Workshop 7.1: Sport Supporting Social and Academic Cohesion

Tracks
Sport & Education
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
1:35 PM - 2:10 PM
Eureka 3

Details

Exploring how sport can be a powerful platform to strengthen social connection while supporting positive academic outcomes. Through practical examples and evidence-based insights, speakers will share insights on how well-designed sport programs can improve engagement, inclusion, wellbeing, and learning outcomes across school and community settings.


Speaker

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Sunil Menon
Head of Community
Melbourne City Football Club

Social Cohesion in Schools Program - Supporting Non English-Speaking Children to be Motivated by Sports Programs to Connect Inside and Outside of Schools

Biography

Sunil Menon is the Head of Community at Melbourne City FC, leading the club’s social impact strategy through its charitable arm, City in the Community. Sunil oversees programs that use football as a tool for inclusion, education and opportunity, ensuring Melbourne City FC makes a meaningful difference beyond the pitch. Under his leadership, City in the Community has been widely recognised for its award-winning programs, work in youth engagement, employment pathways, disability inclusion and multicultural participation. Sunil plays a key role in delivering flagship initiatives in schools, correctional facilities and community outreach, empowering young people and communities across Victoria while reinforcing the club’s commitment to equality, access and long-term social impact.
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Greg Schneiders
General Manager - Consulting
Active Education Australia

Well-Designed Sport Programs

Biography

Greg is the General Manager - Consulting at Active Education Australia. His career extends from being a leading HPE teacher, University Lecturer, Head of Department and Director of Sport in some of Australia’s leading schools and universities. A leader of people and teams, Greg has held many positions of responsibility, including teaching and oversight of multiple schools’ Health and Physical Education teams and numerous co-curricular sporting departments. In recent years, he has also been a university lecturer, at both undergraduate and master level programs, with a particular focus on curriculum, teaching pedagogy and practice within the Health and Physical Education domains.
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Jenna Ward
National Education Lead
Active Education Australia

Chair

Biography

Jenna Ward is National Education Lead at Active Education Australia, where she develops curriculum-aligned resources and presents professional learning for teachers across the country. An experienced teacher, Jenna has a background in curriculum design, assessment, and teaching practice development across ELC–12, having held leadership roles including Curriculum Leader for Health, Physical Education and Wellbeing and Head of Sport. Having coached sport from grassroots to international, Jenna has seen first-hand how sport and physical activity can strengthen social connection, foster inclusion, and drive student confidence and academic growth. She is passionate about supporting teachers to move from everyday practice to intentional design, ensuring every student is on a deliberate pathway toward wellbeing and success.
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