My own background is in sports coaching. I was previously the course leader for both the BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Sports Coaching degree, as well as the postgraduate online MSc Sport Coaching degree.
I was awarded a PhD by the University of Lincoln in 2017 after researching the fast-tracked career pathways of elite men’s association football and rugby union and players transitioning into high-performance coaching roles. I continue to research this area and have worked with numerous organisations to assist their provision in former athlete transitions into coaching.
I remain an active researcher alongside my Head of Department duties. I continue to support MSc students complete their research projects whilst also working on other internationally commissioned projects. A growing focus of my work is the transferal of scientific principles for coaching, such as understanding the effects of hormone-based contraception, menstrual cycle and pregnancy into changes in coaches’ practice so athletic performance can be optimised. A large part of my research portfolio now examines how women’s sport can be further developed and how greater equality can be achieved in the representation of women in sports leadership roles.
Professional memberships and activities
- Football Association Coaches Association (FACA), Member
- International Sociology of Sport Association, Member
- British Academy Early Career Network, Member
Academic qualifications
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PhD - Understanding the ‘fast-track’ transition between elite athlete and high-performance coach in men’s association football and rugby union: A grounded theory – University of Lincoln (2017).
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Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2014).
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First Class BA (Hons) Sports Coaching and Development. Manchester Metropolitan University – (2009).
Expertise
- Sports coaching and pedagogy
- Qualitative research methods
Research interests
- Sport coaching education, learning and development
- Coach well-being and welfare
- Sport-related concussion management and diagnosis
- Under-represented groups in sport and sport coaching
- Sports media reporting
- Qualitative research methodologies
Grants
- ERASMUS+ E-WinS (CO-I) project ‘Good governance in sport: Gender equality in sports participation’ – A multinational and multi-institution project (€398,938.00 overall grant - £43,200 awarded to Staffordshire University – Project reference number 622746-EPP-1-2020-1-FR-SPO-SCP).
- UKRI Regional Innovation Fund. Funding applied for to develop University partnerships with a private company to work collaboratively with the Department of Sport and Sciences to increase student recruitment, knowledge exchange and student employability (£41,027).
- International travel grant for student mobility and international research collaboration. Funding awarded by Centre for Health and Development (CHAD), University of Staffordshire (£1,430).
- Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE): Higher Technical Qualification (HTQ) Modular Accelerator Pilot. Awarded £19,950 to University of Staffordshire for demand raising funds and a potential £86,330 dependent on enrolled learners of the academic years of 24/25 and 25/26.
Enterprise and commercial interests
- Continual professional development of teachers and coaches in promoting multiskills, cross curricula and prosocial strategies to increase physical literacy/motor skills, athletic competency and overall levels of physical activity engagement.
- Guidance and consultancy on recruitment processes in sporting organisations.
- Consultant on athlete to coach educational pathways.
Teaching
Undergraduate
Coaching Pedagogy
Sport and Culture
Research Methods
Postgraduate
Effective coaching strategies
Reflective practice
Qualitative research methodologies
Publications
- Deiffenbach, K., Blackett, A., Rynne, S.B., & Chroni, A. (2024). Navigating a path: Multidisciplinary perspectives on transitions in sports coaching. International Sports Coaching Journal, 12(1), 1-7. Doi:10.1123/iscj.2024-0133. Editorial for Special Issue.
- Blackett, A.D., Rynne, S.B., & Chroni, S. (2024). What learning is valued and by whom? Athletic experience, accreditation and tertiary study. In: Mallett, C.J., & Rynne, S.B. (Eds.). Contemporary issues in sports coaching. Routledge. Doi:10.4324/9781003160939-30
- Forsyth, J.J., Sams, L., Blackett, A.D., Ellis, N., & Abouna, M-S. (2023). Menstrual cycle, hormone-based contraception and pregnancy in women’s European football: Awareness and understanding among players, coaches and managers. Sport in Society, 26(7) 1280-1295. Doi:10.1080/17430437.2022.2125385.
- Ryan, L., Daly, E., & Blackett, A.D. (2023). Sports-related concussion disclosure in women’s rugby: A social identity approach. Frontiers, 5. Doi:10.3389/fspor.2023.1058305/
- Daly, E., Blackett, A.D., Pearce, A.J., & Ryan, L. (2022). Protect the player, protect the game: A qualitative analysis of interviews with ex-professional rugby players. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 7(4), 91. Doi:10.3390/jfmk7040091
- Blackett, A.D. (2022). Malign and covert nationalism within British newspapers reporting of Eddie Jones’ appointment as head coach of the men’s England national rugby union team. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 57(5), 715-733. Doi:10.1177/10126902211037842
- Blackett, A.D., Evans, A.B., & Piggott, D. (2022). The next logical step: An examination of elite athletes’ transitions into post-athletic high-performance coaching roles. In D. Agnew (Ed.), Athlete Transitions in Sport: Experiences in Elite Sport (pp. 129-144). Routledge. Doi:10.4324/9781003020189
- Daly, E., Pearce, A.J., Blackett, A.D., & Ryan, L. (2022). Injury as an occupational hazard in professional rugby: A qualitative analysis of interviews with ex-professional rugby players. The Journal of Sport and Exercise Science, 6(1), 22-30. Doi:10.36905/jses.2022.01.04
- Graham, L., & Blackett, A.D. (2022). “Coach, or female coach?” And does it matter?: An autoethnography of playing the gendered game over a twenty-year elite swim coaching career. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 14(5), 811-826. Doi:10.1080/2159676X.2021.1969998
- Blackett, A.D. (2021). ‘Do you have to walk it to talk it?’: The significance of an elite athletic career in becoming a high-performance coach in men’s football and rugby union. In A. Whitehead & J. Coe (Eds.), Myths of Coaching (pp.154-166). Sequoia Books.
- Blackett, A.D., Evans, A.B., & Piggott, D. (2021). Negotiating a high-performance coach identity: A critical sociological analysis of elite athletes’ transitions into post-athletic high-performance coaching careers. Sport, Education and Society, 26(6), 663-675. Doi:10.1080/13573322.2020.1787371
- Barrett, G.M., Sherwin, I., & Blackett, A.D. (2021). Women rugby union coaches’ experiences of formal coach education in Ireland and the United Kingdom: A qualitative study. Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, 29(1), 29-37. Doi:10.1123/wspaj.2020-0056
- Daly, E., White, A.J., Blackett, A.D., & Ryan, L. (2021). Pressure: A qualitative analysis of the perception of concussion and injury risk in retired professional rugby players. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 6(3), 78. Doi:10.3390/jfmk6030078
- Blackett, A.D., Evans, A.B., & Piggott, D. (2019). ‘They have to toe the line’: A Foucauldian analysis of the socialisation of former elite athletes into academy coaching roles. Sports Coaching Review, 8(1), 83-102. Doi:10.1080/21640629.2018.1436502
- Blackett, A.D., Evans, A.B., & Piggott, D. (2017). Why ‘the best way of learning to coach the game is playing the game’: Conceptualising high-performance coaching pathways. Sport, Education and Society, 22(6), 744-758. Doi:10.1080/13573322.2015.1075494