Master Class 1 Facilitator
Professor John Evans comes from Wiradjuri country in far western New South Wales. Following a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Sports Science and working within the University of Sydney’s Yooroang Garang School of Indigenous Health Studies as a lecturer in sports science, John embarked on his PhD studies looking at the concept of ‘Game Sense’ – an approach to teaching and coaching that focuses more on the game rather than on technique, a practice which empowers players to think, attend to tactics and problem-solving in a highly motivated environment. Game sense or game centred coaching has shown to be of great interest to Indigenous athletes.
John is now Professor of Indigenous Health Education in the school of Sport and Exercise Science in the Faculty of Health at the University of Technology Sydney. He is classically trained in area of sports science and coaching. However since graduating with his PhD he has moved to integrate qualitative and quantitative research in the areas of Indigenous sport and physical activity. He has two current national research project looking at the pedagogical influences of elite indigenous professional footballers and the role of sport and physical activity on health, education and well-being.
Throughout his career, John Evans has had a passion for working with Indigenous youth and promoting the importance education and its role in providing a better future through sports and community outreach programs. One focus of these programs has been providing a mentoring role to young Indigenous students pursuing university study. Many of the students John has mentored have gone on to complete undergraduate and postgraduate programs in a number of institutions in Australia.