Centre for Sport Research

Research groups

• Sport management and marketing

  Leader(s): Associate Professor Steve Swanson

  Member(s): Professor Pamm Phillips, Professor David Shilbury, Associate Professor Helen Brown, Associate Professor Katie Rowe, Dr Jordan Bakhsh, Dr Hunter Fujak, Dr Aden Kittel, Dr Joshua McLeod, Dr Jonathan Robertson, Dr Damien Whitburn

  The Sport management and marketing group focuses on the management of sport to facilitate social and economic value through the sport experience in all its forms across all levels of the community. Members of our group have specific expertise in sport governance and leadership, sport marketing, sport development, sport for social change, and well-being in sport.

  Our sport governance and leadership research examines national and state sport organisations with a focus on the role of volunteer boards and how they work together in federated networks. The group’s sport marketing expertise stems from research on social media, sponsorship, branding, and broadcast rights. Our sport development research is participation-focused, investigating community and elite sport as well as the motivation and attrition of coaches and umpires. The group’s sport for social change research examines the role of sport to promote health, social or economic benefits through corporate social responsibility, women in sport, inclusion and diversity, and leveraging sport events. Our well-being in sport researchers investigate the role of leadership and management in fostering athlete, coach, and employee well-being.

  The Sport Management and Marketing group has a strong national and international network of collaborators and partnerships in the sport sector and conducts innovative and impactful research that is published in high quality journals, books, and other publications.

  This group covers:

  • Sport governance and leadership (governance, leadership, strategy, organisational theory)
  • Sport marketing (sport consumer behaviour, sponsorship, media/broadcasting analysis, social media, branding)
  • Sport development (participation and performance pathways, volunteers, coaches and officials)
  • Sport for social change (corporate social responsibility, inclusion, diversity, women in sport, leveraging sport events)
  • Wellbeing in sport (facilitation of multidimensional well-being for athletes, coaches, employees, fans)
• Women in sport

  Leader(s): Associate Professor Helen Brown and Dr Zoe Avner

  Member(s): Professor Pamm Phillips, Associate Professor Katie Rowe, Associate Professor Natalie Saunders, Associate Professor Steve Swanson, Associate Professor Kim Tofoletti, Dr Jordan Bakhsh, Dr David Broadbent, Dr Lyndell Bruce, Dr Amelia Carr, Dr Dominique Condo, Dr Samantha Hoffman, Dr Jodie Palmer, Dr Rhiannon Snipe, Dr Danielle Trowell

  Description

  Women and girls in sport has advanced over the past decade, however, women and girls are still under-represented on and off the field in traditional sport settings and research. The Women in sport group is focused on the advancement of women in sport as athletes, players, administrators, coaches, supporters and officials. Our insights build an evidence base to inform policy and practice in women’s sport environments, at community and elite levels, to enhance the experiences of women and girls.

  This group brings together researchers from a range of disciplines, including epidemiology, public health, sport management, sport coaching, sport sociology and implementation science.

  This group covers:

  • Representation of gender in the media, sport and popular culture
  • Advancing women and girls’ sport participation and performance
  • Promoting the wellbeing, health and safety of women in sport from organisational, societal and performance perspectives
  • Developing strategies of best practice in elite and community sport settings to improve the experiences of women and girls
  • Holistically understanding the effects of physiological, socio-cultural, policy and environmental factors on women’s sport participation.
• Sports injury, health and wellbeing

  Leader(s): Dr Jason Bonacci and Dr Aaron Fox

  Member(s): Associate Professor Helen Brown, Associate Professor Katie Rowe, Associate Professor Natalie Saunders, Associate Professor Kim Toffoletti, Dr Liz Bradshaw, Dr Lyndall Bruce, Dr Amelia Carr, Dr Dominique Condo, Dr Eric Drinkwater, Dr Dan Dwyer, Dr Simon Feros, Dr Samantha Hoffman, Dr Claire Kenneally-Dabrowski, Dr Jodie Palmer, Dr Spencer Roberts, Dr Rhiannon Snipe, Dr Danielle Trowell

  Description

  The Sports injury, health and wellbeing group focuses on the mechanisms and factors that influence sport injury, particularly musculoskeletal, lower limb, and head (e.g., concussion). We have a strong focus on injury prevention and management, and use of technology and predictive analyses to predict and explain risk of injury. Training practices and coaching influence on musculoskeletal injury and subsequent health and wellbeing are also studied.

  Our group has expertise in biomechanics, musculoskeletal modelling and simulation, medical imaging, data analytics, sports nutrition, physiology, and training interventions.

  This group covers:

  • Understanding the mechanisms of lower limb musculoskeletal and head injuries
  • Sensorimotor function and interventions in uninjured and injured people at risk of head injury
  • Utilising biomechanical knowledge to aid clinical management of musculoskeletal injuries
  • Understanding how training practices and coaching influence musculoskeletal injury, health and wellbeing
  • Use of technology to measure athlete workload and injury risk
  • Application of predictive analysis that would explain injury risk
  • Understanding influences on the health and wellbeing of athletes including nutrition, sleep, low energy availability, REDs, gastrointestinal issues, and menstrual health
• Sport performance and nutrition

  Leader(s): Dr Lyndell Bruce and Dr Dan Dwyer

  Member(s): Associate Professor Helen Brown, Associate Professor Natalie Saunders, Dr Giselle Allsopp, Dr Zoe Avner, Dr Jason Bonacci, Dr Liz Bradshaw, Dr David Broadbent, Dr Amelia Carr, Dr Dominique Condo, Dr Eric Drinkwater, Dr Simon Feros, Dr Aaron Fox, Dr Claire Kenneally-Dabrowski, Dr Samantha Hoffman, Dr Aden Kittel, Dr Jodie Palmer, Dr Spencer Roberts, Dr Rhiannon Snipe, Dr Danielle Trowell

  The Sport performance and nutrition group seeks to enhance the performance of athletes and coaches by identifying practical and valuable solutions to complex problems. We pursue a variety of research questions that relate to athlete development, competition strategies, training design, acute and chronic physical adaptations, and the identification of the optimal characteristics of performance. Our research projects range from the development of novel methodologies through to the creation of practically implementable solutions to real world problems.

  Sports nutrition is a key theme of this group, focusing on areas such as sports supplements, environmental and muscle physiology, sleep, female athletes, physique and low energy availability, and the impact on performance.

  We work as a multidisciplinary team that includes sport nutrition, physiology, biomechanics, coaching science, strength and conditioning, skill acquisition and performance analysis. Members have expertise in applied research and practice with athletes and sports practitioners, and a strong network of industry partnerships in high-performance sport environments.

  This group covers:

  • Measurement, analytics, and prediction in sport
  • Sports nutrition and athlete physiology
  • Preparation, coaching and sports performance
  • Female performance in sport