Women in Sport and Exercise Academic Network Podcast

Verity Postlethwaite⁠ is a Lecturer in Strategic Event Management at Loughborough University and Co‑Chair of the ⁠WiSEAN 2026 Conference⁠ Organising Committee. ⁠Her work⁠ focuses on the social and community impacts of sport and major events. Verity currently plays a leading role in two major research projects as Loughborough University is a ⁠Spirit of 2012 Legacy Learning⁠ Partner and a ⁠UK Sport Social Impact Partner⁠, both of these projects are helping to strengthen how major events deliver positive, long‑term outcomes for people and places across the United Kingdom. We covered these topics WiSEAN 2026 Conference Host and Organiser – anything you’re looking forward to, in particular? What can delegates expect?Own area of research and UG/PG study. Why sportfrom politics?PhD on 2012 Olympic: Legacy/change for women?Other sporting events and social change. Specific examples women? Good practice in academia/as an early career researcher?Future research plans

Stacey Pope is a professor based in the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences at Durham University, UK. Professor Pope leads research in the area of women, football andinequalities. She is a leading guru in the area of women football fans. She has developed a new programme of work examining men’s responses to the growing visibility of women in sport and issues of sexism and misogyny. She also leads research on media coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and fans of the England women’s team. Her research has led to her contributing as an invitedexpert for various UK Government inquiries for Culture, Media and Sport and Women and Equalities select committees. She is committed to the public engagement of her work, with her research regularly featuring in the nationaland international media.Topics covered:Women fandom – experiences, change over time, internationally, differences inmen’s/women’s sport, as role models. Research used to inform policy (e.g., briefing paper DCMS and government inquiries);advice for others on how to start this process Recent paper on feminist research in a male-dominated world. Playing the numbers gameand the emotionless feminist Advice on funding Future plans.

Dr Stacey Emmonds is an Associate Professor in SportsPerformance in the Carnegie School of Sport at Leeds Beckett University. Dr Emmonds has extensive experience of working with professional sports teams, governing bodies and policy makers on consultancy and research projects. Shehas published over 50 research articles, book chapters andconference presentations in relation to sports performance and particularly women’s football. Alongside her research role, she works as a physical performance coach with the England women youth football teams as well as being an invited member of the UEFA Fitness for Football advisory board. We talk about: Stacey's journey into research – whether it wasit a natural progression from previous experience. Advice to others pursuing careers in football/research.Chapter in book (Women's Football) on talent identification and development – how this research has informed policy. What else is needed.Current research activities, e.g., English FA, ACL injury; how this research came about/evolved and key findings and actions.Collaborative work with other researchers and how to go about this/advice for others.Other research, e.g., in rugby and key findings and messagesFuture research-related plans. What more needs to be done.

Dr Margie Davenport leads the Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health, and has published more than 175 manuscripts related to physical activity and sport during preconception, pregnancy and the postpartum period. Over the last decade she has worked with a number of National/International organisations including FIFA, the World Health Organization, International Olympic Committee, Sport Canada, the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology and the American College of Sports Medicine, to support physical activity during and following pregnancy.Dr Davenport was the Chair of the 2019 Canadian Guidelinefor Physical Activity throughout Pregnancy, and the 2025 Canadian Guideline for PhysicalActivity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep throughout the First Year Postpartum. This work led to the development of the Get Active Questionnaire for Pregnancy, Get ActiveQuestionnaire for Postpartum and the Canadian Society forExercise Physiology/American College of Sports Medicine Pre & Postnatal Exercise Specialization.ContentCurrent research studies being undertaken/ PhD student activities.Recent systematic reviews (e.g., PA, sleep, pregnancy, postpartum): Overview/insightful findings;importance of systematic reviews (e.g., in PhD study/grant application); planned reviews for future. Guidelines for assessing maternal cardiovascular physiology during pregnancy and postpartum: Lab advice. Recent qualitative work. Evidence-based policies for pregnancy, postpartum, athletes. How guidelines in Canada differ from other countries. Out of all research articles/studies, the most proud of.Future plans. Perceived barriers.

Dr Ali Bowes is a Senior Lecturer in the Sociology of Sport at Nottingham Trent University. Ali primarily researches the sociocultural dimensions in elite women’s sport and is the co-editor of two books: The Professionalisation of Women’s Sport and Women’s Football in a Global, Professional Era. Ali has published 40 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, focusing mainly on qualitative methodologies from feminist perspectives, spanning topics including gender inequality in elite sport, equal pay debates, maternity rights, national identity, women’s sport fandom and media coverage. Ali has also discussed these issues extensively in popular spaces, featuring in a range of national and international media and culminating in being involved in the Netflix Documentary, “Game On: The Unstoppable Rise of Women’s Sport”. In this podcast: Sports researched/known for: Football, golf, rugby and what ‘binds’ these sports, in terms of their research approach An overview of the two chapters that were written in the book, Women’s Football: From Science to High Performance, one which was on strategic holistic workforce development and the other which was on eating disorders: Ideas and next steps. Two edited books, The Professionalisation of Women’s Sport and Women’s Football in a Global, Professional Era: How these came about and advice/top tips for others on book editing as well as approach to writing in general. Other research areas on e.g., motherhood, maternity rights and media coverage, and which most proud of. Media work & three Conversation pieces – rationale for doing and advice for others. Current research – key findings. Future research activities.

Christy Greenleaf, Ph.D. is a Professor of Kinesiology at Zilber College of Public Health, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Dr Greenleaf’s research focuses on psychosocial aspects of weight, physical activity and body image. In particular, she is curious about the lived experiences of individuals with larger bodies in health and fitness contexts and how weight bias, or negative attitudes and stereotypes towards individuals who appear to be overweight, manifests itself within physical activity settings. Dr Greenleaf's research seeks to inform practices for creating and supporting size-inclusive physical activity environments. To date, she has focused on media representations of fat exercisers in a televised weight-loss competition, women’s experiences related to plus-size exercise clothing and exercise motivation, as well as experiences of embodiment during physical activity. Most recently, she has begun exploring information on weight-inclusive and weight-neutral approaches to fitness and health directed toward fitness professionals. Dr Greenleaf has published 60 peer-reviewed articles, 15 book chapters and has made over 125 national/international presentations. Things we talked about in this episode: Current media image of what is deemed acceptable body type generally/in sport for women e.g., slender but curvy; change over time; other differences (physical disabilities, cultural). Differences in attitudes to body type in sport context versus fitness context. Weight bias amongst exercise professionals/health educators & health-neutral approaches. Sports clothing/apparel/environments for plus-sized individuals – problem, solution. Social media posts predicting behaviour. Impact of research Future research goals/activities.

About Dr Hanya Pielichaty and Critical Pedagogies in Sport When I retired from playing football in 2015, I had clocked up three decades of unwavering dedication to the sport. My experience of, and within, football shaped my childhood and adulthood in many personal and professional ways. My memories of football include wearing oversized shirts designed for the male form, playing on undulating pitches, paying my subs and of overwhelming joy. The joy football brings cannot be under-estimated; it stirs the grey matter in the brain, facilitates the smell of Sunday afternoon shin pads and most importantly brings you a sense of community that you didn’t know could exist. The backdrop to this joy was a relentless need to prove myself on and off the pitch, and not always related to performance, but to be able to sustain your presence in a male dominated and guarded space. This is discussed at length in my book where I interweave my own memories of playing into a broader study alongside other players’ experiences. My lived experiences of sport have shaped my professional and epistemological views of the world. My teaching covers modules relating to sport and society, and I also lead institutional equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) projects. A current study I am conducting explores the sense of belonging of students on male, white dominated degree programmes, such as Sports Business Management. I have found that my male dominated teaching spaces are reflective of my previous experiences in football. My feminist standpoint and approach to inclusive education must and does influence my teaching and learning practices. It is these experiences which led me to the creation of the Critical Pedagogies in Sport (CPIS) international network. The overall purpose of CPIS is to facilitate, support and share valuable practice relating to teaching and learning. It is hoped this will be achieved by interrogating what, why and how we teach in relation to inclusive education in sport. CPIS will be able to re/view, challenge, and address inequities in relation to teaching and learning which impact student experience. The aims of CPIS are as follows: To provide a space for academics to share, discuss, collaborate, and challenge the way in which T&L is framed, delivered, and understood within Higher Education. To host and facilitate network opportunities for critical pedagogical scholars to collaborate, innovate and create impact in teaching and learning practices. To bring together evidence-based research on critical pedagogies in sport to inform and transform T&L in sports Higher Education. Earlier this year (2023), I invited academics from across four institutions to join me in leading CPIS, they are: Professor Philippa Velija and Dr Catherine Phipps (both from Solent University), Dr Nik Dickerson (Loughborough University), Professor Chris Headleand (Staffordshire University) and Professor Belinda Colston (Eleanor Glanville Institute). Our own research which inspired us to develop this network includes work on the impact of gender regimes on students’ experiences and in relation to gender justice. The network is in its infancy but has already received overwhelmingly positive responses since its launch at the end of October 2022. The network currently has over 35 members, spanning 14 countries and is growing all the time. Academics who currently (or aspire to) teach across degrees such as sports business management, esports, sports and coaching, physical education, sport and exercise science, sports psychology, and sports technology, amongst others, will find this network valuable. We hope to put on collaborative events soon and undertake various writing projects. If you would like to learn more about CPIS and/or join the network, please do get in touch with me via email hpielichaty@lincoln.ac.uk and follow on Twitter @ CritPedSports.