Football kicked around at conference

Football and the heated debates and passions it stirs will be explored at an international conference held at the University of Queensland between March 21 and 23.

The Football and Identities International Conference will feature 35 papers covering Australia's four football codes (Australian rules, soccer, rugby union and rugby league) as well as Gaelic, Canadian and American football.

According to conference director and senior lecturer in sports studies at the University's Department of Human Movement Studies Dr John Nauright, conference topics include football club relocation and amalgamation, football league national expansion, women's role in football, the media in football and the experiences of football fans.

Two keynote speakers attending the conference are Dr Bill Murray of La Trobe University and Dr Timothy Chandler of Kent State University in the United States. Dr Murray is the author of A World History of Soccer and Dr Chandler recently co-edited a book on rugby and masculine identity with Dr Nauright.

The conference will be attended by delegates from many countries including England, Norway, South Africa, Canada, Japan and New Zealand with speakers from most Australian states and territories.

Dr Nauright said the conference was an initiative of the Football Studies Group formed by scholars at the University of Queensland, Sunshine Coast University College, University of Canberra and Victoria University of Technology to co-ordinate diverse research on the four professional football codes in Australia.

For more information contact Dr Nauright (telephone 07 3365 6240, facsimile 07 3365 6877 or email: johnn@hms01.hms.uq.edu.au) or Dr Tara Magdalinski at Sunshine Coast University College (telephone 07 5430 1244, facsimile 07 5430 1231 or email: magdalinski@scuc.edu.au).