Image of Dr Colum Cronin

Dr Colum Cronin

Sport and Exercise Sciences

Faculty of Science

Dr Colum Cronin is an academic member of staff (with teaching duties). He teaches on the BA Physical Education, BSc Sport Coaching and MSc. Coaching courses. On these courses, Colum shares his research, which predominantly explores how coaches can develop caring relationships with athletes. He is the coauthor of the book, Care in Sport Coaching, published by Routledge. Colum's other research interests include disability sport coaching and coach education. He is an associate editor of the academic journal Sports Coaching Review, and was recently awarded the AIESEP (International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education) Young Scholar of the Year Award 2019. He has worked with a number of sporting organisations such as the Football Association and UK Coaching.

Degrees

2016, University of Birmingham, UK, PhD
2009, Loughborough University, United Kingdom, MSc Sport Coaching
2008, University of Central Lancashire, United Kingdom, Post Graduate Certificate Of Education
2001, Northumbria University, United Kingdom, BSc (Hon) Sport Management

Certifications

2005, University of Central Lancashire, United Kingdom, Certificate in Self Management
2005, University of Central Lancashire, United Kingdom, Certificate in Management of others

Academic appointments

Senior Lecturer Physical Education and Sport Coaching, Liverpool John Moores University, 2015 - present
Senior Lecturer Sport Pedagogy, University of Cumbria, 2010 - 2015
Lecturer Public Services and Sport, Burnley College, 2002 - 2010

Highlighted publications

Cronin C. 2023. Care in sport coaching; different perspectives and alternative voices Sports Coaching Review, DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Hickey C, Cronin C. 2022. Developing Caring Cultures in Football: a model for practice and change Campbell N, Brady A, Tincknell-Smith A. Developing and Supporting Athlete Wellbeing: person first, athlete second :150-165 Routledge. London DOI Publisher Url

Cronin CJ, Knowles ZR, Enright KJ. 2019. The Challenge to Care in a Premier League Football Club Sports Coaching Review, DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Roberts SJ, Baker M, Reeves MJ, Johnson G, Cronin CJ. 2018. Lifting the veil of depression and alcoholism in sport coaching: how do we care for carers? Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Cronin C, Armour K. 2018. Care in Sport Coaching Pedagogical Cases Routledge 9781351109291

Cronin CJ, Armour KM. 2015. ‘Being’ in the coaching world: new insights on youth performance coaching from an interpretative phenomenological approach Sport, Education and Society, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Journal article

Noel D, Samuel W, Reece C, Roberts S, Cronin CJ. 2024. The challenges of navigating different spaces and contexts in collaborative doctoral research in sport coaching Sports Coaching Review, DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Dixon AJ, Littlewood MA, Cronin CJ, Twist C, Close GL. 2024. Understanding elite rugby league players' experience of collision, effective contact coaching techniques, and player contact psychology: A focus group study Journal of Sports Sciences, :1-8 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Richardson SJ, McRobert AP, Vinson D, Cronin CJ, Lee C, Roberts SJ. 2023. Systematic review of sport coaches’ and teachers’ perceptions and application of game-based and constraints-led pedagogy: A qualitative meta-study Quest, :1-22 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Newland A, Cronin CJ, Cook GM, Whitehead A. 2023. Developing coaches’ knowledge of the athlete-coach relationship through formal coach education: the perceptions of FA Coach Developers International Sport Coaching Journal, DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Chapman RJ, Cope E, Richardson D, Littlewood M, Cronin C. 2023. How did we get here; a historical and social exploration of the construction of English FA coach education Sport, Education and Society, :1-20 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Magill C, Cronin C, Walsh B, Polman R, Rudd J. 2023. Teaching efficacy of undergraduate PE students; what are the key predictors and what can PE educators learn from this? Frontiers in Education, 8 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Cronin C. 2023. Care in sport coaching; different perspectives and alternative voices Sports Coaching Review, DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Tod D, Mcewan HE, Cronin C, Lafferty M. 2023. Client-Led Applied Sport Psychology Practitioners' Narratives About Helping Athletes Sport Psychologist, 37 :287-296 DOI Publisher Url

McHaffie SJ, Langan-Evans C, Morehen JC, Strauss JA, Areta JL, Rosimus C, Evans M, Elliott-Sale KJ, Cronin CJ, Morton JP. 2022. Normalising the conversation: a qualitative analysis of player and stakeholder perceptions of menstrual health support within elite female soccer Science and Medicine in Football, 6 :633-642 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Dempsey NM, Cope E, Richardson D, Littlewood MA, Cronin CJ. 2022. An examination of content knowledge in formal coach education curriculum Sport, Education and Society, DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Watson M, Smith D, Fenton J, Pedraza-Ramirez I, Laborde S, Cronin C. 2022. Introducing esports coaching to sport coaching (not as sport coaching) Sports Coaching Review, :1-20 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Langan-Evans C, Cronin C, Hearris MA, Elliott-Sale KJ, Morton JP. 2022. Perceptions of Current Issues in Female Sport Nutrition From Elite Athletes, Practitioners, and Researchers Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, 30 :133-143 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

McHaffie SJ, Langan-Evans C, Morehen JC, Strauss JA, Areta JL, Rosimus C, Evans M, Elliott-Sale KJ, Cronin CJ, Morton JP. 2022. Carbohydrate fear, skinfold targets and body image issues: A qualitative analysis of player and stakeholder perceptions of the nutrition culture within elite female soccer. Science and Medicine in Football, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Dempsey NM, Cope E, Richardson DJ, Littlewood MA, Cronin CJ. 2021. Less may be more: how do coach developers reproduce “learner-centred” policy in practice? Sports Coaching Review, 10 :203-224 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Dempsey NM, Richardson DJ, Cope E, Cronin CJ. 2020. Creating and disseminating coach education policy: a case of formal coach education in grassroots football Sport, Education and Society, :1-14 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Rudd JR, Crotti M, Fitton-Davies K, O'Callaghan L, Bardid F, Utesh T, Roberts SJ, Boddy LM, Cronin CJ, Knowles ZR, Foulkes JD, Watson PM, Pesce C, Button C, Lubans D, Buszard T, Walsh BA, Foweather L. 2020. Skill Acquisition Methods Fostering Physical Literacy in Early-Physical Education (SAMPLE-PE): Rationale and Study Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial in 5–6-Year-Old Children From Deprived Areas of North West England Frontiers in Psychology, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Stephenson J, Cronin CJ, Whitehead AE. 2020. ‘Suspended above, and in action’: Think Aloud as a reflective practice tool. International Sport Coaching Journal, 7 :11-21 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Chapman R, Richardson D, Cope E, Cronin C. 2019. Learning from the past; a Freirean analysis of FA coach education since 1967 Sport, Education and Society, :1-17 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Daniels L, Cronin CJ. 2019. Athletes’ views on care in coaching: Perspectives of women footballers in the U.K. Applied Coaching Research Journal, 3 :34-39 Publisher Url Public Url

Whitehead AE, Umeh FK, Walsh BA, Whittaker E, Cronin CJ. 2019. Back to Netball: Motivations for participation in a female focused Netball sport program. Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, 27 :21-29 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Cronin CJ, Knowles ZR, Enright KJ. 2019. The Challenge to Care in a Premier League Football Club Sports Coaching Review, DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Roberts SJ, Baker M, Reeves MJ, Johnson G, Cronin CJ. 2018. Lifting the veil of depression and alcoholism in sport coaching: how do we care for carers? Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Walsh BA, Whittaker E, Cronin CJ, Whitehead AE. 2018. ‘Net Mums’: a narrative account of participants’ experiences within a netball intervention McGannon K. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Cronin C, Walsh BA, Whitehead A, Whittaker E, Quayle L. 2018. Carefully supporting autonomy – learning coaching lessons and advancing theory from women’s netball in England. Sports Coaching Review, 8 :149-171 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Cronin CJ, Ryrie A, Huntley T, Hayton JW. 2017. 'Sinking and swimming in disability coaching': an autoethnographic account of coaching in a new context Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Cronin CJ, Whitehead AE, Webster S, Huntley T. 2017. Transforming, storing and consuming athletic experiences; a coach’s narrative of using a video app. Evans J. Sport, Education and Society, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Cronin CJ, Lowes J. 2016. Brief Encounters with Qualitative Methods in Health Research: Phenomenology and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Cumbria Partnership Journal of Research Practice and Learning,, 5 :8-12 Publisher Url Public Url

Cronin CJ, Lowes J. 2016. Embedding experiential learning in HE sport coaching courses: An action research study Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, 18 :1-8 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Cronin CJ, Armour KM. 2015. ‘Being’ in the coaching world: new insights on youth performance coaching from an interpretative phenomenological approach Sport, Education and Society, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Cronin CJ, Miller PK, Baker G. 2015. Nurture, nature and some very dubious social skills: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of talent identification practices in elite English youth soccer Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 7 :642-662 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Cronin CJ, Armour KM. 2013. Lived experience and community sport coaching: A phenomenological investigation Sport, Education and Society, 20 :959-975 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Cronin CJ, Miller PK. 2013. Rethinking the factuality of “contextual” factors in an ethnomethodological mode: Towards a reflexive understanding of action-context dynamism in the theorisation of coaching Sport Coaching Review, 2 :1-17 DOI Publisher Url

Bampouras TM, Cronin CJ, Miller PK. 2012. Performance analytic processes in elite sport practice: An exploratory investigation of the perspectives of a sport scientist, coach and athlete International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 12 DOI Author Url Publisher Url

Miller PK, Rowe L, Cronin CJ, Bampouras TM. 2012. Heuristic Reasoning and the Observer's View: The Influence of Example-Availability on ad-hoc Frequency Judgments in Sport JOURNAL OF APPLIED SPORT PSYCHOLOGY, 24 :290-302 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Report

Cronin C, Champ F, Gherardi M, Hardwick A, Huntley DT, Lewis C, Rongen F, Ryrie A, Tod D, Whitehead A. 2022. Care for Coaches: Mixed experiences, varied needs, and care ‘infrastructure’ to support the coaching ‘workforce’ Care for Coaches: Mixed experiences, varied needs, and care ‘infrastructure’ to support the coaching ‘workforce’ :1-40

Huntley T, Whitehead A, Cronin C, Williams C, Ryrie A, Townsend R. 2019. Pan-European Work Force Audit (Output 1) and Best Practice Case Study (Output 2) Report. The Experiences of Coaches in Paralympic and Disability Sport Author Url Publisher Url

Whitehead AE, Walsh BA, Cronin CJ, Quayle L, Whittaker E. 2016. Back to Netball changing lives! Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Chapters

Hickey C, Cronin C. 2022. Developing Caring Cultures in Football: a model for practice and change Campbell N, Brady A, Tincknell-Smith A. Developing and Supporting Athlete Wellbeing: person first, athlete second :150-165 Routledge. London DOI Publisher Url

Cronin C, James B. 2022. Care in community sport coaching Ives B, Potrac P, Gale L, Nelson L. Community Sport Coaching: Policies and Practice :240-252 Routledge DOI

Cronin C. 2021. Caring Coaching: Examining the notion of ‘cruel to be kind’ and other caring myths Whitehead A, Coe J. Myths of Sport Coaching Sequoia Books. London 978-1914110122 Publisher Url

Cronin CJ, Lowes J. 2019. Care in Community Sports Coaching Gale L, Ives B. Sports coaching in the community: Developing knowledge and insight :79-95 Manchester Metropolitan University Publisher Url Public Url

Chapman R, Dempsey N, Cronin C, Richardson D. 2019. Developing “the community” through the effective coaching of grassroots football: What’s the role of coach education? Gale L, Ives B. Sports coaching in the community: Developing knowledge and insight :18-33 Manchester Metropolitan University. Manchester Publisher Url

Cronin CJ, Armour K, Enright KJ. 2018. Caring through Science and Autonomy: Terry’s Story Care in Sport Coaching 1 Taylor & Francis (Routledge) 9781351109314 DOI Publisher Url Public Url

Conference publication

Watson M, Smtih D, Fenton J, Pedraza I, Laborde S, Cronin C. 2021. What Is esports coaching? a qualitative examination of the experiences of professional league of legends coaches INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPORT AND EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY, 19 :S65-S66 Author Url

Book review

Cronin CJ. 2020. Sociology, Curriculum Studies and Professional Knowledge: New Perspectives on the Works of Michael Young edited by David Guile, David Lambert and Michael J. Reiss, London, Routledge, 2018, 292, £88, ISBN: 9781138675834 Sport, Education and Society, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Cronin C. 2019. Book Review: Ethics in youth sport: policy and pedagogical applications by Stephen Harvey, and Richard L. Light, (eds.), Abingdon, Routledge, 2012, 240pp., $53 (paperback), $128 (hardback), ISBN 9781138795778 Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 46 :454-457 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url

Cronin C. 2011. Book Review: Doing your literature review: traditional and systematic techniques, by Jill Jesson, Lydia Matheson and Fiona M. Lacey, London, Sage, 2011, 192 pp., £20.99 (paperback), ISBN: 978-1-848-60154-3 Evaluation and Research in Education, 3 :219-221 DOI Publisher Url

Books (authored)

Cronin C, Armour K. 2018. Care in Sport Coaching Pedagogical Cases Routledge 9781351109291

Poster

Richardson LD, Cronin CJ, Lane KE, Davies IG. 2018. Women's lived experience of fatness. 'My body is not public property!' 6th International Weight Stigma Conference, Leeds Beckett University

Research Grants Awarded:

UK Coaching, Community Coach Development, Justine Allen (University of Northumbria), Amy Whitehead (LJMU), Adam Nichol (University of Northumbria), Reece Chapman (University of Northumbria), Paul Potrac (University of Northumbria), Ed Hall (University of Northumbria), Claire Bruce-Martin (University of Northumbria), Karen Johns (University of Northumbria), Alex Lascu (University of Canberrra), Mark Carroll (University of Stirling), Lindsay Findlay-King (University of Northumbria), John Hayton (University of Northumbria),, Grant value (£): 14,968.16. 2024

England Rugby Football League, 'Watch Aloud' - Measuring parental sideline behaviour, Amy Whitehead (P1), Danny Cullinane, Colum Cronin, Gus Ryrie, Katie Fitton-Davies, Vicci Boyd, Colin Lewis, Amy Hardwick, Grant value (£): £21,000, Duration of research project: 9 months. 2022

UK Coaching, Caring Cultures in Sport Coaching, Amy Whitehead (LJMU), David Tod (LJMU), Francesca Champ (LJMU), Angus Ryrie (LJMU), Colin Lewis (LJMU), Fieke Rongen (Leeds Beckett University), Tabo Huntley (LJMU)., Grant value (£): £15, 000, Duration of research project: 7 Months. 2021

Erasmus Plus, Para-Disability Coach Education and Learning Project- Enhancing Para-disability sport coaches' learning, mobility and employment with reference to a Para-Disability European Sport Coaching Framework and Massive Open Online Course, LJMU Team: Dr Amy Whitehead, Professor Philip Vickerman, Dr Colum Cronin, Dr Gus Ryrie, Ms Catherine Walker, Dr Nicola Rowley and Dr James Rudd, Grant value (£): 334, 355, Duration of research project: 3 years. 2018

Football Association, Review of Grassroots Coach Education Provision, David Richardson, David Morley, Martin Littlewood, Grant value (£): 58, 200, Duration of research project: 3 years. 2017

Other invited event:

UK Coaching & Oxford Brooks Duty of Care Event, Online, Online presentation of care research to practitioners, academics and policy makers. 2021

International Council for Coaching Excellence Connect Webinar, Online, Online webinar exploring care in coaching to an international audience. 2021

UK Coach Performance Pathway Coaches Conference, Online, Presentation on Care for Coaches to coaches within the UK talent pathway. 2021

British Cycling Coach Education Webinars, Online, Workshop on Care in Coaching. 2020

UK Coaching Coach Developer Network, Online, Workshop on care in sport coaching to UK coach developers. 2020

Media Coverage:

Euro 2020: how football managers and coaches control the narrative 2021

Want an Olympic legacy? Get primary school children trying out a range of different sports 2016

Conference presentation:

Using ‘Think Aloud’ to reflect on mentor practice: A collaborative action research approach in grassroots football, International Council for Coaching Excellence, Global Coaching Conference, Tokyo, Poster presentation. 2019

Releasing the Coaching Imagination, AIESEP World Congress, Edinburgh, UK, Oral presentation. 2018

Caring in the Uncaring football world, Future Football: a design for life”: Conference by The Football Collective at FC United, FC Utd Manchester, Oral presentation. 2016

Growing the Elite Athlete: John Dewey and Sport Coaching, Democracy and Education: 100 Years on, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Oral presentation. 2016

Care: An Essence of Youth Performance Coaching, Third Biannual International Coaching Conference, Manchester Metropolitan University, Oral presentation. 2015

The Lifeworld of Youth Performance Sport Coaches, British Sociological Association Sport Study Group, Edge Hill University, Oral presentation. 2015

Talent identification in English youth soccer: exploring the lived experiences of professional gatekeeper coaches, 4th International Conference for Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise, Loughborough University, Oral presentation. 2014

Working with ‘Real Kids’; How do Novice Coaches Experience Early Coaching Activities?, British Association of Sport and Exercise Scientists, University of Central Lancashire, Poster presentation. 2012

External committees:

UK Coaching Duty to Care Steering Group, UK Coaching, Steering Group Member.

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