An investigation into factors influencing coach retention and coaching career pathways. Organised sport is central to the social fabric and health of Australian communities and enhances national pride. The project will provide significant social and economic benefits for sport organisations which depend on coaches to build and sustain capacity. More coaches will enable more Australians to participate in sport which contributes to personal well being, social cohesion and success of Australian ath ....An investigation into factors influencing coach retention and coaching career pathways. Organised sport is central to the social fabric and health of Australian communities and enhances national pride. The project will provide significant social and economic benefits for sport organisations which depend on coaches to build and sustain capacity. More coaches will enable more Australians to participate in sport which contributes to personal well being, social cohesion and success of Australian athletes. The project will enhance the international reputation of Australian sport research sport and also has implications for volunteer retention in the nonprofit sector. This is critical given the policy emphasis on building social capital, making communities more resilient, and the social coalition approach to meeting community needs.Read moreRead less
Struggling for Possession: The Control and Use of Online Media Sport. Policy debates about the private ownership of sport content by media companies and sports organisations, and citizens' rights of access to content in new media environments, are characterised by considerable regulatory and legal uncertainty. This Project will identify and analyse the sources of this uncertainty, and provide informed, evidence-based policy direction. There is a pressing need for such evidence, with regulatory a ....Struggling for Possession: The Control and Use of Online Media Sport. Policy debates about the private ownership of sport content by media companies and sports organisations, and citizens' rights of access to content in new media environments, are characterised by considerable regulatory and legal uncertainty. This Project will identify and analyse the sources of this uncertainty, and provide informed, evidence-based policy direction. There is a pressing need for such evidence, with regulatory authorities already expressing concern over the locking up of exclusive content rights by major media companies. This Project also contributes to the conceptual development of Communication and Media Studies in a key area of national popular culture - sport.Read moreRead less
Identifying better practice for volunteer management in community sport organisations. This project will: (i) research the approaches of community sport organisations (CSOs) to volunteer management and retention; (ii) investigate how volunteers' motivations, commitment, and behaviour influence their intention to continue involvement in CSOs; and, (iii) generate innovative solutions for the problem of volunteer retention in CSOs. The study will both contribute to research knowledge as well as und ....Identifying better practice for volunteer management in community sport organisations. This project will: (i) research the approaches of community sport organisations (CSOs) to volunteer management and retention; (ii) investigate how volunteers' motivations, commitment, and behaviour influence their intention to continue involvement in CSOs; and, (iii) generate innovative solutions for the problem of volunteer retention in CSOs. The study will both contribute to research knowledge as well as understanding of the association between organisational practices and volunteer requirements. It will assist CSOs and policy makers to identify how best to increase volunteer retention levels and contribute substantially to developing a theory of volunteer retention that will enhance the sustainability of Australian sport organisations.Read moreRead less
Development of a predictive model for the retention of sports officials. The Australian sport system is facing a critical shortage of sports officials. Over five years the number of officials has declined by 120,000 (26%). Research has not examined the efficacy of organisational support strategies to arrest this decline. Based on commitment, stress and the mediating effect of organisational support this project addresses the retention issue by developing a predictive model of the factors that in ....Development of a predictive model for the retention of sports officials. The Australian sport system is facing a critical shortage of sports officials. Over five years the number of officials has declined by 120,000 (26%). Research has not examined the efficacy of organisational support strategies to arrest this decline. Based on commitment, stress and the mediating effect of organisational support this project addresses the retention issue by developing a predictive model of the factors that influence stay/leave behaviour of officials. The outcomes will contribute to a range of evidence-based strategies that will help maximise retention of officials. The project will enhance the sustainability of the Australian sport system and advance retention behaviour research in the emerging field of sport management.Read moreRead less
The influence of sway-roll coupling on the dynamics of an inverted sailing yacht in waves. The ability of a sailing yacht to re-right in waves after capsize will influence the safety of those on board in extreme conditions.
The aim of this project is to incorporate the effects of sway-roll coupling into a numerical simulation of the behaviour of an inverted yacht in waves to assess design features which influence re-righting. Experimental work being conducted during 2001 will be extended to ....The influence of sway-roll coupling on the dynamics of an inverted sailing yacht in waves. The ability of a sailing yacht to re-right in waves after capsize will influence the safety of those on board in extreme conditions.
The aim of this project is to incorporate the effects of sway-roll coupling into a numerical simulation of the behaviour of an inverted yacht in waves to assess design features which influence re-righting. Experimental work being conducted during 2001 will be extended to enable the forces on a model of an inverted yacht in a breaking wave to be determined. and incorporated along with theoretical predictions into the simulation.Read moreRead less
Dynamic prediction models in Australian rules football using real time performance statistics. The study is a collaborative venture with Champion Data, the Australian leader in the collection and transmission of real time sporting data, and official provider of the Australian Football League (AFL) statistics. The aim is to develop a real time on line predictive model for AFL football. The model will use the statistics Champion Data collect as the match progresses as inputs to continually updat ....Dynamic prediction models in Australian rules football using real time performance statistics. The study is a collaborative venture with Champion Data, the Australian leader in the collection and transmission of real time sporting data, and official provider of the Australian Football League (AFL) statistics. The aim is to develop a real time on line predictive model for AFL football. The model will use the statistics Champion Data collect as the match progresses as inputs to continually update estimates of the probabilities of various outcomes of interest such as the winner of the match and the margin of victory. The project will assist Champion in their strategic aim to provide an on line form guide.Read moreRead less
Protect, prepare and engage: Does extracurricular activity participation offer sustained benefits for youth? Organized extracurricular activities such as sport and music have the potential to promote healthy development and to reduce the levels of risk behaviours in teenagers. However, current research evidence, often based on middle-class youth in the US, is inadequate for making policy recommendations for improvement to the after-school lives of Australian youth. This study will offer insight ....Protect, prepare and engage: Does extracurricular activity participation offer sustained benefits for youth? Organized extracurricular activities such as sport and music have the potential to promote healthy development and to reduce the levels of risk behaviours in teenagers. However, current research evidence, often based on middle-class youth in the US, is inadequate for making policy recommendations for improvement to the after-school lives of Australian youth. This study will offer insight into the long-term benefits of making a diverse selection of organised activities available to Australian teenagers, and will improve our understanding of which aspects of participation are most likely to enhance their social and educational opportunities.Read moreRead less
Promoting physical activity and wellbeing of rural- and regional-living girls. This research will attempt to improve the physical activity levels and the physical and mental wellbeing of girls who live in disadvantaged and isolated rural and regional areas. This will be achieved by working with the girls to find ways to improve their involvement in sport and active recreation. This information will be used to develop, implement and evaluate a year-long sport and active recreation program that ....Promoting physical activity and wellbeing of rural- and regional-living girls. This research will attempt to improve the physical activity levels and the physical and mental wellbeing of girls who live in disadvantaged and isolated rural and regional areas. This will be achieved by working with the girls to find ways to improve their involvement in sport and active recreation. This information will be used to develop, implement and evaluate a year-long sport and active recreation program that is offered in both schools and the community. The research will occur in Victoria and will involve girls in years 7-9 of secondary school. It will involve the sports of tennis and football (soccer) as well as the active recreation opportunities offered by the YMCA.Read moreRead less
The role of extracurricular activity participation in promoting healthy development of Australian youth. Organized extracurricular activities such as sport and art have the potential for promoting healthy development and reducing the risks faced by teenagers. However, current research evidence, often based on middle-class youth in the US, is inadequate for making policy recommendations for improvement to the after-school lives of Australian youth. This study will offer insight into the importanc ....The role of extracurricular activity participation in promoting healthy development of Australian youth. Organized extracurricular activities such as sport and art have the potential for promoting healthy development and reducing the risks faced by teenagers. However, current research evidence, often based on middle-class youth in the US, is inadequate for making policy recommendations for improvement to the after-school lives of Australian youth. This study will offer insight into the importance of making a diverse selection of organized activities available to Australian teenagers, and will improve our understanding of which aspects of participation are most likely to enhance their social and educational opportunities.Read moreRead less
Active Vibration Control of a Cricket Bat using Piezoelectric-based Smart Materials Technology. Improvement of sporting equipment performance of late has largely ignored the game of cricket. Using the combined disciplines of advanced materials and control technologies, it is anticipated that the traditional cricket bat can be vastly improved while keeping to bat modification guidelines as specified in the rules of the game. This project involves the dynamic study of the bat using established e ....Active Vibration Control of a Cricket Bat using Piezoelectric-based Smart Materials Technology. Improvement of sporting equipment performance of late has largely ignored the game of cricket. Using the combined disciplines of advanced materials and control technologies, it is anticipated that the traditional cricket bat can be vastly improved while keeping to bat modification guidelines as specified in the rules of the game. This project involves the dynamic study of the bat using established experimental techniques. Once the various regions of high strain rates are determined, smart materials technologies will be used to reduce the transient vibrations transmitted to the batsman. The effect of this monitoring and control is to increase the comfort level and hence, effectiveness of the batsman.Read moreRead less