PhD Scholarship

This PhD scholarship at the University of Newcastle offers an exciting opportunity to explore how cultural factors shape sports coaching practices and the sporting experiences of participants across Australia. The project is closely aligned with the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) coach development priorities and aims to strengthen cultural capability within the sports sector, supporting inclusive and positive participation for children, adolescents, and adults.

Coaches are positioned as key agents in delivering safe, inclusive, and positive sport experiences that foster participation, retention, and wellbeing across diverse communities. As sport environments become increasingly diverse, coaches must navigate cultural differences related to identity, communication, values, power, and expectations. However, many coaches currently rely on informal learning and personal experience, with limited access to structured, evidence-informed support through formal coach education and professional development. This gap reflects national challenges around workforce capability, consistency, and quality in coaching practice.

Drawing on contemporary coaching research and socioecological perspectives, the study will examine how personal, environmental, organisational, and societal cultural factors influence coaching behaviours, interpersonal interactions, and decision-making, particularly in community sport and school settings. The research will pay special attention to how coaches understand and respond to cultural factors influencing participation and engagement, including experiences of inclusion, belonging, motivation, psychological safety, and athlete wellbeing—outcomes prioritised within ASC policy and strategic frameworks.

The project will use a mixed-methods research design, initially exploring coaches’ beliefs, knowledge, and practices related to culture through surveys, interviews, and observational methods. This phase will identify key enablers and barriers to culturally responsive coaching, as well as misalignments between coaches’ intentions and enacted practice. Based on these findings, the project will adopt a co-design approach with coaches, coach educators, and sporting organisations to develop practical tools, learning resources, and professional development strategies that can be embedded within existing ASC-aligned coach education and workforce development pathways.

The research will generate applied, system-relevant evidence to inform coach education design, organisational policy, and national workforce development initiatives. By strengthening cultural capability within the coaching workforce, this project aims to support the ASC’s broader commitment to inclusive, safe, and high-quality sport environments that enable lifelong participation for Australians from all backgrounds.

The scholarship provides a living allowance of $38,938 per annum (2026 rate), indexed annually, and covers tuition fees for 3.5 years. A relocation allowance of up to $1,500 is also available. The project may be adapted to suit the interests and skills of the PhD candidate. Applicants must have experience in sport, sports coaching, sports participation, coach education, sociology of sport or a sport-related field, and meet the minimum eligibility criteria for PhD admission. Domestic students only. The successful candidate must be able to commence on 01/06/2026.

To apply, send an email expressing your interest, including scanned academic transcripts, CV, a brief statement of research interests, and a proposal linking your interests to the project, to [email protected] by 5pm on 30 April 2026. For further information, visit the application link provided.