PhD Studentship: Women and Concussion in Football

This funded PhD position is housed within the Centre for Physical Activity, Sport and Exercise Sciences (PASES) at Coventry University and is in association with the Women’s Professional Leagues Ltd (WPLL). The PhD will form part of ongoing work WPLL is undertaking within the area of female specific research in professional football and the successful candidate will contribute to activities in the area. The PhD will also support the growing work on the assessment and management of the cervical spine that PASES undertakes as part of the interdisciplinary scientific research through the application of physical activity, sport and exercise to improve health and performance across the life course.

The centre has considerable expertise, spanning physical activity and sport performance, physiology, biomechanics, exercise psychology, strength and conditioning. The applied nature of the research undertaken by researchers in the centre involves engagement with partners in the field of sport, exercise, and health, to identify ‘real life’ problems to provide a solution-based approach.

Soccer is a unique sport were a player intentionally uses their head in a tactical way to stop, pass or score via heading the ball. Additionally, sports related concussion (SRC) occurs due to biomechanical forces to the head, neck, face, and trunk regions that results in pathophysiological changes in the brain and are common in contact sports thus, has become an area of focus in soccer. Women are 50% more likely to suffer a concussion playing football, report more symptoms and may take longer to recover than men. There is increased discussion in the medical, scientific and broader community relating to football players’ and their long-term Brain Health. There is therefore a desire to better understand SRC, heading exposure and any potential mitigations, with one approach being neck strength.

The neck is a supporting structure that is an integral part of the spinal column and the strength of the neck in flexion, extension, lateral flexion and rotation contribute to maintaining proper posture. Weakness and or imbalances in the neck musculature can lead to injury and been linked to increased risk of SCR. Thus, the aims of the PhD are to bridge this gap in soccer by conducting research which aims to better understand the true cause of concussion in women and girls, as well as the exploring technical skills in heading and aerial duels, in order to establish strategies aimed at early prevention and intervention.

Entry requirements 

• A minimum of a 2:1 first degree in a relevant discipline/subject area with a minimum 60% mark in the project element or equivalent with a minimum 60% overall module average.

PLUS

• The potential to engage in innovative research and to complete the PhD within 3.5 years.
• A minimum of English language proficiency (IELTS academic overall minimum score of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component).

How to apply

To find out more about the project, please contact Sam Oxford.

All applications require full supporting documentation, a covering letter, plus a 2000-word supporting statement showing how the applicant’s expertise and interests are relevant to the project.

Advert information