PhD Studentship - Creating Culturally Aware Talent Development Systems in Cricket

Collaborative organisations:

We are delighted to announce a new collaborative research group that have connected to redress some of the inequities in youth and professional cricket in England and Wales. The South Asian Cricket Academy UK (SACA), the ACE Programme, and Take Her Lead have partnered with Birmingham City University to try and better understand how to create inclusive talent development systems cricket as well as design, implement, and evaluate interventions to help inform future policies.

Funding:

This is a 36-month (3-year) fully funded PhD Studentship. The successful candidate will receive a tax-free stipend of £18,622 per year (paid monthly) and tuition fees of £4,712 per year. The stipend will increase annually in line with UKRI recommendations. Students may also apply for additional funding to support conference attendance and continual professional development opportunities.

Project overview:

Recent studies directly commissioned by the ECB and BCU have highlighted that the current talent development systems in cricket may not be accommodating the cultural needs of their ethnic minority participants. As such, this project will aim to investigate the most effective ways of integrating diverse talent into the current pathway structures (U14-U18). This builds on the work that Dr Tom Brown has created across the British South Asian male provision in collaboration with Birmingham City University, Warwickshire CCC, Essex CCC, and the ECB, which has been disseminated internationally and helped informed national policy making.

Although the specific studies will be designed by the successful PhD candidate with the guidance of the research team, it is envisioned that the project will capture the following study design, which should be considered in the project proposal as part of this application:

1. Review the current literature to outline the initiatives and strategies that are currently used to create inclusive talent development systems in sport.
2. Examine the perspectives of adult stakeholders (e.g., coaches, practitioners, policy makers) to better understand how to create inclusive talent development systems in cricket.
3. Assess the experiences of boys and girls (U14-U18) who have engaged in the (pre)existing talent pathways in cricket.
4. Design, implement, and evaluate relevant interventions based on the knowledge and experiences presented, in order to create inclusive talent development systems and inform future policies in cricket.

Person specification:

• An upper second-class (2:1) undergraduate degree or above in a sport-related discipline.
• A postgraduate degree in a sport-related discipline.
• Previous experience of working within a sporting organisation.
• Available to work evenings and weekends due to the demands of events, training, and data collection.
• Experience of conducting applied research through qualitative research methodologies.

Contact:

The successful candidate’s research will be supervised by an interdisciplinary research team, consisting of Dr Adam L. Kelly (Director of Studies), Dr Lewis Gough, and Dr Salim Khan. You will also have industry supervision from a working group including Tom Brown (SACA), Ebony Rainford-Brent (ACE), Chevy Green (ACE), Isa Guha (Take Her Lead), and Jayde Ellis (Take Her Lead). For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Adam L. Kelly at Adam.Kelly@bcu.ac.uk

Project code: 

PNF4311

Application procedure:

To apply, please complete the project proposal form, ensuring that you quote the project code (PNF4311), and then complete the online application where you will be required to upload your proposal (in place of a personal statement) as a pdf document. You will also be required to upload two references (one academic reference and one professional reference), and your qualification/s of entry (Bachelor/Masters certificates and transcripts). Supporting documents will include:

• Curriculum vitae – no more than two pages
• Research proposal – up to 2,000 words on the experimental research you would complete whilst in this role based on the project overview above
• Evidence of your qualifications
• One academic reference and one professional reference
• International applicants must also provide a valid passport and any current or previous UK visa/s, an English language qualification (valid Academic IELTS certificate with overall score 6.5 with no band below 6.0 or equivalent; equivalent qualifications can be viewed here), and TB certificate (if applicable; relevant countries can be viewed here)

Please follow this link to apply: https://www.bcu.ac.uk/courses/health-phd-2023-24#fees_how_to_apply

Application deadline: 

Wednesday 31^st May 2023

Successful candidates start date: 

1^st September 2023