Knowledge platform: Sports Policy Unit

About our research

We bring together the largest concentration of scholars working on the social science of sport in the UK.

The unit was established as part of Manchester Met’s investment in the academic study of sport, which includes the multi-million pound Institute of Sport.

Our members analyse and research the key questions relating to national and international sport governance, policy, and politics.

We work with a wide range of sporting organisations and brands around the world, and have international research networks with other academic institutions.

Our expertise includes:

economic, sociocultural, environmental, and health impact of sport
sport, human rights, and wellbeing
national and international sport governance, policy, and politics

Our work attracts funding from the major UK research councils, including the Leverhulme Trust, the British Academy and the Economic and Social Research Council. We also work with international funders such as the German Academic Exchange Service Council, the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Studies Centre, and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

We offer two undergraduate courses – Sports Business Management and Sports Marketing Management – and a postgraduate degree in Sport Business, Management and Policy.

Our expertise in sport research and links with leading sporting organisations and brands make us a popular choice for research students studying for a doctoral degree.

The Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics is one of our members, along with the journal’s editorial assistant.

Our expertise

Economic, sociocultural, environmental, and health impact of sport

Sport makes a large contribution to society - from supporting physical and mental wellbeing to driving economic and sociocultural development. It can also help create greater social awareness, including of crucial sustainability and environmental challenges.
But while sport offers wide-ranging benefits, sporting bodies often find it difficult to effectively measure and assess the positive impact they have.
This becomes important as organisations are increasingly expected to demonstrate their positive impact to obtain a ‘social license’ to operate. For many sporting bodies and events, this involves building and sustaining broad stakeholder support, including attracting investment from the public sector and sponsors.
Our staff are specialists in multidimensional impact assessment, able to design robust research, support organisations in evidence gathering and make actionable recommendations.
We have carried out a significant number of impact-related studies, both internationally and in the UK - for example The Rugby League Dividend, which assessed the economic, sociocultural and health impact of the sport in England.
Sport, human rights, and wellbeing
UNESCO described access to sport as “a fundamental human right for all” in 1978.
Since then there has been increasing recognition that sporting organisations, programmes, and events must be accessible and inclusive to all. Failure to do so denies people opportunities to improve their physical and mental wellbeing, develop enriching social relationships, and foster a sense of belonging.
If properly governed and structured, sport may serve to increase the awareness of — and support for — human rights in the broader society.
We bring together expertise in sport management and policy, consumer psychology, sociology, economics, and laws to probe how:
access to sport can be increased for those from traditionally underserved groups
sport can be managed to optimise its contributions to health and wellbeing
the governance and operating structures of sport should be reformed to ensure compliance with and promote universal principles of human rights
National and international sport governance, policy, and politics

While sport has been an integral part of human society for centuries, it is only since the 1980s that it has truly caught the attention of governments across the world.
Since then, official involvement in all levels of sport has increased incrementally - it is viewed as a panacea for health problems, a useful diversion from politics and everyday life, and a useful tool for enhancing a nation’s image, prestige and soft power.
Given this growing importance and politicisation, we must understand how sport is governed and by whom. Our research examines how policies are made, who makes the key decisions that affect grass-roots, elite sport and sports mega-events, and how and why sport is used for political gain.

Selected projects

Women’s football

Examining how women’s football is governed, managed and developed as a commercial product around the world.
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Sport in the Middle East

Examining the factors behind the increasing prominence of the Middle East in the hosting and management of global sport.
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