PhD Scholarship - Sports Coaches’ Wellbeing, Duty of Care and Workforce Development Needs

We’re here to create and harness knowledge, to deliver opportunity for everyone. 

About the Opportunity

Based in the Faculty of Education, this is an excellent opportunity for a talented and motivated applicant to undertake an original and applied programme of research linked to ongoing work led nationally by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) on the potential development of a workforce governance framework and a national workforce registration scheme for sport and physical activity. The project will focus on how the wellbeing (including physical and mental health) of sports coaches can best be supported. It will consider how coaches, clubs and sport’s governing bodies identify, understand and communicate role demands, and evaluate the efficacy of interventions designed to meet the development needs of coaches. The project will be led by Professor Andy Smith, Director of the Centre for Mental Health, Sport and Physical Activity Research and Head of Department (Secondary and Further Education), and Dr Vinny Webb from CIMSPA. 

About The Research Project

The project builds upon ongoing work being conducted by Edge Hill University and CIMSPA on the potential development of a workforce governance framework and a national workforce registration scheme for sport and physical activity. This follows the recommendations made by Sport England and UK Sport in their policy response to the Whyte Review of British Gymnastics, concerns raised by investigations into other sports (e.g. football, swimming), and by the Independent Duty of Care in Sport Review. One consequence of these developments has been the increasing need to better support sports coaches’ wellbeing to enable them to undertake their role more effectively, and to meet coaches’ professional development needs in ways that positively develop their workplace relations, environments, cultures, and behaviours. 

The successful applicant will work with sports coaches recruited from high performance sport, national governing bodies, and community sport and physical activity settings to explore their lived experiences and their workplace duty of care and professional development needs. This will help inform the implementation of a national registration scheme, should one be deemed viable, and associated changes in organisational culture, policy, and practice which is intended to result from this.

The successful applicant will ideally have previous experience of undertaking qualitative and quantitative research and disseminating research findings accessibly to diverse audiences. Given the nature of the project, applicants with previous experience of successful partnership working with multiple stakeholders, alongside academic research experience, is essential.

Details of funding 

The successful applicant will:

• Be awarded an annual stipend for three years in line with the UKRI doctoral stipend and fee levels (minimum £20,780 per year).
• Benefit from fully paid UK-rate tuition fees.

Applicant Eligibility

This opportunity is open to UK-based applicants eligible for home fees. 

At Edge Hill University we value the benefits a rich and diverse workforce brings to our community and therefore welcome applications from all sections of society.

How to submit your application

In the first instance please complete the online application form through our Full-Time online link as per below:

https://qpl.edgehill.ac.uk/apex_qlive/f?p=PV_ONLINE_APP:101::::APP:APP_COURSE_INSTANCE:856620958 

Once you have done this, please send the following items in one email to graduateschooladmissions@edgehill.ac.uk quoting the studentship and project title, in the subject of the email:

• a downloaded copy of your application form.
• a short project proposal outlining how you would approach the project (up to 2,000 words, excluding references).
• a full academic CV (maximum of three A4 pages, using size 12 font) which includes the contact details of two referees.
• a copy of your qualification certificates and passport.

Key contacts:

• For informal enquiries about this research project, please contact Professor Andy Smith: Smithand@edgehill.ac.uk 

• For any PhD registration and qualification enquiries, please contact graduateschooladmissions@edgehill.ac.uk 

Deadlines and start date.

Closing date: 30/07/2025 at 23:59

Interviews will take place the week beginning 11^th of August 2025.  

Candidates invited to interview will be required to deliver a 10 minute presentation on the proposed research topic. 

The successful applicant will be required to start in October 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. This is for a full-time PhD position. 

About Us 

At Edge Hill University we believe in the life changing opportunities knowledge can create. Since 1885, we’ve been creating access to knowledge for those who may not have had the opportunity to before. 

Today, the effect we have has a far-reaching impact, not just for those who come to study here but for those who work, invest in, and live in our local communities too. So, if you’ve ever wondered if one person can make a difference, simply speak to our alumni, students, and award-winning staff.

Because for us education isn’t about how much you take in. It’s about what you take out into the world. 

Inspiring minds and changing futures since 1885, Edge Hill University is “A great success story… an institution that improves and impresses year after year” – Times Higher Education