Ryan Storr

Dr Ryan Storr is a Research Fellow in the Sport Innovation Research Group (SIRG). He completed his PhD at Victoria University, Melbourne, and his thesis was awarded the most outstanding doctorate by the Graduate Management Association of Australia in 2019. He was awarded an international PhD scholarship attached to an ARC Linkage project entitled "Participation vs Performance: Exploring how community sports clubs respond to diversity", and his thesis explored how volunteers in community sports clubs engaged with diversity work. He graduated from Loughborough University in the UK, in Geography and Sport and Leisure Management. Prior to the moving to Australia, he held a Graduate Tutor Position at Northumbria University in the UK, whereby he taught onto the Sport Development program within the School of Life Sciences in the Department of Sport Development, Management and Coaching. He was also a Lecturer and Academic Course Advisor for the undergraduate Sport Devleopment undergraduate degree program from 2017 to 2021.

His research interests currently focus on diversity and inclusion within community sports clubs, with a specific focus on LGBTIQ+ diversity. He has led several projects in Australia which have explored LGBTIQ+ inclusion within the Australian sport landscape, and was chief investigator for a funded evaluation for Cricket Australia and Cricket Victoria entitled "Exploring LGBT Inclusion in Australian Cricket". He is also the co-founder of Proud 2 Play, a LGBTIQ+ sport charity, which is the peak body for LGBTIQ+ inclusion in sport and active recreation in Victoria. This work has involved consultancy and partnerships with several State Sporting Organisations and National State Sporting Organisations and working with sports to engage them with LGBTI+ diversity. For such efforts, Ryan received the Rising Star award at the Alumni Awards at Victoria University for demonstrating significant early career and community service achievements. His research and advoacy is often used and quated in various media outlets, where by he provides expert commentary and analysis on a rnage of topical issues including transgender sport policy, and homophobia in sport.