Facilities
World-class facilities at the Centre for Sport and Human Performance Research.
La Trobe Sports Park Precinct
Take a virtual tour of our world-class facilities here.
Spanning 60 hectares of La Trobe University’s Melbourne Campus in Bundoora, the La Trobe Sports Park is a world-class precinct bringing together sport, research, education, high performance and community participation in a unique integrated environment.
One of the first precincts of its kind in Australia, the Sports Park connects leading researchers, students, athletes, sporting organisations and the wider community – creating an environment where new knowledge can be developed, tested and translated directly into sporting performance and practice.
At the heart of the precinct – and its jewel in the crown – is the La Trobe Sports Stadium. More than a sporting venue, the Stadium is a state-of-the-art hub for sport science, research, teaching and innovation, featuring approximately 2,700 m² of world-class sport science and analytics research laboratories (see below).
These cutting-edge facilities support research and teaching across biomechanics, exercise physiology, strength and conditioning, performance analysis and sport analytics, using advanced technologies to better understand human movement, performance, health and recovery.
By bringing world-class research infrastructure alongside high-performance and community sporting environments, the La Trobe Sports Park creates a genuine living laboratory for sport – connecting research with real-world practice and providing opportunities for discovery, collaboration and innovation from grassroots participation through to elite performance.
Biomechanics Lab
The La Trobe Sports Biomechanics Laboratory is a 434m² multi-zone space. The “Running Zone” incorporates two 50-m Mondotrack running lanes. The “General Purpose Zone” allows for the conduct of numerous types of activities. The laboratory is serviced by two Vicon motion capture systems (22 cameras), an 8-camera Theia3D markerless motion capture system, and seven floor-embedded AMTI force plates that can be moved between zones for complete flexibility. The laboratory also houses a Biodex isokinetic dynamometer, numerous wireless technologies such as Vicon Blue Trident and Xsens DOT inertial measurements units, Novel loadsol instrumented insoles, a Krontech Chronos high-speed camera, and a 16-channel Delsys Trigno electromyography system. The “Field Zone” is adjacent to a large door that opens directly onto our FIFA accredited synthetic pitch for kicking, throwing and other field-based activities.
Sport and Exercise Physiology Lab
The La Trobe Exercise Physiology Laboratory has world-class facilities for exercise testing in both research and clinical settings. Our two physiology teaching laboratories each have five Parvomedics TrueOne Metabolic Carts for cardiorespiratory testing, which can be performed using either a treadmill, bicycle or rowing ergometer and accompanied by 12- lead ECG monitoring. Our research laboratory includes a large testing space, four consultation rooms and an environmental chamber. Our environmental chamber can replicate hot and humid conditions of 10-40C and simulate altitudes of up to 6,000m.
Food, Nutrition and Dietetics Lab
Our specialised laboratory is designed as a centre for our clinical trials. It features a dedicated body composition and anthropometric assessment area, including a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry scanner. It houses other specialised equipment used for our clinical trials of functional foods and nutritional supplements including equipment to assess metabolism (RMR) as well as phlebotomy and blood processing facilities. The laboratory also has a designated area for interviews with study participants and a shared space for research students.
Strength and Conditioning Lab
The Strength and Conditioning Laboratory in the La Trobe Sports Stadium houses eight lifting platforms and racks with over 5000kg of competition standard Eleiko equipment. The training floor opens directly on to the FIFA accredited synthetic pitch for speed, agility and endurance training and testing activities. The Strength and Conditioning Laboratory is connected to the Sports Biomechanics Laboratory by two 50m Mondotrack running lanes. The Strength and Conditioning Laboratory also houses two lifting platforms with built-in dual force platforms. These platforms are also instrumented with motion capture technology and interface to provide real time feedback on lifting kinetics and kinematics. In addition, the Strength and Conditioning Laboratory houses a custom made Sorinex isometric testing rack accompanied by synchronised AMTI force platform and a Delsys Trigno electromyography system for combined strength and muscle activation assessment. The Strength and Conditioning Laboratory has extensive capability for off-site testing supported by several sets of portable force platforms, a custom made portable isometric mid-thigh pull rig, several sets of Fusion Sports timing gates, and eight GymAware linear position transducers.
Performance Analysis and Sports Analytics Lab
The La Trobe Performance Analysis and Sport Analytics Laboratory provides in-training and competition analysis and brings the laboratory to the field. Leveraging the power and convenience of wireless and wearable technologies allows in-game insight for coaches and extensive post-game analysis for sport science staff and researchers. Catapult’s Vector system provides premium elite athlete monitoring in the field using advanced GNSS, LPS and inertial measurement unit technology. The La Trobe Sports Stadium‘s courts are instrumented with Catapult’s Clearsky indoor system giving high- quality LPS athlete tracking data. Combined with Synergy Sports’ FIBA Connected Stadium camera technology and fully-automated AI driven video production provide unprecedented indoor analysis capability. The Sport Analytics Laboratory overlooks the FIFA-accredited synthetic football-pitch, enabling real-time event coding using Sportscode for performance analysis and packaging of synchronised video highlights. Data science and programming skills enable comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the ever-increasing data collected within sport.
Skilled Performance Lab
The La Trobe Skilled Performance Laboratory is used to examine aspects of learning and performance in complex skills across multiple domains. This involves exploring visual processing and decision-making, mental load, simulated performance environments, and different training approaches. The laboratory uses a combination of psychophysiological and behavioural measures, including eye-tracking technology, video capture and projection, virtual reality, and event coding. Applications span sport performance, coaching and officiating, as well as domains involving complex decision-making and visual-processing demands, such as the military, policing and emergency services.
