50 Years

Peter Mackreth, Dean of Carnegie School of Sport

At Leeds Beckett University, we have a long and rich tradition of leading the field in sport education. Sport plays a huge part in many of our lives. The absence of sport for the last three months has made this particularly evident, from playing at the local sports club, to watching elite athletes performing on a world stage.

Published on 01 Jul 2020
Introducing Impact in Sport, Peter Mackreth, Dean of Carnegie School of Sport

Many of our academics at the Carnegie School of Sport are world-leading in their areas, delivering an innovative, research-led curriculum that ensures a high-quality learning experience for students.

As one of the largest providers of sport in UK higher education, LBU counts a myriad of highly-successful practitioners amongst its alumni, from Paralympic double-gold medallist Kadeena Cox and Olympic race walker Tom Bosworth to Rugby World Cup star Emily Scarratt and Dr Bob Price, an international pioneer for the progression of disabled athletes. Most of these alumni were supported by outstanding coaching while studying and representing Leeds Beckett in their sport.

Supporting and promoting women’s sport is instrumental to the success of the School, from carrying out innovative research into performance and injuries, to helping to launch the careers of leaders in their sport such as BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year Lucy Bronze and Olympic gold medal hockey player Sam Quek.

Across the School, we work with sports organisations at all levels, from local grassroot organisations to professional clubs and international agencies.

And we have been doing this for decades, building on the heritage of the prestigious Carnegie College of Physical Education.

At grassroots level, the university has formed strong and lasting partnerships with a wide range of community sport initiatives, such as cricket programme Wicketz in partnership with Yorkshire County Cricket Foundation, which works with children in disadvantaged areas to improve physical and mental well-being, promote positive life choices and increase community cohesion.

Across Yorkshire, our academic expertise and facilities are in demand, as we work closely with clubs including Leeds United, Huddersfield Town, Castleford Tigers and Leeds Rhinos. While we provide expert advice in areas such as nutrition and strength and conditioning, our students are able to gain invaluable work experience with professional organisations.

We also host a variety of game-changing regional centres, from sport and exercise psychology in association with the British Psychological Society or a national athletics Talent Hub in partnership with British Athletics and England Athletics, to support the next generation of talented athletes, their coaches and the wider club community.

Nationally, our partnerships with organisations such as the Football Association, British Cycling and England Rugby Union helps UK sport remain a global success story. And on the international stage, our cutting-edge research for institutions including World Athletics and anti-doping body WADA allows Leeds Beckett University to influence the future development of sporting ethos and development worldwide.

Developing youth sport coaches across the world, the university’s iCoachKids programme works closely with, among others, the International Tennis Federation, Special Olympics, World Athletics and World Rugby.

There are 80 sport teams that form the Athletic Union at Leeds Beckett that have consistently ranked in the top twenty BUCs sports rankings for the last two decades. This is testament to the excellent coaching and the support available for developing emerging talent.      

As we look back on past achievements, this is also an opportunity to look forward to the future, with the completion of the new home for Carnegie School of Sport.

This stunning £45m building will be a centre for teaching and research while providing a hub for elite athletes who use the university’s sports performance expertise.

With unique features including an indoor 60m athletics track, a high-performance strength and conditioning gym, and world-class environmental chambers that can mimic different altitudes and environments, this new facility will help ensure that Leeds Beckett University remains at the forefront of sport education in the UK and beyond.