Children and young people
Our team engages staff from across research groups, working extensively with Sport England, the Department for Education (DFE) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to measure physical activity and evaluate novel interventions for increasing the activity levels in schools and social settings. We have worked collaboratively with the Sport Industry Research Group for the last three years, delivering contract research for these organisations. Our validation work has been used to shape and influence local decision-making as well as inform government policy on the PE and Sport Premium, Childhood Obesity Plan and other cross-departmental programmes. Our team also coordinates the Move More Secondary Active Schools working group in Sheffield.
Human performance and athlete wellbeing
Human performance and athlete wellbeing use the disciplines of sport and exercise science (exercise physiology, strength and conditioning, sport biomechanics, sport psychology, sport nutrition, skill acquisition and motor control) to improve athlete and corporate performance, optimise talent environments and improve athlete wellbeing. The team have provided sport science support services to Olympic, Commonwealth and World Championship athletes and long-term athlete development programmes with British Diving, British Equestrian Federation, GB Women’s Volleyball and British Boxing. We also work on the MindfullyStrong programme and a variety of corporate performance enhancement interventions such as mental toughness training, resilience, stress management, and mental health awareness.
Sport and performance cultures
It is an important time in sport policy and practice, as the UK government places increasing emphasis on the socio-cultural constraints in sport. Moreover, UK Sport continues to invest in supporting the development of a fair, equitable and ethical world-class sporting system in the UK, which is both athlete-centred and people-focused. Social injustices have been highlighted by recent events such as the #metoo movement, the Black Lives Matter protests and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Our expertise, supported by a large body of published work in high impact journals, includes the ecological impact of nature sports; race/racism in the media and cultural industries; the representation of female athletes at sporting mega-events; ecological dynamics in athletic performance; the role of sport in international development; and the shifting landscape of mental health and athlete wellbeing.
Pedagogical science
The work of our pedagogical science team and our research in general since 2013 has theoretically conceptualised and practically applied a new approach, ecological dynamics, to provide advice, mentorship, research support and practical applications in at least 24 professional organisations across the world. These include national sporting institutes, government departments and professional sports clubs.
