An Exploration of how Cultural Factors shape Sports Coaching Practices and Sporting Experiences

This PhD project will investigate the role of culture in shaping sports coaching practices and the sporting experiences of children, adolescents, and adults, with a particular focus on strengthening coaches’ cultural understanding and cultural capability across the Australian sport system. Aligned with Australian Sports Commission (ASC) coach development priorities, the project positions coaches as key agents in delivering safe, inclusive, and positive sport experiences that support participation, retention, and wellbeing across diverse communities.

As sport environments become increasingly diverse, coaches are required to navigate cultural differences related to identity, communication, values, power, and expectations. However, evidence indicates that many coaches rely heavily on informal learning and personal experience to guide culturally responsive practice, with limited access to structured, evidence-informed support through formal coach education, professional development, and organisational systems. This gap directly reflects national challenges around workforce capability, consistency, and quality in coaching practice.

Drawing on contemporary coaching research and socioecological perspectives, the study will examine how personal, environmental, organisational, and societal cultural factors influence coaching behaviours, interpersonal interactions, and decision-making, particularly in community sport and school settings. Specific attention will be given to how coaches understand and respond to cultural factors influencing participation and engagement, including experiences of inclusion, belonging, motivation, psychological safety, and athlete wellbeing—key outcomes prioritised within ASC policy and strategic frameworks.

Using a mixed-methods research design, the project will first explore coaches’ beliefs, knowledge, and practices related to culture through surveys, interviews, and observational methods. This phase will identify key enablers and barriers to culturally responsive coaching, as well as misalignments between coaches’ intentions and enacted practice. Informed by these findings, the project will adopt a co-design approach with coaches, coach educators, and sporting organisations to develop practical tools, learning resources, and professional development strategies that can be embedded within existing ASC-aligned coach education and workforce development pathways.

The project will generate applied, system-relevant evidence to inform coach education design, organisational policy, and national workforce development initiatives. By strengthening cultural capability within the coaching workforce, this research aims to support the ASC’s broader commitment to inclusive, safe, and high-quality sport environments that enable lifelong participation for Australians from all backgrounds.

Note: The project may be adapted to suit the interests and skills of the PhD Candidate. Candidate must be able to commence 01/06/2026.