The Sport and Physical Activity Research Centre (SPARC), which sits within the Department for Sport and Physical Activity, is one of the largest sports and physical activity research clusters in the UK. 

It comprises four research groups, which carry out internationally renowned, world-class research in sport and human performance, physical activity and health, sport business and economics and sport engineering. 

SPARC facilitates collaborations across multiple disciplines to address real world research questions and to have an impact at individual, local and population levels. Its research is delivered with national and international partners, ranging from elite sporting organisations, such as Sport England, Team GB Olympic, and FIFA, to health sectors and charities, including the NHS, Department of Health, Public Health England and Macmillan Cancer Research. 

The centre boasts world-class facilities, and its staff work closely with the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, a world-leading £14m research centre on the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.