Academics gather in Melbourne for World Congress

From Madrid to Northern Ireland, Michigan to Leeds – the 9th World Congress on Science & Football hosted by Victoria University’s Institute for Health and Sport (IHES), is a global event, focusing on the latest innovations applied to Soccer, Rugby, and Australian, American and Gaelic Football.

Held over four days (4 – 7 June, 2019), at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, the World Congresses on Science & Football provides a scientific forum for researchers, practitioners and professionals within all football codes to advance the use of science in football.

The discipline areas are as large as they are fascinating and will offer insights into:

  • The Future of Football: Strategically aligning sport business and science
  • Data Analytics
  • Technology in Sport
  • Player Health and Wellbeing
  • The Socio-Cultural Worlds of Football: Football participation trends

Professor Michael McKenna, Executive Director, Institute for Health & Sport, said of the event:

“This is an incredible opportunity to discover the remarkable work being done around the world in the field of sports science, across all codes of football. From biomechanics, coaching, exercise physiology, match analysis, to motor behaviour, performance profiling, and sports psychology, this is a unique chance to access experts in the area of sport and translational research.”

The conference, held every four years since 1987, attracts top tier sporting academics and researchers, industry experts and key government bodies. The congress is a chance to exchange knowledge and to connect with global discipline leaders, and is also an opportunity to engage with leading sporting academics at VU’s Institute for Health and Sport (IHES), including the following area experts.

Professor Robert Aughey

Rob is an expert in the design, monitoring and interpretation of training and training load in athletes, with over two decades’ experience as an applied sport scientist and coach. He leads VU’s work with FIFA in validating athlete tracking systems and their assessment against a professional standard – the first of its type in the world.

Associate Professor Sam Robertson

Victoria University-Western Bulldogs Head of Research & Innovation, Sam specialises in applications of machine learning to practical problems in high performance sport. This includes wrangling data obtained via wearable sensors, vision tracking and other athletic performance data.

Professor Rochelle Eime

Director of the Sport and Recreation Spatial Program of Research, Rochelle is a Behavioural Epidemiologist who has over 15 years of research experience specifically relating to the sport and recreation sectors relating to both public health and sport management.

Dr Fabio Serpiello

Fabio is a Senior Lecturer in Sports Physiology and Chair of the Master of Sports Science (Football Performance). He is also Head of Academy Performance and Sport Science at Melbourne Victory FC.

Professor Hans Westerbeek

Prior to taking on the role of Pro-Vice Chancellor, Sport Strategy, Hans was Dean, College of Sport and Exercise Science and the founding Director (January 2010) of the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL). He is also Victoria University’s Professor of International Sports Business.

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