BSA PG Sport Study forum at YSJ - Mark Mierzwinski, York St John University

This year’s British Sociological Association Sport Study Group Post Graduate Forum was held at York St John University. Over 30 delegates from 16 universities attended. 16 post-graduate scholars presented and Dr Dominic Malcolm from Loughborough University concluded the event with an excellent keynote. Presentations were allocated to 4 themes. The first theme was ‘Pedagogy, Citizenship and Education’ and included talks by Mark Mierzwinski, Jo Hickman Dunne, Nicola Carzana and Colum Cronin. Mark and Jo focused on aspects of citizenship. Mark critiqued the role of physical education as a ‘civilising’ practice amongst young males, whilst Jo discussed the development of ‘physical’ citizens through the Outward Bound Trust. Nicola and Colum focused on pedagogy within physical education and coaching. Nicola provided a case study of 6 Physical Education students’ understanding of Physical Literacy, whilst Colum examined a coach’s pedagogical experiences and linked incidental examples to Dewyan philosophies of education.

The second theme was ‘Social activism, Fandom and Mega Events’ and included talks by Adam Talbot, Billy Graeff-Bastos, Anni Pikie and Eddie Rees. Adam and Billy provided Brazilian insights of hosting mega-sporting events. Adam gave activist perspectives on the 2016 Olympic Games, whilst Billy identified the political economy of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and its impact on a community. Anni and Eddie both gave insights of football fans and their involvement in activism and protests. Anni argued that activism can be considered a performance of citizenship, whilst Eddie referred to protests by Hull City FC fans and connected these to broader discontents in the economically precarious city of Hull. 

The third theme was ‘Inclusion in Sport, Leisure and Education’ and included talks by Catherine Phipps, Dom Conricode, Rachel Williams and Anthony Sly. This theme offered talks of gender, race and aging. Catherine gave insights into the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students at higher education institutions in the UK. Dom outlined his study on the representation and discrimination of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) coaches in English football. Rachel presented her examination of a figuration of retired older men who previously served in the British Armed Forces. Anthony, who stepped in at late notice, explored the transformation of football related disorder in England. 

The final theme was ‘Embodiment, Injury and Identity’ and included talks by Emma Pullen, Hannah Newman, Dawn Fletcher and Graeme Law. Graeme and Emma focused on the management of sports related injuries in professional football clubs and the NHS respectively. Graeme provided insights into the behaviour of football managers towards injured professional players, whilst Emma explored the pathways of patients utilising Sport and Exercise Medicine services in the NHS. Hannah and Dawn focused on gendered embodiment. Hannah outlined her study that will explore female strength and power through an ethnography of strongwomen. Dawn discussed the everyday practices of masculinity in men’s roller derby and provided insights into how men explored and displayed masculinities in a sport which is dominated by women.

The conference was concluded by Dr Dominic Malcolm who provided an overview of the field of sociology of sport and discussed the trajectories and transformations of PhD students and early career researchers in this field. Many delegates continued their networking over drinks afterwards. A few presenters new to the conference expressed an interest in hosting the event next year, which will hopefully ensure that this valuable opportunity is continued.