Research in Sport

Our particular strengths are in qualitative research methods, policy-related research and in measuring physical activity. Current research interests include: national identity and football-related disorder; risk, pain and injury in physical activity; athletic careers and issues of work-life balance; comparative sports policy analysis, lifelong participation; physical activity and free living populations; mental imagery and performance; dance and alternative movement; sport, alcohol and public health, and applied research as it relates to sport and social exclusion, disadvantage and refugee and asylum seeking communities.

Staff are involved in the School's research groups, such as Sport, Health and Policy, Crime, Violence and Abuse and Sociology and Social Policy.

We have an active postgraduate research culture and we welcome enquiries from prospective research students interested in any of our areas of research interest.  

The quality of our research in the School of Applied Social Sciences has been formally recognised by the Research Assessment Exercise 2008 - a rigorous procedure designed to assess research activities at every UK university.  Ninety percent of research in the School was rated as of international significance with 60% being internationally excellent or of world leading originality, significance and rigour. The School's "excellent active and vital research culture" was highlighted, along with our outstanding international collaborations, interdisciplinarity and impact on policy and practice.