Dr Sam Elliott

Senior Lecturer

College of Education, Psychology and Social Work

+61 8 82013495

sam.elliott@flinders.edu.au

Education (5.19)

GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia

Sam is an award-winning researcher and senior lecturer in Sport, Health and Physical Activity. He has published 36 peer-reviewed outputs and received over $500K in combined grants, tenders and consultancies. Sam is an active member of the Sport, Health, Activity, Performance and Exercise (SHAPE) Research Centre and invited reviewer for 15 international journals. He has published widely on parental involvement in youth sport and presented his work internationally in Australia, China, the UK, Canada and the US. Sam has received a number of prestigious awards including the VC Award for Early Career Research, the World Congress on Science and Football Best Research Paper by Code (AFL) Award, the Inclusion and Diversity in Sport Conference Champion of Inclusion Award, and the Universities Australia Award for the Pitch it clever competition. He is a thought leader and has won international awards for science and research communications. Sam has represented Flinders at the Australian Academy of Science Falling Walls Lab Australia and in the global-award winning series, Raising the bar.

Sam is a highly sought after speaker and consultant and has worked with Sport Australia, Football Federation Australia, the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing (SA) and the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation. Between 2019-2020, he received the Vice Chancellor's Award for Innovation in Teaching and two College Excellence in Teaching Awards for leadership and scholarship. Sam also supervises PhD and Honours students in his Children and Youth Sport Research (CHAYSR) lab.

Qualifications

2014 PhD
2011 Bachelor of Education Honours (1A)
2010 Bachelor of Health Science/Bachelor of Education (Middle & Secondary)

Honours, awards and grants

Research Awards

2019 Finalist, Falling Walls Lab Australia (Canberra)
2019 Winner: College of Education, Psychology and Social Work Excellence in Teaching Award $3000
2019 Winner: World Congress on Science and Football Best Research Paper by code (AFL) $250
2019 Winner: Universities Australia Award Pitch It Clever Competition $1000
2018 Winner: Flinders University's Vice Chancellor's Award for Early Career Researchers $2500
2018 Winner: 6th International Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise Conference 5 minute challenge
2018 Winner: inaugural Inclusion and Diversity in Sport Conference Champion of Inclusion Award $500

Teaching Awards

2020 Winner Vice-Chancellor’s Innovation in Teaching Awards
2020 Winner College of Education, Psychology and Social Work Teaching Excellence Award
2019 Winner College of Education, Psychology and Social Work Teaching Excellence Award

External grants and consultancies

2021 ORSR Partnership Grant Scheme. The sport research podcast ($122,700)
2021 ORSR-Flinders Innovative Partnership Seed Grant. The sport parent project ($50,000)
2021 Freemason’s Centre for Men’s Health and Wellbeing Grant. Masculinity and mental health: shaping the attitudes, behaviours and education of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men through sport ($120,000)
2020 Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation-Órama Institute Seed Funding Grant. "It takes a village to raise a child”: Developing mental health fitness in contemporary youth through community sport using a whole club – village – approach ($30,000)
2019 Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation Health Seed Grant. Level Playing Field: Young Males, Masculinity and Mental Wellbeing through Sport ($21,376)
2018 Netball SA/ORSR Grant: The Promotion and Engagement of Contemporary Sports for Girls and Young Women: Implications for Participation ($57,000)
2018 Football Federation Australia's ALDI MiniRoos sport parenting project ($18,775)
2018 Inclusive Sport South Australia Tender. LGBTIQ+ and South Australian sport ($40,000)
2017 ORSR Grant. Pathways to Participation for Girls and Women in Sport ($55,000)

Key responsibilities

Higher Degree Research Coordinator (Education) (2021-present)
Invited committee member, Sammy D Foundation (2020-present)
BLISS Science and Innovation Committee (South Australia) (2020)
BSHPA Academic Programs Committee CEPSW representative (2018-present)
Invited member of the ACHPER National Academic Reference Group (2017-present)
Invited member of the Australian Sports Commission's PGAG Advisory Group (2016-present)

Topic coordinator

HLPE2300 Foundations of Sport Psychology

HLPE3534 Introduction to Sport Coaching, Management and Administration

HLPE1531 Inclusive and Adaptive Practices in Sport and Physical Education

Supervisory interests

Athlete development

Australian football

Community sport

Diversity and inclusion in sport

Girls and the rising popularity of AFLW

Parental behaviour in youth sport

Psychology of sport participation and performance

Qualitative research methods

Social issues in youth sport

Sport coaching

Sport participation and dropout

Think Aloud methods

Youth sport

Higher degree by research supervision

Current

Principal supervisor: Injury and social support in female Australian football (1), Sporting clubs of the future (1)

Associate supervisor: Sport and physical activity in low SES communities (1), Assessment in Physical Education (1)

Higher degree by research student achievements

Reuben Smith

Society of Medical and Biological Engineering Award SA - OCT 2018

Professional engagement

Journal Editor

Frontiers in Sports and Active Living "Engaging Women and Girls in Community Sport: Building an Equitable and Inclusive Future" (2021)
AIMS Public Health Journal (Special Issue): Sports-Based Health Interventions (2016-2017)
Health Education (Special Issue): Youth Sport and Physical Activity: The post-COVID-19 response (2020-2021)

Grants reviewer

Marsden Fund Council, New Zealand Government (2017-ongoing)

Invited reviewer

Journals

Professional associations

International Society for Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise
Sport Australia (Parent and Guardian Advisory Group)
Football Research Collective, Aus
The football collective, UK
Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation Inc (ACHPER) (Academic Reference Group)
Sammy D Foundation

Community engagement

SA Government Youth Action Plan, 2019
Raising the Bar event, Norwood, 2019
South Australian National Football League (SANFL) Women's Football State Talent Search, 2016
South Adelaide Football Club U16 Elite Development Academy program, 2014-19
South Adelaide Football Club U16 Assistant and U14 Head Coach

Expert for media contact

Children/Youth

Parenting

Sport

Optimal athlete development

Parental behaviour in youth sport

Social issues in sport

Youth sport participation and engagement

Available for contact via

+61 8 82013495

sam.elliott@flinders.edu.au

Or contact the media team