Updated: Article now links to more recent guidelines.
What is ESSA?
Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA), formerly know as the Australian Association for Exercise and Sports Science (AAESS), is a professional organisation which is committed to establishing, promoting and defending the career paths of tertiary trained exercise and sports science practitioners, who are in turn committed to best practice and client well-being. The central tenet of our profession is that:
“Exercise and Sports Science is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the understanding and enhancement of human movement in the broadest sense, including general physical activity pursuits such as goal oriented fitness regimens and recreational sport as well as elite sport and the area of performance enhancement. It includes the knowledge, methods and applications of sub-disciplines (ie. exercise physiology, biomechanics, motor control and motor development, exercise and sport psychology) as well as how they interact”.
AAESS was officially founded in 1991, and changed its trading name to ESSA in 2010. It was founded to meet the professional needs of exercise and sports scientists in Australia. It is directed by an Executive Board comprised of leading academics and practitioners in these fields and is supported by a growing number of regional chapters throughout Australia.
AAESS Pty Ltd (trading as ESSA) is an incorporated body and its constitution has been registered with the Australian Securities Commission.
Why is ESSA needed?
Current research emphatically confirms the importance of regular moderate physical activity for public health. Authorities that recognise and support these findings include World Health Organisation (Position Statement 1995), the US Surgeon General (Position Statement 1996 – CDC), the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council (1997) and American College of Sports Medicineand the American Heart Association (2007) .
As a result, there is considerable interest in the exercise and sports science fields from within the government/public and private sectors.
Responsible advocacy of broad based public participation in physical activity necessarily requires that professional service providers are available.
ESSA members are qualified to comprehensively assess an individuals exercise capacity and can ensure that participation is safe and achieves the optimum outcomes for all sectors of the population.
