What are Sports Science Meet-Ups?
ESSA Sports Science Meet-Ups are a social, relaxed and open forum where ESSA members can discuss the latest hot topics in sports science, share knowledge and network. These are held both online and face-to-face in each state.
All Meet-Ups are FREE events and any ESSA member can attend and is provided with a "free pass" to bring along a non-member to the face-to-face events, however, every person attending must register.
Each meeting will run between 1 - 1.5 hours and will be chaired by 2-3 Mentors who will facilitate discussion around a ‘Hot Topic’.
Time will also be made available at the end of each meeting for the sharing of other information (e.g. what’s going on in sports science at ESSA, jobs, interesting articles/research papers, etc.) as well as networking.
Any questions? Contact ESSA on [email protected].
For upcoming Sports Science Meet-Ups, please click here.
Recordings of Previous Online Meet-Ups
Training the Adolescent Athlete
South Australia Event
Held on the 15, March 2023
The first Sports Science Meet-Up of 2023 was a fantastic event facilitated by Hunter Bennet, Stuart Gollan and Samuel Chalmers. The panel featured:
Fabian Garcia-Byrne AES, ASpS1
Fabian is the lead Sports Scientist at the South Australian Cricket Association where he works closely with both the senior men's and women's program. Fabian has a degree in Sports Science with Honours from the University of South Australia and is currently undertaking his PhD in exercise science.
Dylan Hicks
Dylan Hicks is a PhD candidate in Exercise Science at Flinders University. He is currently completing his thesis which is focused on Force-Velocity profiling and recently undertaken studies with the Seacliff Hockey Club and the Adeliade United W-Leage Team.
and Charlotte Mathews
Charlotte is currently working at St Peter's College as Acting Head of Athletic development and rehabilitation coordinator. Prior to this, Charlotte worked with Port Adelaide Football Club, as a strength and conditioning coach for the AFL team, and the head strength coach for the SANFL team and development squads.
The panel gave an in-depth view on come considerations for training adolescent athletes, explained there coaching philosophies and explained their individual role within their organisation.
Click here to listen to the recording | 1 hour, 8 minutes
Developing the NextGen Sports Science Practitioners in Australia
National event
Held on the 9 November, 2021
The final ESSA Sports Science Meet-Up for 2021 brought our practitioners and academics together for a national event. This Meet-Up included a panel discussion with Australian and international leaders in applied sport and academia: Dr Rod Siegel, Professor David Pyne, and Dr Steve Ingham.
Our experts provided their perspectives and insights on the future of the sports science industry, the requisite skill sets for success as a practitioner of the future and how we approach the development of future practitioners to meet the industry demands, and finishing with key take-away messages from our leaders of the high-performance sports industry.
You can stay in touch with our leaders on the following platforms:
Click here to listen to the recording | 1 hour, 25 minutes
Performance Profiling: Understanding the Determinants of Performance in Your Sport
Sydney event
Held on the 1 September, 2021
This Sports Science Meet-Up recording is from the Sydney, NSW event. It includes a panel discussion from Sean Hardy, S&C Coach with the NSW Breakers; Tom Reddin, Physical Performance Coach with the GWS Giants AFLW and Netball; Steven Hughes, Assistant Physiologist at New South Wales Institute of Sport; and Emma Hay, S&C Coach at New South Wales Institute of Sport. The panel provides an in-depth insight into the current practices of defining the key determinants of performance across a range of Olympic and professional sports including rowing, AFLW, netball, cricket and diving.
Click here to listen to the recording | 1 hour, 18 minutes
Performance Profiling: Understanding the Determinants of Performance in Your Sport
Brisbane event
Held on the 17 August, 2021
This Sports Science Meet-Up recording is from the Brisbane, QLD event. It includes a panel discussion from Dr Kate Spilsbury, AES, ASpS2 and Manager at QAS SPIKE; Rian Crowther, ASpS2 and Performance Analysis, Biomechanics and Skill Acquisition Lead at Cricket Australia; and Michael Hetherington, ASpS2 and Performance Services Manager at Diving Australia. The panel provides an in-depth insight into the current practices of defining performance across different sports, and how to optimise it using this framework.
Click here to listen to the recording | 1 hour, 32 minutes
Performance Profiling: Understanding the Determinants of Performance in Your Sport
Central Coast event
Held on the 16 August, 2021
This Sports Science Meet-Up recording is from the Central Coast, NSW event. It includes a panel discussion from Narelle Sibte, a multi-sport S&C coach with international experience, and Shadine van der Merwe, an international netball player. The panel provides an in-depth insight into the current practices of defining the key determinants of performance in netball, tennis and sprint canoe. This is a very pragmatic and insightful discussion about deciding what performance metrics matter across different sports and competition genres, and practical ways to improve them in the elite sports environment.
Click here to listen to the recording | 1 hour, 11 minutes
Performance Profiling: Understanding the Determinants of Performance in Your Sport
Perth event
Held on the 13 August, 2021
This Sports Science Meet-Up recording is from the Perth, WA event. It includes presentations and discussion from Ryan Lin, a PhD Candidate and High Performance Manager of The Badminton Association of WA (Inc.), Dr Jodie Cochrane Wilkie, Biomechanist from The Badminton Association of WA (Inc.) and ECU, and Professor Ken Nosaka, Director of Exercise and Sports Science at ECU. The panel provides an in-depth insight into the current practices of defining the key determinants of performance in racket sports.
Click here to listen to the recording | 1 hour, 14 minutes
Returning to Sport in a COVID-19 World
Held on the 24 June, 2020
The aim of this Meet-Up was to bring our sports science members together to discuss best-practice guidelines in transitioning back into training and competition in sporting environments. With the return to sport, it will be vitally important for sports scientists to meet and discuss the impact the lock down has had on our athletes, ourselves, and our subsequent training strategies. An expert panel came together with perspectives from sports scientists, physiologists, skill-acquisition and physiotherapists from our national institutes, universities, and professional sporting clubs, to contribute to this discussion and answer questions from attendees.
Presenters: Heidi Thornton (Gold Coast Suns), Hugh Fullagar (UTS), Job Fransen (UTS), Adam Gorman (QUT), Matt Whalan (FFA/Wollongong Wolves/Fig Tree Physiotherapy), Sally Clark (AIS), Lachlan Mitchell (QAS), and Rich Johnston (ACU).
Click here to listen to the recording | 1 hour, 25 minutes
Please note: This recording unfortunately starts shortly after the preamble for the event from Patrick Campbell, the facilitator, and after one presenter has provided their initial segment due to the event not automatically recording. However, the recording is still a valuable resource for ESSA members.
Online Sports Science Consulting/Servicing
Held on the 6 May, 2020
Are you a Sports Scientist who has been thinking of taking their services online for a while and COVID-19 has accelerated that timeline? Or, are you a Sports Scientist who has been stood down as a result of COVID-19 and looking for options moving forward? Then have a listen to this online Q&A with an all-star panel who were successfully delivering online sports science services prior to the pandemic. They provide some great insights around Starting Out, Marketing, Technology and Work/Life Balance.
Click here to listen to the recording | 1 hour, 10 minutes
*These online Meet-Ups count as ESSA learning activities and are eligible for ESSA CPD under Further Education with a completed self-assessment tool. To claim CPD points (1 CPD point per learning hour) you will be required to upload the completed self-assessment tool to your electronic logbook.
Summary of Previous Face-to-Face Meet-Ups
Meet-Up #1 Summary: Click here
Meet-Up #2 Summary: Click here
Meet-Up #3 Summary: Click here
Meet-Up #6 Summary: Click here
