I graduated from York St John University with a first-class degree in Sport Studies before completing a MSc in the Sociology of Sport at Loughborough University. From 2010, I have lectured at York St John University, completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PCAP). Alongside lecturing, from 2013-2020, I completed a part-time PhD. For five years I was a Learning and Teaching Lead in the School of Sport (2017-2019) and then Science, Technology and Health (2019-2022). In 2022, I gained a Senior Fellowship at the Higher Education Academy and co-founded the Tackling Welfare in Sport Together (TWiST) research group. Since 2023, I have been Course Lead for the MSc Physical Education and Sports Coaching, MSc Sports and Exercise Therapy, and MSc Sport and Exercise Science.
I generally teach across modules concerning the sociology of sport, social justice, qualitative research methods and contemporary sports issues. Currently, I am the module director for:
- SPO6021M Duty of Care in Physical Education and Sports Coaching
- SPO7001M Advanced Research Methods and Dissemination
- SPO7002M Placement in Sport
- SPO7004M Debate and Current Opinion in Sport, Exercise, and Physical Education
And I teach on the following courses:
- BSc Physical Education and Sports Coaching
- MSc Physical Education and Sports Coaching
- MSc Sport and Exercise Science
- MSc Sport and Exercise Therapy
My broad research interest lies in how people socially construct, promote and enact social justice in sports, education and healthcare environments. Currently, I am interested in athlete welfare and duty of care, with respect to language and discrimination, in sport. To date, I apply a figurational sociological framework and adopt a range of qualitative methods.
I welcome any self-funded PhD research projects relating to these areas. I have been principal investigator or co-principal investigator on a number of funded research projects, including ‘rurality as a health inequality’, ‘post-16 access to colleges’ and ‘improving racial literacy amongst undergraduate sport students’.
Recent publications
I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and was external examiner at Northumbria University (2019 to 2023). I am Chair of a longstanding community charity, whilst I also coach football and cricket to children. I am a member of the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), the Football Association (FA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
