Dedicated to the future.

DIRECTOR

B.App Sci (Hons), Dip Project Management, PhD

Professor Rochelle Eime is the founding Director of Sport and Recreation Spatial, the precursor to PASI, and as Director responsible for the overall management and research development of PASI. Rochelle is a behavioural epidemiologist, who has over 20 years of research experience specifically relating to the sport sector and covering areas of participation, facilities, health and education. She has strong industry networks within the sport and health sector including state and national, government agencies and sporting organisations. Rochelle has written over 300 peer-review publications, book chapters and industry reports, and has received over $11 million (AUD) in research grants.

Rochelle is the Deputy Chair of VicSport and is listed as one of the World Top 2% of scientists in public Health in 2021 and in 2022/2023.

r.eime@federation.edu.au

mobile: 0418 800 521

DIRECTOR

B.Phys.Ed., MSc., MBA, PhD, AMP (Harvard), GAICD.

Hans Westerbeek is Director of PASI, Professor of International Sport Business and Head of the Sport Business Insights Group at Victoria University (VU) in Melbourne, Australia. He came to VU in 2010 as the founding Director of the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL) (now Institute for Health & Sport). He then took on the role of Dean of the College of Sport and Exercise Science followed by heading up the VU-wide sport strategy as Pro-Vice Chancellor Sport. He continues to hold Professorial appointments at the Free University of Brussels, the Real Madrid Graduate School and the Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing, China. Professor Westerbeek is an active researcher and consultant to a variety of international organisations. He has worked for more than 50 different organisations including FIFA, the Australian Football League, Tennis Australia, The Australian Sports Commission, the International Tennis Federation and the Dutch Football Association, and for governments in countries such as United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, China, Portugal, Belgium and India. Hans has written 25 books in the fields of sport business, marketing and management and in excess of 200 refereed and popular scientific articles. He is frequently contributing to the media, and holds various expert appointments around the world including positions with the Dutch Sports Council in the Netherlands, with fanbase marketing company SportsCloud International and with the Ingesport Group in Spain.

hans.westerbeek@vu.edu.au

SENIOR STATISTICIAN

BSc, DipEd, PhD

As Senior Statistician for PASI, Dr. Jack Harvey contributes statistical perspectives to the design and implementation of the mapping system and oversees all data acquisition and data management, quantitative research design and statistical analysis for specific research studies. Jack is a statistician with over 30 years experience in applied research in contexts including human movement science, sports science, health sciences and evaluation of physical activity and health interventions. He also has long experience with geographical analysis, including the development and management of a regional demographic and economic information service in the pre-internet era and a doctoral thesis that applied statistical image analysis to demographic applications of satellite imagery.

DATA MANAGER

BBiolSc, MSc (Applied Statistics)

Melanie is the senior research assistant for PASI. Her responsibilities include data management, statistical analysis and reporting. Prior to starting at PASI, Melanie held similar positions in health research at The University of Melbourne and Monash University. She also has extensive experience working in the health sector including data collection, management and reporting.

SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW

B.App Sci (Hons), Dip Project Management, PhD

Meghan has 10 years of research experience in the sport and recreation field on topics including socio-ecological determinants of participation in physical activity and sport, capacity building and organizational change, and program development, implementation and evaluation. She has published widely in international peer-reviewed journals and has informed program and policy development on a range of sport management issues, including capacity, organisational change and program development.

SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW

BHSc (Hons), MBiostat, PhD

Dr Kat Owen is a Biostatistician and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Sydney. Kat has extensive experience working with the physical activity and sport sectors, specialising in areas of participation, retention, public health, education, and evaluation. She has experience working closely with government to evaluate programs that aim to improve population health, including leading the evaluation of the NSW Government Active Kids voucher program evaluation. Kat also has strong partnerships with state and national sporting organisations. Kat’s specific area of research utilises her biostatistics skills to understand the benefits of physical activity and sport for children and adolescents.

PASI RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Shane Pill (PhD) is an Associate Professor in Physical Education and Sport at Flinders University, Kaurna Yerta (Adelaide, South Australia). Shane teaches and researches in physical education and sport pedagogy and curriculum, sport coaching, sport development, and leadership. Shane is a Life Member and Fellow of the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER). He has been an active sport coach across several sports since 1988, and formerly taught physical education and science in schools for 18 years. His long involvement in coach education in Australian football (AFL) was recognised in 2013 with the annual SANFL Coach Award, for services to coaching in South Australia. Shane is the author of 6 resource books on the game-based approach, Play with Purpose. He is also author/editor of three sport coaching books with Routledge: Perspectives on athlete-centred coaching; Perspectives of game-based coaching; and The Spectrum of Coaching Styles. He has worked with community, state & national sport organisations on research initiatives, coach education & development, & resource publication: Cricket Australia, National Rugby League, Tennis Australia, the Australian Football League (AFL), the South Australian Football League (SANFL), West Australian Football Commission (WAFL), South Australian Cricket Association (SACA), Lacrosse Australia, South Australian Institute for Sport (SASI), ASC/Sport Australia.es here

PASI RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

BHScBEd(MSS), BEd(Hons 1A), PhD

Sam is an Associate Professor and leading authority in the field of sport parenting, participation and retention, and psychosocial outcomes in youth sport. He has been invited to present his work internationally in Australia, China, the UK, Canada, and the US. Sam currently leads several externally-funded projects including investigations about parental psychological violence in youth sport, club engagement practices with parents in sport, and club readiness for mental health support in youth sport. He is a multiple-award winning academic including the prestigious SA Young Tall Poppy science award, Flinders VC Award for Early Career Research, the World Congress on Science and Football Best Research Paper by Code (AFL) Award, and the Universities Australia Award for the ‘Pitch it Clever’ competition. Sam is a science communication leader, representing Flinders at the Australian Academy of Science Falling Walls Lab Australia and in the global award-winning series, Raising the Bar. He is also the creator and co-host of Beyond the Club – Australia's leading science communication podcast for community sport. At Flinders, he is the Deputy-Director of the Flinders Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing and a member of the SHAPE Research Centre. Sam was also the convenor of the 2019 and 2021 Youth Sport Summit and is the convenor of the 2023 National Youth Sport Conference.