http://www.sportsleaders.org
Sports Leaders UK is a charity that coordinates and delivers a comprehensive package of qualifications for people wanting to get involved in leading sport in the community. Dr Diane Crone, Dr David James and Professor Andrew Parker have secured funding for a three year project to investigate the impact of the sports leadership training provided by Sports Leaders UK on the personal development of sports leaders and the outcomes for community sport. Hannah Mawson has been appointed as a research student to work on this project.
The research will require a mixed-methods approach involving both quantitative and qualitative techniques, and consists of three phases. Phase one will be quantitative and will investigate a range of determinants of progress through the qualifications, focusing on socio-demographics of the sports leaders. Phase two is also quantitative, and consists of a survey distributed to sports leaders to gain some insight into their education and career development, and the impact that engagement of the awards has had on these areas. The third and final phase is qualitative and through semi-structured interviews of the sports leaders, it will investigate the perceived impact that of Sports Leaders UK awards have on community sport outcomes, such as participation levels. The findings of the research will enable Sports Leaders UK to establish the extent to which their courses impact on the development of sport in the community, and on the careers of those that are successful in achieving the Sports Leader UK awards.
Sports Leaders UK have a growing number and variety of leadership awards, ranging from the Level 1 Sports Leadership Award to the Foreign Language Leader Award. All awards aim to develop essential life skills such as organising, motivating, communicating and working with others.
Currently mid-way through her data collection, Hannah is focusing her research on investigating the impact of the Community Sports Leaders Level 2 Award and the Higher Sports Leaders Level 3 Award, in particular. These two awards are Sports Leaders UK’s more established awards, with approximately 30,000 people registering on these courses each year. The Level 3 award also has 30 UCAS points attached to the qualification.
For more information about Sports Leaders UK awards and qualifications please visit: www.sportsleaders.org
Publications and Conference Presentations
Sports Leaders UK Survey Report. September 2010
This report provides an overview of the key findings of a recent survey conducted by Hannah as part of her PhD research. To view the report please click here.
Where are the future sports volunteers? A Case study of Sports Leaders UK. Leisure Studies Association Newsletter, July 2010
This article presents some recent findings from a sports leadership survey, which will form part of Hannah's PhD research. To view the article please click here.
Sports Leaders UK: Leaders’ Perceptions of Sports Leadership Awards. BUCS Conference, Keele University, July 2010
A copy of the presentation delivered by Hannah at the 2010 British University and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Conference at Keele University is available to view here.
Radical Research. The Leader, Autumn 2009
An article detailing updates to the Sports Leaders UK research can be found in the Autumn 2009 edition of Sports Leaders UK quarterly publication 'The Leader' - available here.