers, a result of its elite private school networks, year-round playing conditions, and access to facilities like the SCG. Melbourne (27) and Perth (24) follow closely, both with strong domestic teams and active grassroots participation. All top cities are capitals, reflecting cricket’s traditionally centralised development model. The absence of regional centres suggests a potential opportunity for Cricket Australia to expand its talent development efforts outside the major cities.

Soccer

Sydney leads in soccer too, with 88 professional players, nearly triple Melbourne’s 34. This is likely due to Sydney’s large multicultural population, strong local club culture and A-League infrastructure. Adelaide (31), Perth (25), and Brisbane (19) also rank highly, each hosting A-League teams and active youth programs. Notably, no non-capital cities appear in the top five, pointing to a clear opportunity for growth in regional areas and further diversification of the national talent pool.

Rugby Union

Sydney leads with 40 rugby union players, supported by a long tradition of the sport in elite schools and competitive club competitions. Brisbane (10) and Melbourne (9) follow, showing some growth in union despite rugby league’s stronger popularity in those cities. Interestingly, eight athletes hail from non-urban areas in New South Wales, underscoring the continued contribution of regional communities to rugby union’s talent base.

Basketball

Melbourne tops the list for basketball talent, producing 24 professional players thanks to its competitive junior leagues and facilities like the State Basketball Centre. Adelaide comes next with nine players. Surprisingly, Sydney only accounts for four professionals, equal to Townsville. Townsville’s inclusion highlights the lasting impact of its former NBL team and the strength of regional basketball development programs.

This comprehensive research by Net World Sports evaluates the birthplaces of professional Australian athletes participating in the country’s largest sports. These locations have been categorised by state, and where data is available, by City (Significant Urban Area, or SUA) and/or Local Government Area (LGA) as well.

The results rely on publicly available information, including official sporting databases, team websites, and media content. As such, athletes with limited personal data have not been included. A total of 1,721 unique players were researched. Each athlete, with at least confirmed information on their home state, was used to build a database for analysis.

Data was collected during the period of May–June 2025. In cases where the birthplace was not publicly available but a hometown was mentioned, the hometown was used instead. 

Athletes who participate in multiple sports or competitions (e.g. Paris Olympics 2024 and Soccer), were counted just once for the purpose of assessing counts in sports.

All suburb, city, and state names were standardised for consistency.