About us

Scroll down to read about Daughters and Dads programs

What’s involved?

Hear from Program Founder Prof. Philip Morgan on the history, background and the life-changing impact of the program.

The program features:

  • A Dads-Only Session focusing on positive parenting, engaging daughters in physical activity/sport and gender equity advocacy.

  • Weekly Daughters & Dads Sessions including:

    i) Empowerment content covering how to optimise physical activity/sports participation, developing critical thinking to address gender bias, and boosting social-emotional skills.

  • ii) Practical content involving rough & tumble play, sport skills, and fun fitness/modified games.

Our programs

Daughters & Dads Active & Empowered

The original ‘multi-sport’ program targeting key sports skills (Kick, catch, bounce, strike, overhand throw, underhand throw). The program provides the foundation for key sport skills to enable a pathway for youth sport initiatives and encourages them to engage in multiple sports in the long-term.

Our programs

Daughters & Dads Cricket

A ground breaking program developing cricket skills and strengthening relationship between daughters and dads.

Our programs

Daughters & Dads Football

The football-adapted version of the multi award-winning Daughters and Dad Active and Empowered program. The program aims to break down the barriers to female participation and increase representation of women and girls in football.

Our programs

Daughters & Dads Cycling

The cycling-adapted version of the multi award-winning Daughters and Dad Active and Empowered program. The program gives girls the skills and confidence needed for cycling and maintaining their bikes while utilising bike-riding to optimise the father-daughter relationship.

Our programs

Daughters & Dads Basketball

The basketball- adapted version of the multi award-winning Daughters and Dad Active and Empowered program.

Meet the Team

  • Prof Philip Morgan

    FOUNDER

    Phil is Co-Deputy-Director of the Centre for Active Living and Learning at the University of Newcastle, Australia. As a father of three daughters and coach of multiple junior girls basketball, touch football and soccer teams, Professor Morgan is very aware of the important role fathers play in their children’s lives. He is a strong male advocate for gender equity and enhancing the father-daughter bond and wellbeing through physical activity and sport.

  • Assoc Prof Narelle Eather

    RESEARCHER

    Narelle researchers the promotion of physical activity, physical fitness and sports skills among children, youth and young adults, and with the development and evaluation of theoretically driven Health and Physical Education interventions in the school and community settings. In addition to her academic achievements, Dr Eather is a current Australian OzTag representative, a former national league netball player and an inspiration to her two adolescent girls.

  • Dr Lee Ashton

    RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

    Lee is a post-doctoral researcher in the Centre for Active Living and Learning at the University of Newcastle. He is a proud father to Artie & Olive and he looks forward to sharing the concepts from the Daughters and Dads program to help them be Active and Empowered for life!

  • Dr Myles Young

    RESEARCHER

    Myles is a lecturer and men’s health researcher in the University of Newcastle’s School of Psychology. His research primarily focuses on men’s physical and mental health and how ‘gender-tailored’ programs can increase the participation of men in health research.

  • Dan Lee

    IMPLEMENTATION LEAD

    Dan joined the Daughters & Dads team shortly after graduating from a Masters of Teaching (Primary). Prior to this, Dan worked in a variety of roles in both school and community settings that focused on the social-emotional wellbeing of young people.

  • Zoe, Taylah & Bronte

    MULTI-ROLE

    Zoe, Taylah and Bronte are a trio of empowered & active girls who helped out over the years on several program tasks.

 FAQs

  • Built on decades of research, the program is evidence-based in its development but also it’s impact. See the publications outlining the life-changing impact of this program.

    Ashton LM, Rayward AT, Pollock ER et al (2024) Twelve-month outcomes of a community-based, father-daughter physical activity program delivered by trained facilitators. IJBNPA 21 (101).

    Pollock ER, Young MD, Lubans DR et al (2023) Effects of a Father–Daughter Physical Activity Intervention Delivered by Trained Facilitators in the Community Setting on Girls’ Social-Emotional Well-Being: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Dev Psych. 59 (10). doi: 10.1037/dev0001609.

    Morgan, P. J., Pollock, E., Kennedy, S. L., Young, M., Eather, N., & Ashton, L. (2023). Feasibility of ‘Daughters and Dads Cricket’: A programme targeting fathers to improve daughters’ engagement and skills in cricket. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541231169096

    Morgan, P. J., Rayward, A., Young, M., Pollock, E., Eather, N., Barnes, A., Kennedy, S. L., Saunders, K., Drew, R., & Lubans, D. (2021). Establishing Effectiveness of a Community-based, Physical Activity Program for Fathers and Daughters: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 56(7), 698-711 https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaab056

    Pollock, E. R., Young, M., Lubans, D., Coffey, J., Hansen, V., & Morgan, P. J. (2021). Understanding the impact of a teacher education course on attitudes towards gender equity in physical activity and sport: An exploratory mixed methods evaluation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103421

    Pollock, E. P., Young, M., Lubans, D., Barnes, A., Eather, N., Coffey, J., Hansen, V., & Morgan, P. J. (2020). Impact of a father-daughter physical activity intervention: An exploration of fathers’ experiences. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-020-01837-8

    Morgan, P. J., Barnes, A. T., Young, M. D., Pollock, E. R., Eather, N., & Lubans, D. R. (2019). Engaging Fathers to Increase Physical Activity in Girls: The ‘Dads And Daughters Exercising and Empowered’ (DADEE) Randomized Controlled Trial. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 53(1), 39-52. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-020-01837-8

    Young, M. D., Lubans, D. R., Barnes, A. T., Eather, N., Pollock, E. R., Morgan, P. J. (2019). Impact of a Father-Daughter Physical Activity Program on Girls' Social-Emotional Well-being: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 87(3), 294-307, https://doi: 10.1037/ccp0000374

    Eather, N., Bull, A., Young, M. D., Barnes, A. T., Pollock, E. R., & Morgan, P. J., (2018). Fundamental Movement Skills: Where do girls fall short? A novel investigation of object-control skill execution in primary-school aged girls. Preventive Medicine Reports, 18(11), 191-195, https://doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.06.005

    Morgan, P. J., Young, M., Lubans, D., Barnes, A., Eather, N., & Pollock, E. (2018). Better together: Investigating the holistic benefits of father–daughter co-physical activity with mediation analyses, 2018 ASICS Sports Medicine Australia Conference, 10-13 October 2018, Perth, Australia. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 21 (Nov 2018, Suppl.), s13.

    Morgan, P. J., Lubans, D. R., Young, M.D., Barnes, A.T., Eather, N., & Pollock, E. R. (2015). Engaging dads to increase physical activity and well-being in girls: The DADEE (Dads And Daughters Exercising and Empowered) RCT. Australian Conference of Science and Medicine in Sport/ 2015 ASICS Sports Medicine Australia Conference, 21-24 October 2015, Queensland, Australia. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 19 (Dec 2015, Suppl.), e11.

  • Parent-child programs have predominantly targeted and engaged mothers. When programs are open to both parents, very few dads sign up. Our Daughters and Dads programs are designed to solely engage fathers/ father-figures.

    Mums/partners are encouraged to engage with the program home tasks, have discussions with their partner and daughter and are welcome to complete home activities with any of their other children.

  • Absolutely, we welcome her attendance with a significant male figure in her life. This might be a step-father, grandfather, uncle, older brother or trusted family friend.

    The program is designed to educate and motivate male role models as the agent for changing a girls’ physical activity levels, sport skills and social-emotional wellbeing. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept daughters attending the program with their mothers.

  • We suggest dads attend with just the one daughter at a time. The program is designed for 1-on-1 interaction between dads and daughters to ensure they get the most benefit out of the program. This allows the duo to effectively engage in the education and practical activities that have been timed and tested for 1:1.

    We have a few options to accommodate multiple daughters:

    Option 1: Dad could participate in more than one session during the term, having a different daughter attend with him each night.

    Option 2: Another father figure (e.g. Grandfather/Uncle) could participate with one of the daughters in the same session as Dad and the other daughter.

    Option 3: The program will run again in the future so you could decide to attend with one daughter initially and then sign up the following year with the other daughter.

  • Not at all, the program caters for all ability levels, from those who have never played sport, to those who play competitively. Facilitators and fathers are taught evidence-based, sports pedagogy to help them to modify activities to make them easier or harder, maximising girls’ enjoyment, engagement and skill development.