Mary Woessner

Associate Professor Mary Woessner is an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow within the Institute for Health and Sport at Victoria University and leads the Safe and Inclusive Sport Research Group. Her work is driven by a commitment to promoting safe, equitable, and inclusive cultures in sport, with particular attention to child safeguarding and gender‑based violence. Using collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches, her research examines how policy, governance, and community practices shape safety and wellbeing in sport. She has led landmark research on the prevalence of psychological, physical, and sexual violence in Australian community sport, children’s experiences of disclosing abuse and how adults respond, and the support needs of volunteers responsible for safeguarding. Collectively, her work informs policy, training, and practice nationally and internationally. She remains committed to translating evidence into practical strategies that improve prevention, reporting, and response systems within community sport.