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UEFA partnership goes from strength to strength
The extension will see experts from the university’s Carnegie School of Sport continue their valuable impact-based work across two of UEFA’s highly respected junior football programmes.
The initial two-year project will see LBU, led by Dr Sergio Lara-Bercial and a newly appointed Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, conduct comprehensive evaluations of both Football in Schools and PlayMakers programmes.
UEFA’s Football in Schools programme aims to enhance the quality and quantity of school-based football activities. Its PlayMakers project is working to increase the number of girls taking up the game through innovative approaches, including a ground-breaking partnership with Disney.
The university will work closely with representatives from UEFA and its 55 member national football associations to co-ordinate and conduct the evaluations.
Dr Sergio Lara-Bercial, a Reader in Sport Coaching at LBU, said findings from the two studies would be used to propose modifications and improvements to the delivery of both projects with the aim of improving participant outcomes, such as increasing participation and physical exercise.
He said: “Leeds Beckett University and Carnegie School of Sport have a long-standing relationship with UEFA, and it is pleasing to have been commissioned to continue this important research-led work.
“This extension comes after Leeds Beckett completed two literature reviews to inform the development of UEFA’s Football in Schools and PlayMakers Projects in 2019.
“We are proud to be continuing to shape the future of football and wider sport and helping to change lives and communities for the better through improved practice, policy and performance.”
LBU is currently recruiting for the Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, with the post holder set to start in January. There is the provision to extend the role for a further two years based on the initial outcomes of the two review projects.
Meanwhile, LBU is continuing to make a positive difference through its position as lead partner in the iCoachKids programme. The not-for-profit movement supports grassroots coaches globally and aims to provide a safe environment for children to learn, play and enjoy football in.
Guillermo Calvo, a PhD student within the Research Centre for Sport Coaching in the Carnegie School of Sport, has been working with UEFA to further evolve the iCoachKids e-learning platform after UEFA partnered with the initiative to provide free online courses for coaches across Europe.
This has included improved navigation for UEFA coaches accessing the website, and enhanced video, activity, study guide and quiz content.
Guillermo said: “Through this partnership UEFA has gained access to around 80 videos and countless hours of educational and reading material for its grassroots coaches from some of the top experts in sport in Europe. Its coaches can also access iCoachKids’ e-learning courses and have it count as official continuous professional development.
“iCoachKids also continues to benefit from the partnership as more European football federations and thousands of coaches learn about its benefits.”
He added that the next phase of the iCoachKids programme will see all content across the platform translated French, Spanish, German and Russian.