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Dr Andy Pitchford's research has been a significant influence on the development of policies and services at The Football Association in the period from 2008 to 2013. During this time, the Association's approach to children and the youth game has changed dramatically, culminating in a range of interventions, new training resources and a major system overhaul in 2012. These change programmes have been directly informed by academic research by Pitchford and colleagues, by commissioned evaluations and related media coverage.
The impact of our research is on promoting racial equality through sport and leisure spanning almost twenty years from our early work with the Rugby Football League (RFL). The nature of the impact has been three-fold: the incorporation of key findings into professional equality standards, guidelines and continuing professional development (CPD); enhanced public understandings of race and the multiple forms of racism; and the stimulation of debate to shape policy and improve opportunities for sport and leisure. Impact has reached a wide range of beneficiaries, including sports governing bodies; sports councils; professional sport; equality/ diversity organisations and teacher education.
The Birkbeck Sport Business Centre has been involved in research examining governance within the sport industry since 1999. Findings from research into the football industry have contributed to policy debate through parliamentary enquiries while research on the broader sports sector has been used by the Sport and Recreation Alliance to improve governance practices across national governing bodies of sport (NGBs). In particular, the research informed the development of the Voluntary Code of Good Governance for the Sport and Recreation Sector, a best practice guide that has been adopted by more than 60 National Governing Bodies of Sport in the UK.
Comprehensive recommendations from research into barriers to participation in golf were adopted by a National Governing Body (NGB) of sport, England Golf, to inform their Whole Sport Plan (2013-17). In particular, the research focused on England Golf's GolfMark scheme: the national initiative used to widen participation. Substantial changes to the GolfMark scheme were made based upon the findings of the research. For example, the awareness that the barriers to engaging in GolfMark included a club's perceived inability to change and individuals' lack of knowledge, led to the development of an online signposting and resource system to guide and support clubs in achieving GolfMark status. The intended consequent outcome of increasing and widening participation in golf also contributes to many of the objectives of Sport England, the government body providing funding underpinning the existence of England Golf.
The impact is founded upon methodologically innovative research that was carried out into football fans' attitudes towards homosexuality (with a subsequent study concerning race taking up the same methods). The conclusions reached challenged a widely held set of assumptions. The research in turn prompted positive responses from the Government Equalities Office and the report of the House of Commons Committee on Racism in Football. The research was also extensively reported on in the press internationally, and has been used in several major radio and television documentary programmes. The research, then, has been an important and continuing influence in the debates concerning professional football culture.
In 2005 London secured the right to host the 2012 Olympic Games following a promise the Games would "inspire a new generation to choose sport". This promise was made without any knowledge of the evidence about whether or how this could be achieved.
Research since 2006 in the Centre for Sport, Physical Education & Activity Research (SPEAR) has provided evidence for the processes that might be harnessed to use the London 2012 Games to encourage physical activity and sport participation, and identified the groups among whom such processes can be effective. Chronologically, the impact of this evidence has been to: (a) introduce new evidence-based concepts to policy-makers and the public (2007-2009); (b) inform national government policies and programmes (2009-2011); (c) inform regional and local plans, programmes and activities (2010-2012); (d) hold government policy to account and inform international debate (2010-2013). In addition, for end users (b) and (c) have impacted upon sport and physical activity behaviours, whilst (a) and (d) have stimulated debate, in the UK and internationally, about the possibility of using major events to generate physical activity and sport participation outcomes.
The outcomes of this research have directly influenced practices and policies for injury prevention and player health in both rugby league and rugby union. Besides giving a detailed analysis of injury profiles in rugby league, the research has served to raise the profile and awareness of two major issues, heat stress and concussion.
Presentations of research findings to members of the Rugby League Medical Association (RLMA) have enhanced CPD workshops, and resulted in bylaw changes in Rugby Football League medical standards. More recent work has highlighted the seriousness of concussion in both rugby league and union.
This case study focuses on the impact of our research on the Welsh Government's policy and delivery of national flagship programmes for sport and physical activity. The evaluation of a pilot study of the Active Young People secondary school sport intervention informed the implementation and `roll-out' of the pan-Wales 5x60 physical activity programme to 218 schools by 2009. The evaluation of the pan-Wales Free Swimming Initiative resulted in revised policy objectives for sustainable sports development in Wales, and influenced the type of public swimming opportunities that exist, improved their availability, and increased the extent of engagement with them.
With its origins in work commencing in 2004, research within the Centre for Sport, Physical Education & Activity Research (SPEAR) since 2010 has helped guide and inform national interventions and policy to increase physical activity and sport participation among less active young people by identifying the processes most successful in increasing such participation. Specifically, the work has: (a) provided a rationale for government (Department of Health) and commercial (LloydsTSB) investment in school sport initiatives targeting the least active; (b) contributed to the wider evidence-base used by policy makers; (c) contributed to programme improvements in Change4Life School Sport Clubs and National School Sport Weeks (NSSW); (d) impacted on young people's engagement and physical activity levels.
As a consequence of research carried out at the University of Stirling, as set out in this case study, enhancement of the capacity of National Sport Associations has been achieved: