The Power of Partnerships

Across the nation and around the world, our collaborations help us make a substantive impact within, throughout and well beyond sport. Working hand in hand with government departments, academic institutions and both national and international governing bodies, we’ve played a key role in informing and shaping policy. In short, our work with these organisations give us the power to change sport and its role in our society.

SPORT GOVERNANCE

We’ve collaborated on sport governance from the elite to grassroots level. Our work with British Paralympic Swimming, the International Paralympic Committee and the University of the Sunshine Coast has helped us take a leading role in reshaping the classification systems that underpin international competition. Meanwhile, our work has helped Sport England review and redefine professional coaching standards for 46 national governing bodies – standards that will impact millions of coached athletes across the country.

SPORTING EVENTS

Our work around major sporting events is rooted in a range of collaborations, not just within the academic sphere, but with national and international sporting bodies. Working with the Rugby League World Cup, for instance, has opened doors to a PhD programme on the social and economic legacy of the event for the community, together with internships and volunteering opportunities, and a range of student briefs on real-world projects in marketing, sustainability and more.

EMERGING SECTORS

Our partnerships also give us access to emerging sporting arenas. For instance, together with La Trobe University in Melbourne, we’re investigating the regulatory frameworks of esports – a burgeoning sector which has largely been governed by private businesses.

FUTURE FOCUS

As we look to the future, collaboration will continue to open doors for greater possibilities – whether that means a new project working with grassroots sports bodies to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, or developing programmes that focus on the intersection of sustainability and sport to inform government policy, in areas like the development of green space or alternative transport. Whatever’s next on the agenda, developing links and building relationships offers a vital step toward making a real impact.  

The power of education isn’t limited to teaching in classrooms – or coaching on the field – it’s also about exploring real life experiences, connecting with new opportunities and developing the skills that can change lives.

MANCHESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB

In 2014, we forged a ten-year partnership with Manchester City Council and Manchester City Football Club, paving the way to a range of education, research and community support activities. Our community coaching degree programmes offer students the opportunity to hone professional coaching skills while providing a life-shaping service to local communities. Our researchers evaluated the City Play programme, examining its impact on young children over two years. Our nutrition team even offers a programme for young players at the club to teach them how to cook for themselves – vital for both their playing careers and their life beyond football. For the University, the club and the community, it’s a partnership that harnesses sport to make a lasting impact.

LOCAL LINKS

With the facilities we’ve built and the expertise we’ve assembled in Manchester, we’re well equipped to support all sorts of organisations, in the local community and up to the highest levels of sport. For example, while we welcome pupils from Canon Slade school for an annual lab as part of their BTEC studies, we also work with UK Coaching not just to develop coach education programmes, but also to deliver them – helping to create the next generation of coaches.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION

Our network stretches far beyond these shores. Just as our research activities extend throughout the global university network, we also work with a range of universities around the world to offer life-shaping experiences for students. For some, it’s the chance to study with us in Manchester – like the exchange programme we’re developing for student-athletes from the University of Tsukuba. For others, it means travelling abroad to work or study, particularly for their sandwich year placement – including places like Football Talents in China.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS

For graduates, our collaborative approach paves the way to a range of career-boosting opportunities, from internships and experiences, to real-world teaching environments and industry-led competitions. Our work with the Football Association has created regular placement opportunities around para football, together with funding for a PhD programme.

We’ve also cultivated links with various clubs, national bodies, major events, healthcare providers and equipment manufacturers to provide workplace-relevant experiences and opportunities. Even in the highly specialised area of sport fashion and apparel, our relationships across industry open doors for our students – from exhibiting their work at the National Football Museum to working on live client briefs for the likes of Adidas and Puma. The result is that, even in a competitive sector like sport, our graduates have the skills and opportunities to pursue a rewarding career.

Huge leaps are rarely solo efforts. Whether it’s a fraction of a second shaved from a world record or a patient protected from the impacts of disease or ageing, the work we do to explore and redefine the limits of the human condition wouldn’t be possible without collaboration.

ELITE SPORT

We work closely with a range of national governing bodies and top-level clubs to provide facilities, coaching expertise and talent pathways for our performance athlete scholars – whether aspiring stars at local clubs or established champions already performing at national and international level. From snow sports and cycling to rugby and athletics, we support more than 60 of these student athletes with expert nutrition, physiotherapy and strength and conditioning coaching. And, while research that charts the biomechanics of para swimmers through the water offered the opportunity to challenge and redefine the sport’s classifications, it’s also work that goes hand in hand with the kind of elite-level sport science that delivers results. Put another way, it’s a partnership that helped Team GB get an incredible haul of medals at the Rio 2016 Paralympics.

BEYOND BOUNDARIES

With our understanding of the mechanics of human movement, we’ve also worked well beyond the usual boundaries of sport. Our collaboration with the European Space Agency offered the opportunity to investigate the impact of microgravity environments on the human body – work which has helped inform exercise and wellbeing recommendations for older people, through our work with government.

HEALTHCARE INNOVATIONS

It’s this level of understanding that makes our partnerships across the health sector so fruitful. Our work with athletes and healthcare providers has also played a key role in our development of more effective protective equipment, with research on cranial injury and concussion informing the design of boxers’ gum shields.

From working with Nuffield Health on rehabilitation and healthy ageing, to our projects with the Neuromuscular Centre in Winsford around muscular dystrophy and St Mary’s Hospital on urogynaecology, we have forged vital links with leading practitioners and providers in healthcare to produce truly insightful and impactful research.