Dr Matthew Varley

Matthew teaches in the areas of exercise and sports physiology. Matthew completed his undergraduate studies at RMIT before undertaking his PhD at Victoria University titled "Acceleration and Fatigue in Soccer".

His research focuses on monitoring team sport performance, nutritional and training strategies to enhance physical performance and recovery and the relationship between physical capacity, physical performance and success in team sport athletes. The majority of his research has focused on Association Football (Soccer), and he is currently involved in a research partnership with Football Federation Victoria.

Matthew has experience with the Victorian Institute of Sport and has provided sports science advice for several elite sporting clubs in Australia including Melbourne Victory, Melbourne Heart and Perth Glory Football Clubs and Western Bulldogs Football Club.

Any students interested in pursuing graduate studies in Matthew's area of research, please feel free to contact Matthew directly via email.

Recent publications

Refereed journal articles

Varley, M. C., Gabbet, T. J., & Aughey, R. J. (2013). Activity profiles of professional soccer, rugby league and Australian football match play. Journal of Sports Sciences.

Garvican, L. A., Hammond, K., Varley, M. C., Gore, C. J., Billaut, F., & Aughey, R.J. (2013). Lower Running Performance and Exacerbated Fatigue in Soccer Played at 1600 m. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance.

Aughey, R. J., Buchheit, M., Garvican-Lewis, L. A., Roach, G. D., Sargent, C., Billaut, F., Varley, M. C., Bourdon, P. C., & Gore, C. J. (2013). Yin and yang, or peas in a pod? Individual versus team sport athletes and altitude training. British Journal of Sports Medicine, Suppl 1, i107-i113

Aughey, R. J., Hammond, K., Varley, M. C., Schmidt, W. F., Bourdon, P. C., Buchheit, M. Simpson, B., Garvican-Lewis, L. A., Kley, M., Soriag, R., Sargent, C., Roach, G. D., Jimenez Claros, J. C., Wachsmuth, N., & Gore, C. J., (2013) Soccer activity profile of altitude versus sea-level natives during acclimatisation to 3600 m (ISA3600). British Journal of Sports Medicine, 47, 1150-4

Elias, G. P., Wyckelsma, V. L., Varley, M. C., McKenna, M. J., & Aughey, R. J. (2013). Effectiveness of water immersion on postmatch recovery in elite professional footballers. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 8, 243-253.

Varley, M. C., & Aughey, R. J. (2013). Acceleration profiles in elite Australian soccer. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 34, 34-39.

Elias, G. P., Varley, M. C., Wyckelsma, V. L., McKenna, M. J., Minahan, C. L., & Aughey, R. J. (2012). Effects of water immersion on posttraining recovery in Australian footballers. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 7, 357-366.

Varley, M. C. Elias, G. P., & Aughey, R. J. (2012). Current match-analysis techniques' underestimation of intense periods of high-velocity running. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 7, 183-185.

Varley, M. C., Fairweather, I. H., & Aughey, R. J. (2012). Validity and reliability of GPS for measuring instantaneous velocity during acceleration, deceleration, and constant motion. Journal of Sports Sciences, 3, 121 – 127.

Levinger, I., Varley, M., Jerums, G., Hare, D. L., & Selig, S. (2011). Oxygen (O2) kinetics during early recovery from peak exercise in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Diabetic Medicine, 28, 612-617.

Research grants

• Football Federation Victoria and Victoria University: Football Research and Educational Project, $60,000 over 3 years (50% FFV/50% VU), co-investigator with Dr.Fabio Serpiello and Mrs Anne Brown.
• Australian Institute of Sport, Robert T. Withers PhD Scholar Award ($3000)

Teaching responsibilities

• Advanced Exercise Physiology
• Co-coordination of Exercise Physiology

Postgraduate research students and fellows

Matthew currently supervises 2 honours students and co-supervises 1 PhD student.

Professional membership

• Exercise and Sports Science Australia
• American College of Sports Medicine

Industry experience

Matthew has experience with the Victorian Institute of Sport and has provided sports science advice for several elite sporting clubs in Australia including:

• Melbourne Victory Football Club
• Melbourne Heart Football Club
• Perth Glory Football Clubs
• Western Bulldogs Football Cub
• Football Federation Australia
• Football Federation Victoria