Dr. Damian Farrow

Professor, Skill Acquisition, Australian Institute of Sport

Australian Football League Umpire Coaching and Innovation Manager

Damian has worked in high performance sport as an expert in Skill Acquisition for over 20 years. Recently, he was appointed as the Australian Football League (AFL) Umpire Coaching and Innovation Manager. Prior to this, Damian was the inaugural Skill Acquisition Specialist at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) (2002) which he held until establishing a joint appointment with Victoria University (VU) and the (AIS) as a Professor of Skill Acquisition (2010-2018). Damian’s primary responsibility has been the provision of evidence-based support to coaches seeking to enhance the design of the skill learning environment. He has worked with a wide range of elite sports programs including: the Australian swimming program, Australian Wallabies Rugby Union team, Australian netball program, Tennis Australia coaching program, Cricket Australia Centre of Excellence. Damian is considered a world leader in the conduct of applied research and practice centered on understanding the factors critical to developing skill and sport expertise.