The Applied Association for Sport Psychology (AASP) Research

Research team in the Carnegie School of Sport awarded grant from the Applied Association for Sport Psychology

The Applied Association for Sport Psychology (AASP), the governing body for sport psychology in the United States of America, has awarded a research grant to a team of researchers in the Carnegie School of Sport: Richard Simpson (PhD candidate), Dr Faye Didymus (senior lecturer), and Dr Toni Williams (senior lecturer). The grant call, which was fiercely contested by researchers and practitioners worldwide, encouraged grant applications that integrate research and practice and have the potential to generate ground breaking findings. The AASP highlighted that our proposal would address important gaps in literature and that it was theoretically, empirically, and practically align with the AASP mission.

The funded project will develop understanding of psychological well-being (PWB) in high-performance sport and will better understand the value and importance of having PWB at the heart sport policy and practice. PWB is a key pillar in global policy and has important ramifications for health and performance, especially within the high-pressure context of elite sport. This study intends to bridge the knowledge-to-practice gap by creating guidelines for enhancing PWB among those at the front lines of sport. Findings will be disseminated among researchers, practitioners, and national governing bodies, including at the AASP annual conference in 2021.