Section: Overview
Overview
Key publications
Research funding
Supervising & teaching
Career

Key details

Areas of expertise

  • Sociology of sport
  • Gender
  • Sociology of health
  • LGBT physical activity and health
  • Historical theory

Available to supervise research students

Available for media queries

About Fiona Mclachlan

Dr Fiona McLachlan is a research fellow in the Institute for Health and Sport (IHES) and a member of the ‘Sport Diversity and Social Change’ research group.

Dr McLachlan completed her PhD at the University of Otago in 2012 and her thesis investigated the cultural representations of public swimming pools and their emergence and apparent decline. Through this work she produced an innovative methodology to analyse the politics of temporality, that is, the ways that social problems and issues are framed in ways that already have the future fated and then effects of this framing for social transformation.

Since arriving at VU in 2012 Dr McLachlan has continued her work on temporality, specifically applying these theories to understand the gendered structure and culture sport, physical activity and society.

Dr McLachlan’s interdisciplinary research has been published a wide range of high quality journals and books and she has led and contributed to several funded research projects, for example:

  • Netball Victoria Oral History Project
  • Increasing Women’s Participation in Cycling
  • Women’s Participation in Sport and Active Recreation in Melbourne’s West.

Qualifications

  • PhD, University of Otago, NZ, 2012
  • Master of Physical Education, University of Otago, NZ, 2008
  • Bachelor of Physical Education, University of Otago, NZ, 2004

Key publications

Year Citation
2023 McDonald, B., McLachlan, F., & Spaaij, R. (231001). Old Rules for New Times: Sportswomen and Media Representation in the COVID-19 Pandemic. American Behavioral Scientist, 67(11), (1289-1303).

doi: 10.1177/00027642221118280

2022 Knoppers, A., McLachlan, F., Spaaij, R., & Smits, F. (221101). Subtexts of Research on Diversity in Sport Organizations: Queering Intersectional Perspectives. Journal of Sport Management, 36(6), (613-622).

doi: 10.1123/JSM.2021-0266

2021 Schrijnder, S., van, Amsterdam., & McLachlan, F. (210501). These chicks go just as hard as us! (Un)doing gender in a Dutch CrossFit gym. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 56(3), (382-398).

doi: 10.1177/1012690220913524

2021 Gould, S., McLachlan, F., & McDonald, B. (210201). Swimming With the Bicheno Coffee Club : The Textured World of Wild Swimming. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 45(1), (39-59).

doi: 10.1177/0193723520928594

2021 Luguetti, C., & McLachlan, F. (210101). Am I an easy unit? Challenges of being and becoming an activist teacher educator in a neoliberal Australian context. Sport, Education and Society, 26(1), (1-14).

doi: 10.1080/13573322.2019.1689113

2020 Pape, M., & McLachlan, F. (200901). Gendering the coronavirus pandemic: Toward a framework of interdependence for sport. International Journal of Sport Communication, 13(3), (391-398).

doi: 10.1123/ijsc.2020-0237

2019 Spaaij, R., Broerse, J., Oxford, S., Luguetti, C., McLachlan, F., McDonald, B., Klepac, B., Lymbery, L., Bishara, J., & Pankowiak, A. (191011). Sport, Refugees, and Forced Migration: A Critical Review of the Literature. FRONTIERS IN SPORTS AND ACTIVE LIVING, 1

doi: 10.3389/fspor.2019.00047

2019 McLachlan, F. (190102). It s boom time! (Again): Progress narratives and women s sport in Australia. Journal of Australian Studies, 43(1), (7-21).

doi: 10.1080/14443058.2019.1575262

2018 Oxford, S., & McLachlan, F. (180901). "You have to play like a man, But Still be a Woman": Young Female Colombians negotiating gender through participation in a Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) organization. Sociology of Sport Journal, 35(3), (258-267).

doi: 10.1123/ssj.2017-0088

2017 McLachlan, F. (170102). Being critical: an account of an early career academic working within and against neoliberalism. Sport, Education and Society, 22(1), (58-72).

doi: 10.1080/13573322.2016.1236017

Research funding for the past 5 years

Please note:

  • Funding is ordered by the year the project commenced and may continue over several years.
  • Funding amounts for contact research are not disclosed to maintain commercial confidentiality.
  • The order of investigators is not indicative of the role they played in the research project.

Men as allies for gender equity in football
From: Change our Game Research Grant Program
Other investigators: Aspr Brent Mcdonald, Mr Jeffrey Bishara
For period: 2024-2025
$45,039

Change Makers: Empowering and supporting 60 football clubs to design and implement gender equity plans
From: Football Victoria Inc
Other investigators: Aspr Brent Mcdonald
For period: 2023-2024
$250,066

Governance for Gender Inclusion: Levelling the Field in Australian Sport
From: Australian Research Council - Discovery Project
For period: 2022-2024
$126,072

Empowering lives through football
From: Football Victoria Inc
Other investigators: Prof Ramon Spaaij, Dr Carla Nascimento luguetti, Aspr Brent Mcdonald
For period: 2020-2021
Not disclosed
The Change Makers Project: Empowering Football Clubs on the Journey to 50/50
From: Change our Game Research Grant Program
Other investigators: Aspr Brent Mcdonald, Dr Carla Nascimento luguetti
For period: 2020-2021
$24,997
Change Makers: Empowering Sports in Melbourne's West to Provide Positive Engagement for Migrants and Refugees
From: Driving Social Inclusion Through Sport and Physical Activity
Other investigators: Prof Ramon Spaaij, Aspr Brent Mcdonald, Dr Carla Nascimento luguetti
For period: 2020-2022
$330,784

Evaluation of Gender Inclusion Strategy and Practices
From: Wyndham Basketball Ltd.
Other investigators: Aspr Brent Mcdonald
For period: 2019-2019
Not disclosed

Supervision of research students at VU

Available to supervise research students

Available for media queries

Currently supervised research students at VU

No. of students Study level Role
1 Master of Applied Research Associate supervisor
2 PhD Principal supervisor
2 PhD Associate supervisor
1 PhD Integrated Principal supervisor

Currently supervised research students at VU

Students & level Role
Master of Applied Research (1) Associate supervisor
PhD (2) Principal supervisor
PhD (2) Associate supervisor
PhD Integrated (1) Principal supervisor

Completed supervision of research students at VU

No. of students Study level Role
4 PhD Associate supervisor
1 Masters by Research Associate supervisor
2 Master of Research Principal supervisor
1 Master of Research Associate supervisor

Completed supervision of research students at VU

Students & level Role
PhD (4) Associate supervisor
Masters by Research (1) Associate supervisor
Master of Research (2) Principal supervisor
Master of Research (1) Associate supervisor

Key academic roles

Dates Role Department / Organisation
Jul 2012 - Present
Lecturer
Victoria University
Dates Role & Department/Organisation
Jul 2012 -
Present
Lecturer
Victoria University

Professional memberships

  • Professional member, The Australian Sociological Association