Engagement and impact in Sport Psychology, Education and Coaching
The Sport Psychology, Education, and Coaching research group pride themselves on their connection and impact from research to practice.
We are having national and global impact on areas such as disability coaching, paralympic sport, coach education (grassroots and elite), and medical education.
Discover our impact
External appointments and roles
- Dr Amy Whitehead - Editor in Chief – International Journal Sport Psychology, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, Review Editor; Journal of Sports Advisor board member; International Sport Coaching Journal, Editorial Board Member.
- Dr Alex Consterdine – Executive Board Member and Communications Officer for the Cluster for Research into Coaching (CRiC).
- Dr Colum Cronin – Editorial Board Member for Sports Coaching Review Journal, Editorial Board Member for PE and Sport Pedagogy Journal.
- Dr Colin Lewis – Head Researcher for Sports Interactive Games (Football Manager) for the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division.
- Prof Joanne Butt – Deputy Chair of the Training and Standards Partnership Committee for the Division of Sport & Exercise Psychology (BPS).
- Dr Katie Fitton Davies – Associate Editor for the International Journal of Sport Psychology, Associate Editor for the Journal of Perceptual and Motor Skills.
- Kelly Massey – Scientific Advisory Board Member for The Active Pregnancy Foundation, Research Advisory Group Member for Dance Mama.
- Dr Laura Swettenham – Associate Editor for the International Journal of Sport Psychology, Co-chair of the CASES Neurodiversity Special Interest Group.
- Dr Sigrid Olthof – Chair of the International Steering Committee on Science and Football.
- Dr Nic Robinson – Chair of World Para Pentathlon.
- Dr Simon Roberts – Editorial Board for European Journal of Sport in Society, Associate Editor for the Journal of Sports Sciences and Frontiers in Sports and Active Living: Sports Coaching: Performance and Development.
- Dr Luke Olsson – Associate Editor for Anxiety, Stress, and Coping.
- Dr Leighton Jones – Deputy Chair for the Psychology Division of CASES; Associate Editor, Communications in Kinesiology; Frontiers in Psychology, Movement Science, Review editor.
Expert statements and guidelines
UIPM Para Laser Run Guidelines
Dr Nic Robinson was involved in the development of the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) Para Laser Run Guidelines, which provide event organisers with the tolls and information required to run an accessible and inclusive Para Laser Run event.
The BASES Expert Statement on Disability and Creating an Empowering Environment for Disabled People to Flourish
In keeping with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (United Nations, 2006), the aim of this disability expert statement is to advocate for the removal of physical and social barriers disabled people face in sport and physical activity and provide recommendations to encourage the BASES’ community to embed inclusive and empowering practices across disciplines, accredited training routes and ongoing professional development.
Produced on behalf of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences by Dr Tabo Huntley, Dr Tori Sprung, Dr Toni L. Williams, Prof Brett Smith, Lydia Bone and Disability Rights UK
Read the BASES Expert statement
The CASES Expert Statement on Affective Responses to Exercise
How people experience exercise is of paramount importance in determining their future engagement. Understanding the relationship between exercise and affective responses can help guide exercise prescription and recommendations. This expert statement is sited at the cutting edge of exercise psychology and draws upon the notion of exercise hedonics.
Produced on behalf of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences by Dr Leighton Jones, Professor Panteleimon Ekkekakis, Professor Costas Karageorghis, Professor Jasmin Hutchinson, and Dr Zachary Zenko.
Books
Women Working in Sport. See them, hear them, be them
Jenny Coe and Dr Amy Whitehead
The industry has long operated on structures and systems that weren’t built for women, especially not for those working behind the scenes as leaders, coaches, developers and support staff. This book offers a lens on these challenges through the stories of 13 women working across different areas of sport.
Find out more about Women Working in Sport
Athlete Burnout: Recognition, Prevention, and Management
Professor Daniel Madigan, Professor JD Defreese, Dr Luke Olsson and Professor Henrik Gustafsson
Drawing on academic literature from both inside and outside of sport, this book focuses on providing the tools necessary to understand and recognise the symptoms of athlete burnout. It also informs practice by providing evidence-based intervention strategies to aid in the prevention and management of athlete burnout.
Discover more about Athlete Burnout
Essentials of Exercise and Sport Psychology: An Open Access Textbook
Dr Zachary Zenko and Dr Leighton Jones
This text represents the collaboration of more than 70 authors from multiple countries. Essentials of Exercise and Sport Psychology: An Open Access Textbook brings this diverse set of experts together to provide a free, open, accessible textbook for students studying exercise and sport psychology.
The topics covered are broad, ranging from an Introduction to Exercise Psychology (Chapter 1), to an Introduction to Sport Psychology (Chapter 19), to Working in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology (Chapter 33). Since the launch in 2021, the book has been read extensively by scholars and students from around the world.
Discover more about the Essentials of Exercise and Sport Psychology
Physical Education: Combining Movement Education and Nonlinear Pedagogy to Provide Meaningful Physical Education Experiences [Book Chapter]
James Rudd, Katie Fitton Davies, Laura O’Callaghan, Matteo Crotti, Rachael Grace and Lawrence Foweather
'Using principles of nonlinear pedagogy to develop soccer skills', a chapter from Science and Practice of Youth Soccer
Katie Fitton Davies, James Rudd, Keith Davids and Colin Lewis
'Physical activity moves me: Affect, emotion, and mood in the context of physical activity', a chapter from Physical Activity, Exercise and Mental Health
Zachary Zenko, Leighton Jones, Miranda Miller, and Matthew Ladwig
This chapter provides a brief introduction to affective concepts (core affect, emotion, and mood) by discussing: dual-process theoretical perspectives on affective predictors of physical activity behavior; the significance of affective exercise experiences and anticipated affective responses in exercise decision-making; the bidirectional associations between physical activity and affective experiences in both laboratory and real-world settings; a brief overview of how physical activity may impact emotion regulation, and how these impacts may differ based on population.
Academic Standards in Higher Education: Critical Perspectives and Practical Strategies
Dr Ian Sadler, along with co-editors Dr Nicola Reimann and Prof Jenny Hill have published a book addressing academic standards. Academic standards in higher education are largely misunderstood and yet they underpin the award of university awards. Despite the evidence to the contrary, many academics believe that their judgments about the quality of students’ work are the same as everyone else’s. This book examines the notion of academic standards and identifies the many myths that surround them.
Assuring standards in the context of complex, high-level assessment in higher education is more difficult than it might appear. Based on the lessons learnt from the UK-wide Degree Standards Project, which developed, piloted and evaluated a Professional Development Course on degree standards aimed at external examiners, the book offers practical suggestions for ways in which higher education staff can develop a more sophisticated understanding of standards. It proposes approaches for assuring and maintaining standards, which emphasise the socially constructed nature of standards and highlights the limitations of an exclusive focus on regulations and codification.
Written with a diverse readership in mind, this book is relevant to discipline based academics, quality officers, academic developers, university leaders and policymakers. As a broader approach to assessment literacy, the book aims to develop readers’ standards literacy by challenging routine practices and proposing promising alternatives. It is recommended for all those associated with university student education, especially those who think there is no problem with academic standards.
Care in Sport Coaching: Pedagogical Cases
Edited by Dr Colum Cronin and Prof Kathleen Armour. While it is accepted that sport coaches should safeguard participants, Care in Sport Coaching: Pedagogical Cases argues that coaches have a duty of care that moves beyond protection and involves the development of caring relationships with athletes. Recent high-profile incidents of abuse in sport highlight the need to reposition coaching as a caring activity and to embed care within coach education and coaching policy.
Based around extended case studies, this book provides grounded accounts of how coaches care in their everyday practice. These case studies are analysed using multidisciplinary theoretical perspectives to illustrate and problematise how coaches care. Conclusions are provided, based on these analyses, that will help coach educators, researchers and policymakers establish care as a key facet of everyday sport coaching activities. Additionally, the book offers guidelines that will aid practitioners to enact care in their practice.
This is important reading for coaches, researchers, lecturers and students who are concerned with the role of coaches and the development of coaching practice.
Myths of Sport coaching
Dr Amy Whitehead and co-editor Jenny Coe recently edited the new text Myths of Sport Coaching, which aims to challenge common misconceptions within coaching and offer new perspectives within coaching practice. Amongst the chapter authors are our current group members and LJMU staff, Dr Colum Cronin, Dr Jonathon Foulkes and Dr Liz Mahon.
Amy and Jen are running a monthly seminar series throughout 2022-23 which involves a different chapter author each month presenting their chapter and answer audience questions.
See our May Webinar with Dr Colum Cronin: Myths about Caring in Coaching - YouTube
Myths of Sport Performance
Does winning really matter? Is stretching important? Do skills just become automatic? These are just a few of the many myths that this book aims to challenge.
Dr Amy Whitehead and Jenny Coe have edited a second Myths book (following Myths of Sport Coaching) where they have invited world class authors to contribute. Sport and performance are multidisciplinary in nature, made up of a myriad of sciences and philosophies, with the aim (the majority of the time) of improving performance, well-being and health. This book aims to provide readers with the multidisciplinary team (MDT) perspectives of sport and performance, from the physiological, psychological, pedagogical, sociological and even philosophical areas. Think of this book as your pocket ‘MDT’.
Podcasts
BBC Mental Muscle Podcast with Dr Gill Cook
BBC Mental Muscle Podcast exploring the underdog effect. Julia Ravey and I discussed the characteristics that make someone or a team an underdog, whether having the label of an underdog gives you an advantage in sport, how expectations can impact how someone performs, and why we tend to root for underdogs.
Finally, we discussed the ways we can all embrace the underdog effect in our day to day lives.
Discover more about the BBC Mental Muscle podcastPitch Sizes in Football
Dr Sigrid Olthof
Ross Brooks invited Dr. Sigrid Olthof on the FootballDNA podcast to discuss how small-sided games can fit in football training. They explore the use of different pitch sizes and shapes for football coaching sessions.
Listen to Pitch Sizes in Football podcastParalympic Special
Dr Tabo Huntley
Dr Tabo Huntley and Dr Robert Townsend discuss some of the critical issues relating to coaching in Paralympic and Disability sport. As critical scholars they discuss disability, inclusion and accessibility, lack of effective coach education and the need for disability to be infused throughout the coaches learning journey.
Listen to Paralympic Special podcastMyths of Sport Coaching
Dr Amy Whitehead
Dr Amy Whitehead and Jenny Coe join Dan Abrahams on his Sport Psych Podcast where they discuss some of the key chapters in the Myths of Sport Coaching book. They discuss the idea behind the book, why these myths might exist, and considerations for coaches.
Listen to Myths of Sport Coaching podcastThink Aloud
Dr Amy Whitehead
Dr Amy Whitehead discussed the Think Aloud method with Dan Abrahams, specifically how it works in practice; how it can help coaches and athletes analyse their performances; self-reflection and flow.
Rethinking power in the coach-athlete relationship
Dr Alex Consterdine
Dr Alexandra Consterdine joins Dr Mike Castle on Cardiff Met’s Coaching Hub Podcast to discuss her most recent paper on power in coach-athlete relationship. In this episode, Alex discusses her academic journey, and the background and significance of the paper.
Listen to Rethinking power in the coach-athlete relationship podcast
What can we do about burnout?
Dr Luke Olsson
Dr Luke Olsson joins Dr Pete Olusoga on Eighty Percent Mental podcast to discuss delve into the complex topic of burnout. Luke shares insights from his research, emphasising the importance of understanding burnout as a psychological response rather than merely a physical condition.
Listen to 'What can we do about burnout?' podcast
Motivational Climates in PE (and more!)
Dr Katie Fitton Davies
Dr Katie Fitton Davies joins Nathan Walker from PE Scholar to talk all things motivation in physical education
Listen to PE Insights Episode 46 podcast
Care in Sport Coaching
Sensible Soccer with Mike Phelan and Dave Horocks
Dr Nic Robinson and Dr Amy Whitehead
Dr Nic Robinson and Dr Amy Whitehead joined former Manchester United coach Mike Phelan and his business partner Dave Horrocks.
Mike and Dave now own the company Sensible Soccer and are creating a series of educational resources for grassroots coaches. The group discussed Amy’s Myths of Sport Coaching book and the considerations for grassroots coaches.
Webinars
Supporting PE for Pupils with Learning Disabilities
Dr Alex Consterdine, Dr Colum Cronin and Ceriann Magill
On 12 November 2025, the LJMU DisSPA Seminar series, in partnership with LJMU PESSPA Network, explored inclusivity in Physical Education. Dr Alex Consterdine joined Dr Colum Cronin and Ceriann Magill to discuss her recent paper exploring PE for pupils with learning difficulties. Recommendations for more inclusive practices were provided and discussed which brought teachers, researchers and policymakers together for a dynamic and supportive session.
Discover more about the Supporting PE for Pupils with Learning Disabilities webinarCluster for Research into Coaching (CRiC)’s ECR/PGR Webinar Series
Dr Alex Consterdine
Dr Alex Consterdine together with two other members of the CRiC Executive Board have continued our novel webinar series aimed at supporting ECRs/PGRs through the research process, helping to foster new connections and networks, with an eye on working towards the 8th International Coaching Conference at Stirling University in June.
Discover more about the CRiC webinar seriesCRiC ECR/PGR webinar series
Dr Alexandra Consterdine
Cluster for Research into Coaching (CRiC) member Dr Alexandra Consterdine has co-hosted a series of webinars aimed at sports coaching ECR/PGRs. The inter-institution collaboration was curated by Alex and representatives from Loughborough University (Matt Gherardi) and Exeter University (Dr Callum Morgan). These have been a very dynamic and interactive series of webinars, designed to support the needs of ECRs/PGRs.
Topics included an examination of what makes a critical researcher in sports coaching, practical guidance on how to write ‘quality abstracts,’ what makes certain articles great, a section on theorists and theories, and finally a debate about methods and methodology. They were designed to act in concert with the upcoming CRiC 7th International Coaching Conference in Oslo in June later this year.
Delegates reported that they valued the development of new professional networks and the opportunity to ask questions and discuss their work in a supportive atmosphere. All webinars were free to all, recorded and will be uploaded to the re-vamped CRiC website soon.
Discover more about the CRiC ECR/PGR webinar series
Maria's Coaching Corner
Dr Tabo Huntley and Amy Hardwick
As part of the Erasmus funder ParaCoach Project, Paralympic athlete Maria Lyle hosted a webinar series, consisting of conversations with coaches, athletes and academics all about sport, coaching and their individual journeys and experiences.
Myths of Sport Coaching Webinar Series
Dr Amy Whitehead
Teaching Games for Understanding 40th Anniversary – Systematic Review of Sport Coaches’ and Teachers’ perceptions of games-based and constraints-led pedagogy
Sam Richardson
The following video presentation was presented at the TGfU 40th Anniversary Conference 2023. The presentation provides a summary of a study entitled: Systematic review of sport coaches’ and teachers’ perceptions and application of game-based and constraints-led pedagogy: A qualitative meta-study.
Blog posts or articles
Hyrox: this challenging race could improve your strength, endurance and fitness – here’s the evidence
Dr Nic Robinson and Dr Sigrid Olthof
Dr Nic Robinson and Dr Sigrid Olthof discuss how the Hyrox format combines endurance running with functional strength exercises, placing demands on both aerobic fitness and muscular endurance. They explain that training for this type of event involves concurrent strength and endurance training, which research suggests can improve overall fitness, aerobic capacity, and muscular endurance.
The Behaviour of English Premier League Managers
Dr Gill Cook
BBC Sport article exploring the behaviour of English Premier League managers. We examined where managers typically stand in the dugout, how active they are shouting instructions, whether they argue with officials, and what they wear.
We discussed the psychological reasons behind these behaviours and the impact of them on players performances.
Read the article on the behaviour of English Premier League managers
Upcoming events
LJMU PE, School Sport and Physical Activity Network Event
Date: Wednesday 8 July 2026
A collaborative space where organisations working with schools can share practice and explore current challenges to support PE, school sport, and physical activity across the school system.
This event is ideal for:
- National Governing Bodies of sport (NGBs)
- school sport partnerships and SGOs
- community sport organisations and clubs
- charities and non-profits delivering school-based PA or wellbeing programmes
- local authorities (education, public health, leisure, community programmes)
- multi-academy trusts and school networks
- social enterprises and CICs working in PE, sport or PA
- ITE providers
- private providers of PE, coaching, physical activity, or enrichment programmes
We welcome your input. Please complete this short survey to share your ideas, suggest topics for the event, and let us know if you’d like to contribute.
World Congress on Science and Football
In 2027, the World Congress on Science and Football (WCSF) will return to Liverpool to celebrate its 40th anniversary. At the home of football, the programme will cover a broad spectrum of topics in football science presented by leading experts in the field, alongside a diverse applied and social programme.
WCSF is the leading global conference in football research. Since its inception in 1987 by Prof. Tom Reilly at Liverpool John Moores University, the conference has been hosted biennially by Universities around the world and has evolved into the primary scientific forum for research across all codes of football.
The programme will feature keynote speakers, symposia, and free communications presenting the latest advances in football science. The congress will be preceded by a dedicated PhD Day, providing opportunities for doctoral researchers to connect and engage with the international football science community.
Conference dates: 1 to 3 June 2027
Discover more information about the WCSF event
Past events
Giant Seminar Series
Dr Amy Whitehead
Giant Liverpool team up with LJMU Sport and Exercise Science to bring sport science research to the keen endurance enthusiasts of Liverpool.
Dr Amy Whitehead (Associate Professor in Sport Psychology and Coaching) has led a local partnership with the Giant Store Liverpool on Parliament Street, Baltic triangle. Through a seminar series, experts from LJMU Sport and Exercise Science have shared their expert knowledge in a series of public seminars. These seminars included:
- October: Fuelling for training and competition with Dr Dan Owens
- November: The Psychology of Endurance with Dr Amy Whitehead
- December: Fuelling the Famale Athlete with Harvey Fortis
- January: The athlete mother identity with Kelly Massey
- February: The Power of Sleep by Dr Ben Edwards
- March: S&C for Endurance athletes with Ben Voyce (MSc Strength and Conditioning grad)
- October 2025: Dr Nic Robinson on how she coached the first quadruple amputee (Lyndon Longhorn) to complete an Ironman in under 24 hours
- February 2026: Perfectionism and Burnout in athletes by Dr Luke Olsson
The series has been a big success with seminar evaluations reporting that 100% of survey responders said they found the seminars interesting and 97.5% of survey responders said they learnt something new.
In response to the Psychology with Amy Whitehead seminar one attendant noted in their evaluation: 'Lots of things I can take into my own practice I also think this doesn’t just apply to sport but in the work force. I particularly resonated with the self determination continuum at the start of the talk'.
LJMU PESSPA and LSSP PE (Teacher) Conference
Date: Wednesday 11 March 2026
Time: 9am to 3.45pm
Venue: Partnership for Learning, Training and Conference Centre, Speke
Download LJMU PESSPA and LSSP PE (Teacher) Conference programme (PDF, 123KB)
PESSPA event: The Integrated PE Curriculum; improving pupil activity and wellbeing!
In November 2024, we welcomed delegates to an online CPD session where Dr Katie Fitton Davies shared her innovative integrated curriculum that recently improved physical education in a primary school, providing a great opportunity for practitioners and academics, to hear an example the forefront of good practice.
Aligned with the PESSPA ethos, PESSPA members to shared their own examples of good practices in their PE curriculum from key stage 1 to 4.
Launching myths of sport performance with the Giant Store Liverpool
Dr Amy Whitehead has teamed up with local bike store ‘Giant Store Liverpool’ who hosted a book launch for her latest edited book Myths of Sport Performance.
The launch was open to both LJMU staff and the general public and both Amy and Jen delivered a short presentation about the book, followed by a Q&A. Chapters discussed included, Myths of Motherhood in Elite Sport, The Myth that Winning Matters Most in Elite Sport, Myths of Feedback, and Harnessing the Power of Attention: Exploring ‘Focus of Attention’ Theories, Practice and Myths.
Since the launch of the book and the success of the collaboration with between LJMU and Giant Store Liverpool, Dr Amy Whitehead has developed a seminar series to showcase the great work we are doing in Sport and Exercise Sciences.
The seminars are aimed to communicating science to the general public and we have attracted over 100 members of the public over the last two seminars since October.
PESSPA summer event 2024
The event took place on Tuesday 25 June 2024.
Key speakers
- Sue Wilkinson (Previous CEO AfPE)
- Ken Green – Professor of Sociology of Sport
The event provided opportunity for the LJMU PESSPA network members to participate in two practical activities including dance and orienteering. Theoretical workshops supported an insight into the research and good practice of teachers, and HE staff. For example, the co-development of a gamified physical education competence intervention and the launch of a gymnastics club in a school from an early career teacher (ECT) perspective.
Approximately 45 to 50 guests attended.
What participants told us about why they came
- CPD
- Being new to PE subject specialist role
- Networking and collaborations (create and maintain)
- Improve what I offer to my pupils
- Gain knowledge about current challenges and behaviours in PE
- Gain insight into school sports
- Gain insight into professional practice
- Great event last year
What participants told us they enjoyed
- OAA
- Networking
- Moving around and sitting down
- Varied and engaging timetable
- Knowledgeable and insightful presenters
- Ideas and activities to use in own teaching
- Well organised
What participants told us about their take home messages
- Share knowledge with colleagues and discuss implications of missed PE opportunities
- Collaborations
- Apply learnings to the city PA strategy and shape how the council delivers it
- Future teaching and programming
- Include more OAA
PESSPA summer event 2023
This event took place in the summer (2023) with many stakeholders from across Merseyside engaging in what was a jam-packed schedule including:
- dissemination of the research activity and projects within the LJMU PESSPA network
- practical workshop activities that showcased innovative examples of work in PE, School Sport, and Physical Activity
- opportunity for membership discussion and networking
If there are any queries or you are interested in future events, please email PESSPANetwork@ljmu.ac.uk.
Cluster for research into coaching symposium
Members of the Coaching and Pedagogy Research Group worked with Cluster for Research into Coaching (CRiC), to host a one-day symposium, here at LJMU.
Research visit from Norwegian University of Science and Technology colleagues
In October 2022, The Coaching and Pedagogy Research Group (CaPRG), met with former LJMU PhD student Dr Niels Feddersen and colleagues, Dr Stig Arve Sæther (Associate Professor and Research Group lead), Dr Nils Petter Aspvik (Associate Professor), Dr Ingar Mehus (Associate Professor), and Dr Rune Høigaard (Professor at University of Agder and visiting Professor) from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology for a research visit.
To start the session, colleagues from both LJMU and NTNU shared their research backgrounds and interests. The group then discussed research currently being conducted by members of the CaPRG. Dr Amy Whitehead, (CaPRG lead), delivered a presentation titled “Case Study: Ultra Tour Monte Rosa, Investigating the interactions of diet and mental coping strategies in an ultra-runner using Think Aloud”. Following this presentation, the group explored research ideas and potential future collaborations between colleagues from Norway and members of the Coaching and Pedagogy Research Group.
As well as potential collaborations with NTNU colleagues, discussions also sparked a number of potential research projects ideas within the research group.
Thank you to Niels, Stig, Nils, Ingar and Rune for visiting and engaging with the Coaching and Pedagogy Research Group.
Members of the Coaching and Pedagogy Research Group with colleagues from Norwegian University of Science and Technology