21658 Australian Sport System

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.

Subject level:

Undergraduate

Description

The organisation of Australian sport has become more professional and complex since the late 20th century. The number of stakeholders involved in the delivery of sport, whether at the high performance or community level, has grown significantly. This subject explores the role of sport organisations, governments and public agencies in terms of the development of sport across various sectors. It examines the decision making and policy priorities that underpin public funding for sport. It evaluates managerial responsibilities in respect of the governance of sport organisations and the integrity of conduct within the Australian sport industry.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

Contribution to the development of graduate attributes

This subject is aligned with the graduate attribute of communication and collaboration.

Specifically, this subject examines interrelationships between organisations, governments, and public agencies in respect of the structure, scope, and funding of Australian sport. It explores the provision of sport at both high performance and community levels in Australia. The subject also critically evaluates managerial responsibilities in Australian sport and the dynamics of the work force that sustains it.

This subject is core to the Bachelor of Management (Sport Business Major), the Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Management, and the Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science.

This subject also contributes specifically to the development of the following Program Learning Objective for the Sport Business Major in the Bachelor of Management:

• Develop effective communication skills to enable cogent knowledge transfer with colleagues, this enabling productive project outcomes relevant to professional practice (2.1)

Teaching and learning strategies

Overall Approach

The subject is structured around a set of problem-based learning experiences. Every week, students explore different dimensions and functions of the sport industry in Australia. This is pursued by exposure to a significant theme or issue that impacts on its practice, and achieved through weekly learning activities using digital materials – text, video, or audio. That involves: (1) pre-recorded lectures, which can be viewed in Canvas, and (2) weekly tutorials. In these ways, students gain an appreciation of how and why different practices exist in Australian sport, various opportunities and challenges for the sport industry, as well as measures to address complex problems and seek positive change.

Within Class

The subject features a weekly combination of lecture and tutorial. The pre-recorded lecture includes an opportunity (via a Canvas Discussion Board link) for students to pose questions of the teacher – either on the day the video is released or thereafter. This enables active learning dimensions in the wake of the lecture.

Students are also encouraged to raise broader questions via the Canvas Discussion Board. This is intended to facilitate discussion about emergent issues in the ever-changing domain of Australian sport.

Tutorials are particularly important. They are designed with an expectation of students having undertaken pre-class exercises. This features multimodal sources (i.e. web clips, academic readings, news items, podcasts). The emphasis here is active learning: students apply their emergent knowledge by way of oral and textual exchanges during tutorials.

That process involves individuals working in group situations (four teams in each tutorial) reflecting on set problems and explaining their findings. This is overseen by the teacher, who mentors the students in respect of group dynamics, individual contributions, professional conduct, and respectful engagement.

These protocols enable formative feedback to begin with the first tutorial: students’ verbal contributions to small group discussion – which reflect their grasp of key concepts and issues – are peer critiqued, as well as overseen by the teacher. In cases where students could benefit from special assistance, the tutor will be able to identify such a need early on.

In the first four weeks of class, time is devoted to ensuring that students understand assessment tasks. To this end, students bring to tutorials their questions about how to approach assignments, with solutions arrived at in collaboration with peers and teacher.

Prior to class

This subject has weekly tasks that equip students with evidence-based understandings of the Australian sport sector. The prescribed readings, podcasts and videos have been selected to generate discussion in tutorials. Students discuss these resources in (one of four) teams each week.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Students who turn up to class without having undertaken the appropriate preparation for in-class discussions will be made accountable to their peers. There is a professional obligation upon students to commit to the work required and to contribute to discussion with their team.

The pre-class activities will be featured within Canvas, with each of the four tutorial teams having their very own task each week. This helps to build rapport among groups of students while adding to the overall quality of conversations in class. Because students are part of a small team, as well as having opportunities to interact with the rest of the class, the quality of the student experience is optimised.

Assessment tasks

Students receive written feedback on Assessment items 1 and 2 (see below), which involve the formal submission of reports in relation to set questions. Students are encouraged to seek guidance from their tutor in preparation for these exercises. Support is also available from UTS HELPS https://www.uts.edu.au/current-students/support/helps

Management Department Compulsory Attendance Policy
This subject enforces a compulsory attendance requirement. This includes active online attendance where face to face classes are suspended. Students who miss more than three tutorials without approved consent from the Subject Coordinator will be deemed as not meeting the compulsory attendance requirement for this subject. The Management Department attendance policy is in accordance with university policy on attendance and/or participation requirements as per UTS Student Rule Section 3.8

Content (topics)

• Scope and scale of the Australian sport system
• History and evolution of Australian sport
• Public policy and government funding of sport in Australia
• Roles and responsibilities of peak sporting bodies in Australia
• Dynamics of the sport workforce in Australia
• Integrity management in Australian sport
• Diversity and social inclusion in Australian sport

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Seminar (Group)

Assessment task 2: Paper (Individual)

Assessment task 3: Exam (Individual)

Minimum requirements

Students must achieve at least 50% of the subject’s total marks.

Required texts

Readings will be provided to students via pdf or video link. A set text is not required.