Sam Eliott
Sam is an early career researcher and senior lecturer in Sport, Health and Physical Activity in the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work. He has published 30 peer-reviewed outputs and received over $260K 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 13 international journals. He has published widely on parental involvement in youth sport and presented his work internationally in China, Canada and the US. In 2018, Sam received the prestigious Flinders University Award for Early Career Research. He has also won several national and international awards for science communication.
Sam's teaching responsibilities include coordination of undergraduate topics in sport coaching, sport psychology, and sport sociology. He also coordinates the High Performance Program for the South Adelaide Football Club, providing outstanding industry experience for Sport and Exercise Science students. Sam is a consultant and advisor for Football Federation Australia, SANFL, Sport Australia and the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation.
Sam's teaching responsibilities include coordination of undergraduate topics in sport coaching, sport psychology, and sport sociology. He also coordinates the High Performance Program for the South Adelaide Football Club, providing outstanding industry experience for Sport and Exercise Science students. Sam is a consultant and advisor for Football Federation Australia, SANFL, Sport Australia and the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation.
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an elusive challenge for most sporting codes. Girls encounter a range of
barriers and obstacles that serve to discourage initial and ongoing
participation in youth sport. One setting that has flourished is
Australian football, coinciding with the establishment of a professional
competition known as Australian Football League Women (AFLW) in
2017. This is somewhat ironic given that Australian football is widely
perceived to be a masculinised sporting domain characterised by violence
and injury. Despite this, national participation data suggests that
Australian football is one of the most popular preferences among contemporary
girls and young women at a time when attracting and retaining
girls in sport is inherently difficult. Therefore, the purpose of this
study was to generate a grounded theory surrounding how Australian
football attracts and retains girls’ participation. A constructivist grounded
theory (GT) methodology was used involving eight focus groups with 45
participants (girls and parents) involved in Australian football. Data were
analysed through a process of initial and focused coding, and theoretical
integration, leading to the development of a substantive grounded
theory that comprised three categories including (a) sources of attraction,
(b) facilitators for participation, and (c) reinforcers for retention. The
concepts underpinning the substantive grounded theory and the implications
for applied practice are discussed throughout.
many difficult situations and stressors. This can be exacerbated among youth athletes who
have been recruited into talent-identification youth sport programs. Given that there are a
range of negative consequences that can result when talent-identified (TI) youth athletes are
unable to cope with the stressors they encounter, additional support is therefore necessary.
Parents are uniquely situated to assist in this regard, but they are not always equipped to
provide optimal levels of support. Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand the experiences
of being a TI youth athlete and present the findings as “lessons” for parents seeking to
enhance their involvement in TI youth sport settings. This article reports on qualitative data
collected from the 1st year of a 3-year longitudinal study involving TI youth athletes from
South Australia. Fifty male athletes (M age = 14.6 years) participated in focus groups to hear
their experiences of being a TI youth athlete and understand what difficulties they want their
parents to know. From the thematic analysis, 3 major themes were identified from the focus
groups with TI youth athletes: (a) difficulties with being talented, (b) negotiating the future,
and (c) playing for improvement. From the findings, a number of lessons for parents and
youth sport organizations are offered to assist the transmission of knowledge to an applied
setting.
youth do not always share a common appreciation of parental involvement in sport. This paper reports on a study which sought to generate a greater understanding of parental involvement in the junior Australian football experience. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with parents and youth participants (n = 86) currently involved in a competitive Australian football season. Data were manually transcribed verbatim and subjected to a thematic analysis. The findings reveal how parents and youth attribute different social meaning to parental verbal behaviour during play, the breaks and the drive home. While youth appear to experience parental verbal behaviour in polarising ways, parents rationalise their own verbal behaviour and in doing so, contribute to a broader social reproduction of sport parenting behaviour.
junior Australian football experience (a) the parentchild relationship, and (b) the parentparent relationships. This research not only provides the reader with an insight into the tensions around parent-oriented relationships in junior Australian football, but underlines the need for greater academic attention toward understanding this socio-cultural issue.
enhances health among youth. Such a perception often motivates
parents to encourage children’s initial and ongoing involvement
in organised sport and physical activity. While sport certainly
comprises an important vehicle for accruing physical activity, the
sport environment may not necessarily enhance other healthrelated
behaviours, including dietary practices. The literature
identifies the influence of the physical environment in this regard,
including the availability of energy-dense nutrient-poor foods in
sport settings. In considering additional influences on children’s
nutrition in sporting contexts, the role of parents is less
understood. This is the first paper to emerge from a larger
qualitative study, in which the basis of the investigation was to
explore parental influence in the junior Australian football context.
The naturalistic manner of qualitative inquiry led to a number of
unintended yet highly pertinent emergent themes, including the
role of parents in maintaining and reinforcing some contentious
dietary behaviours among children post weekend sport. Drawing
on individual interviews and focus groups with parents, children
and coaches (n = 102), this paper discusses the role of parents in
reinforcing a ‘food-as-reward’ culture in the junior Australian
football setting. The findings indicate that while parents play a
vital role in promoting good nutrition in the lead up to weekend
sport, they also reinforce a culture that fosters unhealthy dietary
practices in the post-game setting. This gives rise to the notion
that we, in this paper, have coined the ‘binge-purge’ paradox. This
paper discusses the implications of this health issue in relation to
the ‘sport for health’ rhetoric, and in broader society and culture.
non-verbal behaviour demonstrated during competition. Numerous studies have done well to
highlight while parents possess a great potential for positively influencing the sport experience, they
can also exert a considerable negative influence by engaging in a range of non-preferred and
inappropriate behaviours. There is certainly a need to further understand the nature of the sportparenting
paradigm given that encouraging and supportive parental involvement is a critical factor
in promoting enjoyment and intrinsic motivation among participants. This is particularly important
given that children’s preferred parental behaviours are temporally dependent. That is, different
types of parental involvement are preferred before, during and after competitive sport. However,
one aspect of parental involvement in youth sport which has been largely overlooked is the postgame
setting. Drawing on qualitative data derived from focus groups and individual interviews with
86 parents and children involved in junior Australian football, this paper reveals an aspect of the
sport-parenting role which can further enhance or undermine the youth sport experience.
Specifically, it reveals an intriguing insight into the way that parents engage in ‘debriefing’
children’s performances—representing a challenge for parents who strive to engender a positive
and supportive influence in youth sport. While the concept of sport-parenting receives much
attention within the competitive setting, this paper argues that in order to enhance the quality of
parental involvement in youth sport, much can be learnt from exploring ‘what happens after
the game’.
an elusive challenge for most sporting codes. Girls encounter a range of
barriers and obstacles that serve to discourage initial and ongoing
participation in youth sport. One setting that has flourished is
Australian football, coinciding with the establishment of a professional
competition known as Australian Football League Women (AFLW) in
2017. This is somewhat ironic given that Australian football is widely
perceived to be a masculinised sporting domain characterised by violence
and injury. Despite this, national participation data suggests that
Australian football is one of the most popular preferences among contemporary
girls and young women at a time when attracting and retaining
girls in sport is inherently difficult. Therefore, the purpose of this
study was to generate a grounded theory surrounding how Australian
football attracts and retains girls’ participation. A constructivist grounded
theory (GT) methodology was used involving eight focus groups with 45
participants (girls and parents) involved in Australian football. Data were
analysed through a process of initial and focused coding, and theoretical
integration, leading to the development of a substantive grounded
theory that comprised three categories including (a) sources of attraction,
(b) facilitators for participation, and (c) reinforcers for retention. The
concepts underpinning the substantive grounded theory and the implications
for applied practice are discussed throughout.
many difficult situations and stressors. This can be exacerbated among youth athletes who
have been recruited into talent-identification youth sport programs. Given that there are a
range of negative consequences that can result when talent-identified (TI) youth athletes are
unable to cope with the stressors they encounter, additional support is therefore necessary.
Parents are uniquely situated to assist in this regard, but they are not always equipped to
provide optimal levels of support. Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand the experiences
of being a TI youth athlete and present the findings as “lessons” for parents seeking to
enhance their involvement in TI youth sport settings. This article reports on qualitative data
collected from the 1st year of a 3-year longitudinal study involving TI youth athletes from
South Australia. Fifty male athletes (M age = 14.6 years) participated in focus groups to hear
their experiences of being a TI youth athlete and understand what difficulties they want their
parents to know. From the thematic analysis, 3 major themes were identified from the focus
groups with TI youth athletes: (a) difficulties with being talented, (b) negotiating the future,
and (c) playing for improvement. From the findings, a number of lessons for parents and
youth sport organizations are offered to assist the transmission of knowledge to an applied
setting.
youth do not always share a common appreciation of parental involvement in sport. This paper reports on a study which sought to generate a greater understanding of parental involvement in the junior Australian football experience. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with parents and youth participants (n = 86) currently involved in a competitive Australian football season. Data were manually transcribed verbatim and subjected to a thematic analysis. The findings reveal how parents and youth attribute different social meaning to parental verbal behaviour during play, the breaks and the drive home. While youth appear to experience parental verbal behaviour in polarising ways, parents rationalise their own verbal behaviour and in doing so, contribute to a broader social reproduction of sport parenting behaviour.
junior Australian football experience (a) the parentchild relationship, and (b) the parentparent relationships. This research not only provides the reader with an insight into the tensions around parent-oriented relationships in junior Australian football, but underlines the need for greater academic attention toward understanding this socio-cultural issue.
enhances health among youth. Such a perception often motivates
parents to encourage children’s initial and ongoing involvement
in organised sport and physical activity. While sport certainly
comprises an important vehicle for accruing physical activity, the
sport environment may not necessarily enhance other healthrelated
behaviours, including dietary practices. The literature
identifies the influence of the physical environment in this regard,
including the availability of energy-dense nutrient-poor foods in
sport settings. In considering additional influences on children’s
nutrition in sporting contexts, the role of parents is less
understood. This is the first paper to emerge from a larger
qualitative study, in which the basis of the investigation was to
explore parental influence in the junior Australian football context.
The naturalistic manner of qualitative inquiry led to a number of
unintended yet highly pertinent emergent themes, including the
role of parents in maintaining and reinforcing some contentious
dietary behaviours among children post weekend sport. Drawing
on individual interviews and focus groups with parents, children
and coaches (n = 102), this paper discusses the role of parents in
reinforcing a ‘food-as-reward’ culture in the junior Australian
football setting. The findings indicate that while parents play a
vital role in promoting good nutrition in the lead up to weekend
sport, they also reinforce a culture that fosters unhealthy dietary
practices in the post-game setting. This gives rise to the notion
that we, in this paper, have coined the ‘binge-purge’ paradox. This
paper discusses the implications of this health issue in relation to
the ‘sport for health’ rhetoric, and in broader society and culture.
non-verbal behaviour demonstrated during competition. Numerous studies have done well to
highlight while parents possess a great potential for positively influencing the sport experience, they
can also exert a considerable negative influence by engaging in a range of non-preferred and
inappropriate behaviours. There is certainly a need to further understand the nature of the sportparenting
paradigm given that encouraging and supportive parental involvement is a critical factor
in promoting enjoyment and intrinsic motivation among participants. This is particularly important
given that children’s preferred parental behaviours are temporally dependent. That is, different
types of parental involvement are preferred before, during and after competitive sport. However,
one aspect of parental involvement in youth sport which has been largely overlooked is the postgame
setting. Drawing on qualitative data derived from focus groups and individual interviews with
86 parents and children involved in junior Australian football, this paper reveals an aspect of the
sport-parenting role which can further enhance or undermine the youth sport experience.
Specifically, it reveals an intriguing insight into the way that parents engage in ‘debriefing’
children’s performances—representing a challenge for parents who strive to engender a positive
and supportive influence in youth sport. While the concept of sport-parenting receives much
attention within the competitive setting, this paper argues that in order to enhance the quality of
parental involvement in youth sport, much can be learnt from exploring ‘what happens after
the game’.