PhD studentship announced

Kayleigh Smith has been awarded a PhD studentship focused on understanding the drivers of safety at major sporting events.

Kayleigh has a first-class degree in Psychology from Edinburgh and is currently completing her Masters degree on psychological research. She will begin her studies in September for a three-year period, part-funded by the SGSA.

She will be under the academic supervision of Dr Anne Templeton and Professor Sue Widdicombe from the University of Edinburgh and Darren Whitehouse, Head of Strategy and Partnerships for the SGSA.

The studentship was announced in March as part of a new partnership with the University of Edinburgh. The project will establish how event organisers can make football events safer. It has two core research questions:

• how group processes between attendees impacts perceived safety at football events, and
• how demographic differences impact perceived safety and group relations.

Dr Anne Templeton from the University of Edinburgh said: “I am delighted that the SGSA is partnering with the University of Edinburgh for this research. The PhD project marks an important collaboration between academia, government advisory bodies, and stakeholders in sports grounds safety to understand how group processes impact safety at football events. Together, we will ensure the project involves cutting-edge, timely research with a direct pathway to influence practice and policy related to event management, and ultimately enhance safety at sports events.”

Martyn Henderson OBE, Chief Executive of the SGSA, said: “This is an exciting new collaboration for the SGSA.  Our aim is to enhance research into safety at sports grounds.  This PhD studentship reinforces our commitment to investing in high-quality research, which will further our own evidence base on which to shape future policies.”