Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered

Empowering girls through sport. Engaging dads as advocates for gender equity. Enhancing the dad-daughter bond & wellbeing. University led research program.

Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered is a multi-award-winning, community-based program, that engages fathers/father figures in positive lifestyle role modelling and effective parenting strategies to improve the physical activity behaviours, physical confidence, sport skills and social-emotional wellbeing of their daughters

During the program, dads spend quality time with their daughters, havin

g fun and working together in practical sessions involving rough and tumble play, sport skills, and health-related fitness games. Both fathers and daughters gain the knowledge and skills necessary to promote lifelong physical activity. Dads also learn evidence-based parenting strategies to enhance the physical and mental wellbeing of their daughters. Daughters are given opportunities to practise key social-emotional skills including self-control, persistence, critical thinking, resilience and self-reliance and spend quality time with their dads working together in fun practical sessions involving sport skills (eg kicking, catching, throwing), rough and tumble play and health-related fitness games. Formerly known as DADEE (Dads And Daughters Exercising and Empowered), the program name was changed to Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered in mid-2019. In addition to our Daughters & Dads Active and Empowered 'Classic' program, a four-year partnership with the NSW Office of Sport will see the University of Newcastle team work with a number of state sporting bodies to develop sport specific variants of the Daughters & Dads program (2019-2023). Daughters & Dads Cricket was piloted in early 2020 in consultation with Cricket-NSW and Cricket Australia and continues to roll out in 2021-2023. Daughters & Dads Basketball is planned for delivery in 2022 in consultation with Basketball NSW, to co-ordinate with the 2022 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Sydney, NSW. Daughters & Dads Football is planned for delivery in 2022-2023 in consultation with Football NSW and NNSW Football, to c-ordinate with the FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023.

Photos from Capital Football - Official's post

19/08/2026

More photos from an incredible pilot Daughters & Dads Football program delivered in Canberra! ⚽💙🩷 Capital Football - Official

18/08/2026

Did you know it's National Science Week? 🔬

To celebrate, we're putting one of the lesser-known research benefits of the Daughters & Dads program under the microscope!

The University of Newcastle, Australia offers a course as part of its teaching degrees on the Daughters & Dads programs, where pre-service teachers are given the opportunity to be involved in program delivery and learn valuable lessons about gendered barriers to sport and physical activity for girls. 🏃‍♀️‍➡️

This course has been shown to:
👇 Reduce negative implicit and explicit attitudes towards girls and activity
👆 Improve pre-service teachers’ awareness of, and skills to, address gender inequity in schools

With over 300 pre-service teachers and dozens of in-service teachers having completed the course, the ripple effects of improved gender equity in schools are immeasurable!

11/08/2026

We're very proud to be recognised at The University of Newcastle, Australia 'Celebrating Success' event. Daughters & Dads Active & Empowered was acknowledged for winning the Engagement Australia Excellence Award for Research Impact, establishing new partnerships nationally and internationally, and delivering holistic benefits for families and communities around the world. 🌟

Thank you, UoN, for your support. 💙🩷

09/08/2026

Check out Daughters & Dads Football in action across the ACT! ⚽ Capital Football - Official

07/08/2026

Daughters & Dads Football 🤝 Capital Football 💙⚽

We're thrilled to partner with Capital Football to continue growing Daughters & Dads Football across the ACT following a successful pilot program.

The second ACT program is already underway in the Belconnen region, and we can't wait to share program photos soon!

31/07/2026

The way we tackle gendered barriers to physical activity and sport head on is a game-changer.

It's no surprise that more than 50 national and international partners have delivered the program to help address the gender inequities faced by girls.

Sign up to learn how to develop your daughter's critical thinking skills. 💡

27/07/2026

Today we're at The University of Newcastle, Australia Industry Open Day! 💥

If you're attending, please come by our stall and meet the team! We'd love to chat about the work we're doing and explore opportunities to partner with like-minded organisations. 🤝

23/07/2026

How can rough-and-tumble play be so fun AND holistically beneficial for kids? 💪

Listen to Prof Philip Morgan speak with Philippa from Womensport and Recreation Tasmania about the profound benefits of rough-and-tumble play for father-daughter relationships, emotional regulation, social skills, and preparing children for the physicality of sport. ⚽

But unfortunately, research shows that from as early as age 1, the way fathers interact with their daughters and sons changes, with daughters receiving less attention.

Catch the full 'There She Is' podcast episode on Spotify or YouTube (link in bio).

16/07/2026

Interviewer: "How much do you love your Dad?"
Daughter: "Infinity." 💙

Listen to another family's story as they share their experience and what they've learnt through participating in the program 💡

Southern Women's Group SWG The University of Newcastle, Australia ABC South East NSW

Photos from Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered's post

15/07/2026

Prof Philip Morgan had the privilege of presenting his research on the impact of Daughters & Dads Active & Empowered to staff and students at Nihon University (日本大学 ) in Japan. 🇯🇵

This was a fantastic opportunity for Phil to collaborate with an international university, which aligns with a key initiative of the Global Sport and Movement Collaborative at The University of Newcastle, Australia. Thank you to Nihon University for hosting Phil! 👏

Want your school to be the top-listed School/college in Newcastle?

Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.

Location

Newcastle

Website

https://www.daughtersanddads.com.au/, http://linktr.ee/daughtersanddadsau

Address

Global Sport & Movement Collaborative
Newcastle, NSW
2308

Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered

Share

Location

Website

Address

Listing takedown request