Event details
Footy has long brought Aussies together, and now it’s helping to kick goals for men’s health.
Aussie-FIT is a free, research-led health and fitness program that’s using sport and community to support men in building healthier, more active lives.
Join Associate Professor Eleanor Quested and Dr Matthew McDonald from the Curtin enAble Institute as they share how Aussie-FIT is tackling some of the most pressing challenges facing men’s health – from obesity to heart disease – one goal at a time. They’ll explore the research behind the program and the difference it’s making to men’s physical and mental wellbeing.
Find out how researchers, football clubs and community partners are taking research beyond the sidelines to make lasting change for men’s health.
They’ll be joined later for a panel discussion featuring:
- WA Football Executive Manager Participation and Strategy WA Football, Chris Bandy
- Senior Coach Claremont Football Club, former AFL player and Aussie-FIT coach, Ash Prescott
- Western Australian Heart Foundation General Manager, Dr Helena Viola
- Perth Football Club Community Engagement Manager and Aussie-FIT Coach, Riley Wills, and
- Panel moderator, Professor Andrew Mairoana from Curtin’s School of Allied Health.
This event is an opportunity for anyone working in healthcare, sports and community organisations, or anyone interested in men’s health, to learn more about the power of sport to improve health outcomes.
Light refreshments will be provided.
If you can’t make it in person, you can join us online. Once you’ve registered, you’ll receive a confirmation email with the livestream link.
Date
Wednesday 5 August 2026
Time
5.00pm – 5.30pm: Registration & light refreshments
5.30pm – 7.00pm: Formal proceedings
7.00pm – 7.30pm: Networking & light refreshments
Location
The Lantern, Level 7
T.L. Robertson Library, Building 105
Curtin University
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Or online
Presenters & Panellists
Dr Matthew McDonald
Dr Matthew McDonald is a Research Fellow in the enAble Institute at Curtin University. His research focuses on community-based preventive health, implementation science, and health equity, with a particular interest in engaging men and underserved communities in physical activity and health behaviour change.
Dr McDonald is the Lead Research Fellow on Aussie-FIT, coordinating the Heart Foundation-funded hybrid effectiveness–implementation trial across multiple states and territories. His work bridges research and community practice, partnering with football clubs, local coaches, and consumer advisory groups to deliver and evaluate the programme at scale. Dr McDonald is the 2025 enAble Institute Early Career Researcher of the Year, and his work has informed guidelines and reports by the World Health Organisation and NICE.
Associate Professor Eleanor Quested
Dr Eleanor Quested is an Associate Professor in the School of Population Health at Curtin University. Her research applies theories of motivation to understand and support health behaviour change, with a focus on physical activity across community settings.
Associate Professor Quested is the lead investigator of Aussie-FIT, a Heart Foundation-funded research program that uses community football clubs as a platform to improve men’s cardiovascular health. Delivered in partnership with local clubs and communities, Aussie-FIT takes a strengths-based approach to helping men make lasting improvements to their physical activity, diet, and wellbeing. Eleanor’s work bridges behavioural science and community practice, with a long-standing commitment to co-designed, culturally responsive health programs. Her research has informed multiple national and international health-related policies.
Chris Bandy
Chris Bandy is WA Football’s Executive Manager, responsible for ensuring that Australian Rules Football remains the first-choice game for all West Australians by ensuring equity and access and spearheading strategies to ensure the game’s continued growth. Chris is passionate about ensuring the long-term sustainability of football in Western Australia by engaging more women in the sport, introducing football to multicultural communities and retaining First Nations’ people in the sport for longer.
Prior to his role at WA Football Chris worked for the Australian Trade and Investment Commission, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Invest and Trade Western Australia as a Trade and Investment Commissioner and Diplomat across Indonesia, the Middle East, South Asia and Africa.
Ash Precott
Ash Prescott is a Senior Coach at the Claremont Football Club and is an Aussie-FIT coach.
A former Australian Football League (AFL) player, Ash played 129 games for the Richmond Football Club and the Fremantle Dockers before forging a distinguished coaching career across AFL and the Western Australian Football League (WAFL).
Dr Helena Viola
Dr Helena Viola is a cardiovascular biochemist by training, with a robust track record of distinction. She earned her PhD from the University of Western Australia in 2010, ranked first place across all disciplines, university wide. Dr Viola’s research has been recognised by numerous grants and fellowships, invited global presentations, and publications in tier-one international journals. Currently, she is the Western Australian General Manager at the Heart Foundation, where her expertise and leadership continue to drive advancements in WA cardiovascular health, research and advocacy.
Riley Wills
Riley Wills is the Community Engagement Manager and player at Perth Football Club. Over the past two years, he has delivered football-based community programs that engage a diverse range of participants. Prior to stepping into this role full-time, Riley assisted with the delivery of the Aussie-FIT program, and has since coordinated and delivered three 12-week programs.
Rochelle Fleming
Rochelle Fleming is an experienced leader with a 20+ year career spanning academia, government and private industry, that extends across executive, business development, research development, strategic planning, operations, project management and strategic partnerships roles.
Before joining Curtin in October 2023, Rochelle held executive roles within the cybersecurity industry, partnering with multi-national organisations on developing cyber security solutions for critical infrastructure.
Throughout her career she has built a strong track record in developing and managing cross-sector, multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary collaborative programs. Cultivating strong stakeholder engagement to connect diverse groups and manage complex relationships.
Access
We are committed to making our events as accessible and inclusive as possible. Refer to our Access and Inclusion Guide for more information.
Contact us
To find out more about Research Rumble, contact the Research Engagement and Impact (EI) team.