Category: Professional Sports
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Update on Federal and State Governments funding of AFL and NRL High Performance Training Centres.
By Greg Blood This is an update of research published in April 2019. It highlights how the majority of professional AFL and NRL clubs have now received substantial federal and state government funding to develop their high-performance training centres. The 2019 federal election was a high-water mark in funding commitments – a period where professional…
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Stocktake of Australian sport CEO’s 2000-2024 – Updated 5 April 2024
By Greg Blood The departures of CEO’s in 2020 from significant Australian sports organisations – ASC, cricket, rugby union, rugby league, golf and equestrian – has made me reflect on the level of turnover of CEO’s since 2000. Part 1 will list CEO changes within national sports organisations during this period. The information listed in…
australiansportreflections
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History of Elite Australian Coaches Working Overseas
By Greg Blood After the 2000 Olympics and Paralympics, there was some anxiety in the Australian sport system concerning the brain drain of elite Australian coaches. In 2006, it was reported that the AIS would spend “almost $5 million over the next four years to fend off international poachers intent on cherry-picking Australia’s best coaches”.…
australiansportreflections
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Who would be an Australian sport administrator today?
By Greg Blood Who would be a sport administrator – paid or volunteer these days? Sport administration has never been so complex and demanding. Recently I participated in a future of sport in Australia research project and my main thesis was that it may be difficult to attract and retain qualified and experienced sports administrators…
australiansportreflections
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Assisting Coaches Under Pressure
By Lawrie Woodman “I think the reason for not performing is pressure. When you get under pressure … it does build when you are not getting the results you are after, what you can find is players try harder but in the wrong areas.” An unnamed senior coach. ______________________________________________________________________________ When Adelaide Crows senior coach, Don…
australiansportreflections
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Australian Sport in 2020 – ‘Unprecedented’ Year for Sport Administrators
by Greg Blood Australian sport administrators have been under enormous stress during 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues. It is worthwhile to briefly document the many challenges managed during this ‘unprecedented’ year’. Sports Rorts The year started with the Australian National Audit Office report into Sport Australia’s Community Sport Infrastructure Program that…
australiansportreflections
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Creating a New Horizon for Women in Coaching
By Lawrie Woodman “The number of women athletes at the Olympic Games is approaching 50 per cent. Over the last five Olympic Games (Summer and Winter) the number of female accredited coaches has hovered around 9-11%.” Summary There has been massive growth in girls’ and women’s participation in sport – this has not been matched…
australiansportreflections
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2019 Federal election – a sport perspective
By Greg Blood. Originally published by The Footy Almanac, 22 May 2019. With the Federal election campaign now over and the Coalition retaining office, you may be interested in my reflections on how sport was utilised by the Coalition and Labor during the campaign. In the lead up to and during the campaign I closely…
australiansportreflections
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Should Governments fund AFL and NRL high performance centres?
By Greg Blood. Originally published in The Footy Almanac, 16 April 2019. Note – this article has been updated in February 2024. The recent Morrison Federal Government budget announced $60m in funding for three AFL clubs (Brisbane, Carlton, Richmond) and one NRL club (North Queensland). This was followed up by the Morrison Government election announcement…
australiansportreflections
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The impact of Sudanese-Australian athletes on the sporting landscape
By Greg Blood. Originally published in The Roar, 1 August 2018. Last week, Joseph Deng, a former Sudanese refugee, broke the Australian 800 metres record, set by Ralph Doubell in winning gold in at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. This feat made me reflect on the impact Sudanese athletes are now having on Australian sport. These…
australiansportreflections