Sport and leisure cultures PhD

The University of Brighton took a pioneering role in the development of sport and leisure research and it has been a key discipline at the university for over 40 years.

Research of international standing and impact has characterised the department throughout this time, and we welcome PhD students to join an environment that takes a critical perspective on sport and leisure and develops a public-facing, interventionist social science.

Recent and current PhD students have been successful in obtaining studentships covering both fees and living costs through the University of Brighton’s involvement in the ESRC South Coast Doctoral Training Programme.

Current areas of expertise include race and racism; the politics of, in, and surrounding sport; coastal and seaside leisure, refugees; migration; the politics of movement; identity politics; social movements; football cultures and fandom; labour rights; sport and international development; gender and sexuality; sports tourism; combat sports; and sports media and journalism; sport and violence; acculturation; coach-athlete relationships; and cross-cultural communication.

Our current and recent sport and leisure PhD students are investigating a range of topics in relation to marginalised communities in sport, such as women in Palestine, refugee women, bisexual sportspeople, transgender sportspeople, community action in Rio de Janeiro, and seaside gentrification.

Much of our work has real-world application and staff are well-connected to a variety of sporting, development, social justice and human rights organisations. We have our own Sport for Development and Peace NGO, Football4Peace International, and are home to the Love Fighting, Hate Violence anti-violence initiative.

We offer PhD study in both full and part-time modes and welcome students with significant professional experience, who are able to use and share the career skills they have developed, as well as those who have recently completed first degrees and wish to take advantage of their academic momentum.

Many of our graduates continue in academia, becoming lecturers or post-doctoral researchers. Other recent jobs include Head of Commercial Activity at a professional club in Scandinavia and Head of Community Development at a professional club in England.

Apply to 'Sport, Service Management & Tourism' in the portal

Apply with us for funding from the ESRC South Coast Doctoral Training Programme

Key information

As a sport and leisure cultures PhD student at Brighton, you will be able to draw on research approaches from a variety of social sciences. You can develop research plans and apply methods involving both quantitative and qualitative data, supported by appropriate research methods training.

As a sport and leisure cultures PhD student at Brighton you will benefit from:

a supervisory team comprising 2-3 members of academic staff. Depending on your research specialism you may also have an additional supervisor from another School, another research institution, or an external partner from government or industry. 
desk space and access to a computer in a space specifically designed for research students. There are a range of facilities on the Eastbourne campus including various catering options.
access to a range of electronic resources via the University’s Online Library, as well as to the physical book and journal collections housed within the Queenwood Library and other campus libraries.

Academic environment

Based on the University’s Eastbourne Campus, the School of Sport and Service Management (SaSM) has a vibrant community of academic and research staff, and 34 PhD students. Research within the School has a common aim to address key social, political, environmental and physical issues, and deliver research with local, regional and international benefits. Our staff expertise spans a range of disciplines, including sociology, anthropology, cultural studies and political science

PhD students form an integral part of SaSM and take an active role in a range of intellectual and social activities within the School. All postgraduate students are invited to join the school’s Research Excellence Group, the Sport and Leisure Cultures REG. The university REGs provide students with opportunities to present ‘work in progress’ and network with other researchers.

The Brighton Doctoral College offers a training programme for postgraduate researchers, covering research methods and transferable (including employability) skills. Attendance at appropriate modules within this programme is encouraged, as is contribution to the school’s seminar series. Academic and technical staff also provide more subject-specific training.

We welcome supervision across all areas of sport and leisure culture, with current specialisms including:

Sport, in/equality and exclusion
Sport, migration and refugees
Sport, leisure and cultural resistance
Everyday leisure: spaces and practices
Outdoor recreation: environmental politics
Sports fandom and protest
Sport, gender and sexuality
Sport, violence and ethics
Sport and development

Some of our supervisors

Dr Daniel Burdsey

I am interested in supervising doctoral students in all areas related to my research interests in sociological, cultural and geographical analyses of race, ethnicity and popular culture. In particular, my work addresses: theorising race and racism in football, with particular focus on connecting ideas around Empire, de/coloniality, racialised identities and anti-racist resistance; Black British leisure, musical and sonic cultures and spaces; the experiences of British Asians in sport and leisure; and social, cultural and geographical aspects of the contemporary English seaside and coast, especially the connections between race, whiteness, migration and ‘new’ spaces of multiculture;

PhD students currently working with me are undertaking research on: football fans' engagements with Muslims and Islam at the 2022 men's FIFA World Cup in Qatar; conflicts, protest and resistance around modern Olympic Games; identities and experiences of mixed-race university students; tourism in post-Communist Romania; and Black British contemporary intellectual thought.

Dr Thomas Carter

I am open to various subjects, approaches, and methods. I am especially interested in projects emerging out of and develop the Anthropology of Sport and that use ethnography as a principle research methodology. Specific areas of interest include the Sport for Development and Peace sector. Projects could have fieldwork anywhere in the world but I am particularly interested in projects in Latin America and the Global South. Other topics of interest and expertise include global labor and transnational migration in sport, the politics of spectacle and performance, and the sensory ecologies of embodiment, being, and becoming through physical activity.

Dr Alex Channon

I am able to supervise doctoral research across the fields of sociology, cultural studies, and politics as they pertain to sport, physical education, fitness, and related fields. However, I am particularly interested in sociological studies of the following specialist topics:

Martial arts and combat sports
Sport-related violence
Risk, injury and medical care in sport
Consent in sport

Dr Paul Gilchrist

I would be interested in supervising postgraduate students in the following areas:

- Geographies of sport and leisure- Playful cities and urban everyday life- Community-supported agriculture / community gardening

I also welcome discussions on other potential topics.

Dr Michael Williams

I am currently supervising two doctoral candidates. One project focuses on Soft Power and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The other examines resistance to the hosting of Mega Events such as the Olympics. I am interested in supervising doctoral students in areas relating to sociological, cultural, and political aspects of international festivals, events, and spectacles. My particular focus is arts and cultural events for example Burning Man, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and global touring productions, such as U2's 360 tour. I am also interested in supervising PhD projects in the following areas relating to leisure events:

fandom and fan communities
community and cultural identity
space and place
production, consumption, and co-creation of leisure spectacles.

For further supervisory staff including cross-disciplinary options, please visit research staff on our research website.

Making an application

You will apply to the University of Brighton through our online application portal. When you do, you will require a research proposal, references, a personal statement and a record of your education.

You will be asked whether you have discussed your research proposal and your suitability for doctoral study with a member of the University of Brighton staff. We recommend that all applications are made with the collaboration of at least one potential supervisor. Approaches to potential supervisors can be made directly through the details available online. If you are unsure, please do contact the Doctoral College for advice.

Please visit our How to apply for a PhD page for detailed information.

Fees and funding

Funding

Undertaking research study will require university fees as well as support for your research activities and plans for subsistence during full or part-time study.

Funding sources include self-funding, funding by an employer or industrial partners; there are competitive funding opportunities available in most disciplines through, for example, our own university studentships or national (UK) research councils. International students may have options from either their home-based research funding organisations or may be eligible for some UK funds.

Learn more about the funding opportunities available to you.

Tuition fees academic year 2024–25

Standard fees are listed below, but may vary depending on subject area. Some subject areas may charge bench fees/consumables; this will be decided as part of any offer made. Fees for UK and international/EU students on full-time and part-time courses are likely to incur a small inflation rise each year of a research programme.

MPhil/PhD
	Full-time	Part-time
UK	£4,786	£2,393
International (including EU)	£15,900	N/A
International students registered in the School of Humanities and Social Science or in the School of Business and Law	£14,500	N/A

PhD by Publication
Full-time	Part-time
N/A	£2,393

Contact Brighton Doctoral College

To contact the Doctoral College at the University of Brighton we request an email in the first instance. Please visit our contact the Brighton Doctoral College page.

For supervisory contact, please see individual profile pages.