Aboriginal Sports Coaches, Community, and Culture

This book is the first to celebrate the stories of this group of Aboriginal mentors and leaders and present them in a form that is accessible to both academic and general audiences. In this book, Aboriginal sport coaches from all over Australia share stories about their involvement in sport and community, offering insight into the diverse experiences of Aboriginal people in settler colonial Australia.

This collection amplifies the public voice of Aboriginal coaches who are transforming the social, cultural, and political lives of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. These stories have been overlooked in public discussion about sport and indigeneity. Frank and often funny, these intimate narratives provide insight into the unique experiences and attitudes of this group of coaches. This book deepens our understanding of the shared and contested history of Aboriginal peoples' engagement with sport in Australia.

Dr Demelza Marlin is of Anglo-Celtic and Wiradjuri descent. She works on Gadigal lands as an Academic Facilitator for the National Centre for Cultural Competence, The University of Sydney. Her educational work in cultural competence and anti-racism is underpinned by a decolonising agenda. And her research in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sport and physical activity is supported by Indigenous and non-Indigenous narrative and storytelling practices. She is also a co-founder of Coaching Unlimited, an initiative that provides sport specific coaching accreditation and research-based health promotion workshops to support Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander coaches.

Dr Nicholas Apoifis works on Bidjigal lands as a Senior Lecturer in Politics & International Relations at the University of New South Wales. He works with the application and development of settler colonial theories, social movement theories, and radical and anti-colonial qualitative research practices. He is also the co-founder of Coaching Unlimited, an initiative that provides sport specific coaching accreditation and research-based health promotion workshops to support Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander coaches.