Welcome to our new Professor of Sports Diplomacy and Management

In August 2026, we welcomed J Simon Rofe as our new Professor of Sports Diplomacy and Management in the Carnegie School of Sport- and the first professor of sports diplomacy in the world. We met up with Professor Rofe to find out all about the emerging field of sports diplomacy, writing the first handbook on the subject, and his research ambitions as he joins LBU.

Putting plans into place for success with Help to Grow

Dean Towers, Managing Director of BCS Electrics, joined the Help to Grow: Management programme delivered by Leeds Beckett University in Halifax, in January 2026. In this interview, Dean shares the impact the course has had on BCS Electrics so far.

Building leadership confidence with Help to Grow

Caroline Kelly is Centre Manager at St Vincent's Leeds, a Community Support Project of the St Vincent de Paul Society (England and Wales), dedicated to helping vulnerable individuals and families in Leeds. In January 2026, she joined the 12-week Help to Grow: Management programme, delivered by Leeds Beckett University in Halifax. In this interview, Caroline shares her experience of the course and how it has built her confidence and strategic decision-making.

Leading the way for representation and diversity in elite football refereeing

In 2025, we launched a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project in collaboration with Pro Ref, formerly known as Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMO), to develop world-leading diversity programmes, and ensure that match officials are more representative of the UK population. In this blog post, our Pro Ref KTP Associate, Karan Rai, tells us all about the project, what has been achieved so far, what is coming next, and what life is like as an LBU KTP Associate.

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