Sport Coaching

Partnering with leading sports organisations

We believe in thinking differently, in nurturing positive relationships, and challenging ways of thinking by asking important questions and offering unique insights.

The Sport Coaching Research Group (SCRG) work with a range of sporting organisations and professional bodies and regularly publish sport-related research papers, articles, books and sit on the editorial advisory boards of key academic journals (e.g. Journal of Sports Sciences [Sports Performance]).

Due to our internationally recognised sport research and excellent partnerships with sport organisations it is no surprise that we were selected to host the prestigious International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE) Global Coach Conference in 2017.

Our expertise

Talent identification and development
Coach education practice
Developing expertise in coaching and participation

Examining coach competency
Application of training methodologies in elite performance environments
Nutritional strategies for health and performance

Projects and collaborations

We are actively involved in national and international projects and developing international collaborative research partnerships. For example, we are currently supporting British Cycling, Everton FC, England Netball and the Football Association in a series of cross-disciplinary projects. We are also working with Southern Connecticut State University.

In partnership with the Football Exchange, the SCRG recently hosted 16 football coaches from the Yunnan Province in China, and recently a member from the SCRG visited China as part of a wider delegation. Discussions are now in place surrounding student exchanges and the potential for a new football academy.

Para-Disability coach education and learning

Tabo Huntley, LJMU Senior Lecturer in Sports Coaching, has recently secured a £330,000 Erasmus+ funded project to design and implement a European Para Coaching Framework and design an online resource for coaches working or intending to work within a para coach setting.

Find out more

MSc Sport Coaching

As a Sport Coach UKCC Level 4 Accredited Institution we attract international students onto our MSc Sport Coaching Programme who then carry out multi-disciplinary research in performance domains. Find out more about the programme from the video.

Selected publications

Enright K, Morton J, Iga J, Drust B. 2017. Hormonal responses during two different concurrent-training trials in youth elite soccer players: does changing the organisation of training impact the hormonal response to concurrent exercise? J Sports Med Phys Fitness, >DOI | >Link

Enright KJ, Morton J, iga J, Drust B. 2016. Implementing concurrent-training and nutritional strategies in professional football: a complex challenge for coaches and practitioners Science and Medicine in Football, >DOI

Rylands LP, Hurst HT, Roberts SJ, Graydon RW. 2017. The Effect of "Pumping" and "Nonpumping" Techniques on Velocity Production and Muscle Activity During Field-Based BMX Cycling.J Strength Cond Res, 31 :445-450 >DOI | >Link

Rylands LP, Roberts SJ, Hurst HT. 2017. Effect of gear ratio on peak power and time to peak power in BMX cyclists European Journal of Sport Science, 17 :127-131 >DOI

Lewis CJ, Reeves MJ, Roberts SJ. 2017. Improving the physical and mental well-being of typically hard-to-reach men: an investigation of the impact of the Active Rovers project Sport in Society, 20 :258-268 >DOI

Parnell D, Buxton S, Hewitt D, Reeves MJ, Cope E, Bailey R. 2016. The pursuit of lifelong participation: the role of professional football clubs in the delivery of physical education and school sport in England Soccer and Society, 17 :225-241 >DOI

Whitehead AE, Jones HS, Williams EL, Dowling C, Morley D, Taylor JA, Polman RC. 2017. Changes in cognition over a 16.1 km cycling time trial using Think Aloud protocol: Preliminary evidence International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, :1-9 >DOI

Whitehead AE, Cropley B, Huntley T, Miles A, Quayle L, Knowles Z. 2016. ‘Think Aloud’: Toward a Framework To Facilitate Reflective Practice Amongst Rugby League Coaches International Sport Coaching Journal, 3 :269-286 >DOI

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

Miller PK, Cronin C, 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

Roberts SJ, Ryrie A. 2014. Socratic case-method teaching in sports coach education: reflections of students and course tutors Sport, Education & Society, 1 :63-79 >DOI