Daniel Parnell | University of Liverpool (original) (raw)

Papers by Daniel Parnell

Objective: We investigated what young children considered as being the outcomes of their particip... more Objective: We investigated what young children considered as being the outcomes of their participation in sport and physical activity. Methods: This study adopted a drawing elicitation method with 80 children (42 boys and 38 girls) aged 7-10 from 2 primary schools in the North of England. Results: Regardless of sex, 'getting fitter' was considered a main outcome of participation in sport and physical activity. Boys also identified 'becoming muscular' as a main outcome, while girls considered 'making new friends' as a main outcome. Conclusions: Parents, teacher, and coaches who are responsible for constructing sport and physical activity experiences for children need to ensure children are given opportunities to learn about the outcomes of sport and physical activity.

Authors: Cope, Ed; Bailey, Richard; Parnell, Daniel; Kirk, Ben
Source: Health Behavior and Policy Review, Volume 5, Number 1, January 2018, pp. 103-113(11)

http://ingentaconnect.com/contentone/psp/hbpr/2018/00000005/00000001/art00011

This study seeks to understand participation levels in sport across sociodemographic groups, spec... more This study seeks to understand participation levels in sport across sociodemographic groups, specifically for the period 2008-14, in the context of austerity measures taken by central government resulting in local authority income and expenditure reductions. Participation levels over time were analysed using data from the Active People Survey (APS), which was the preferred method for measuring participation by Sport England until its replacement in 2015. Budgetary constraints in local authorities have subsequently resulted in an expenditure decrease for non-discretionary services including 'sport development and community recreation'. This area of expenditure forms one component of sportrelated services and primarily focuses on raising participation in 'hardto-reach' groups. The study found that policy goals associated with raising and widening participation were not met to any significant degree between 2008 and 2014 as participation levels have changed little for lower income 'hard-to-reach' groups. It is claimed that this outcome is in part due to austerity measures impacting on local authority expenditure. This study has implications for policymakers and practitioners as it illustrates both the challenges faced in setting and delivering policy aimed at raising participation levels in 'hard-to-reach' groups, particularly in the context of austerity, and the difficulties associated with measuring participation.

The development of life skills has been associated with participation in sport, football and othe... more The development of life skills has been associated with participation in sport, football and other physical activities. A factor in enabling this ambition to be realized is the actions and behaviours of sports coaches. Drawing on the concept of positive youth development through sport, the first part of this paper considers the types of environments coaches need to create in order for players to develop life skills. The second part of this paper discusses formal coach education and its role in developing coaches' knowledge of life skills development. The third and final section of this paper offers an alternative explanation of how people's exposure to certain social contexts results in the development of life skills. A review of literature in these areas reveals that the role sport and football has played in players' development of life skills is unclear and in need of future research attention.

Drawing on four areas of our ongoing work, each with its own distinctive relevance to the Healthy... more Drawing on four areas of our ongoing work, each with its own distinctive relevance to the Healthy Stadia agenda, this paper addresses the tension inherent to programmes aiming to promote physical activity through sport. Our experiences highlight often unresolved, but certainly resolvable, tensions between the aspirations of the respective agendas. These are not small matters; better Public Health is a powerful driver of the Healthy Stadia agenda. In particular, we notice that the desire for sporting, over health, improvement can be an important challenge point. In the hard-to-reach groups we work with, sport often has strong -and only occasionally positive -connotations. Equally, the importance of generating powerful social experiences is seen in the PA 'camp' as being an imperative for encouraging the involvement of hard-to-reach groups. In contrast, in sport-oriented programmes, this is more likely to be seen as a happy bi-product of a good sport experience.

The use of third-generation artificial grass pitches (AGPs) is growing in English semi-profession... more The use of third-generation artificial grass pitches (AGPs) is growing in English semi-professional football. As usage grows, research into the impact of AGPs is needed, in order to examine the potential impact of such surfaces for a football club and local community. This article analyses the experiences of National League South club Maidstone United through a detailed case study. The club have installed an AGP at their stadium and are able to utilize it for up to 80 hours a week. All the club's 45 teams are able to train and play on the AGP, and other local sport clubs have hired it, arguably increasing Public Health opportunities. This means that youth teams, first team club players and community participants alike have access to a high-quality playing surface. This has raised the club's profile in the local community and increased income generation, supporting the financial sustainability of the club.

Less than 40% of men and 30% of women met the current recommendations for an active lifestyle and... more Less than 40% of men and 30% of women met the current recommendations for an active lifestyle and with insufficient physical activity levels, concerns prevail over the health and well-being of the UK population, along with thoughts as to how best to intervene. 1 There is developing interest in the use of sporting settings as a channel to connect people to health improvement services including Rugby League and Cricket. 2 While 'top flight' football clubs have also been deployed as a way for connecting to communities on health-related matters including those hard-to-engage groups from children to older adults. 3 An emerging body of research highlights football is associated with positive motivational and social elements that support the maintenance of a physically active lifestyle. Building on this interest, there has been substantial research output focused on football and health promotion. For instance, in a major development, researchers in Scotland recently shared clinically significant outcomes emerging from an RCT which assessed the impact of a gender sensitized weight management programme for men delivered in/by the Scottish Premier League. 5 Whilst, Bangsbo and colleagues continued their 'outstanding' research building upon the evidence of how football can support the treatment and management of a range of diseases across the lifespan. 6 Reflecting the diversity of research designs, which are deployed to assess the impact of interventions, a special issue on Football and Inclusivity was published in 2014 and highlighted the role of football in delivering a range of social-and lifestyle-related behaviours and conditions. 7 In our own Institution, colleagues at Leeds Beckett University have continued to report the impact of football-led health improvement in a range of settings across the adult lifespan including men and older adults. 8

Physical Education and School Sport (PESS) offers a key vehicle to support the development of lif... more Physical Education and School Sport (PESS) offers a key vehicle to support the development of lifelong participation in children and young people. At a time of government cuts and the emergence of external providers, including professional
football clubs, it is pertinent to explore current practice. This research set out to explore the delivery, and partnerships involved within the School Sports Premium, particularly the relationship between the community arms and registered
charities of professional football clubs and schools to deliver PESS. Semi-structured interviews with community managers from football community programmes and head teachers revealed two key themes; partnership working and the role of the community coach. Findings suggest the need to develop the scope of the partnership and to build methods of evaluation to understand the impact of the coaches’ practice in schools. Further evaluation of the partnerships between professional football clubs and schools would bring an increased understanding.
of the effectiveness and impact of the partnerships, in order to improve
practice and the subsequent effectiveness of PESS, in terms of its contribution
towards lifelong participation for children and young people.

The UK’s Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) in 2010, outlined £81 billion of cuts across governm... more The UK’s Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) in 2010, outlined £81 billion of cuts across government departments by 2014/2015. The Conservative–Liberal Democrat reform was premised on the ‘Big Society’ making up for their austere cuts to the state. In this piece, we debate the impact of this on sports development, taking the case study of inner city Liverpool. This example is marked because, on the one hand, it presents cuts to municipal sports facilities which are threatened with closure as a result of shrinking local authority budgets, and on the other, this role is partially taken on by an offshoot of Everton Football Club (EFC). The points we debate are: (1) is the change in responsibility from the local authority to a private enterprise, staffed by volunteers, a new turn in sport policy? and (2) what are the consequences of this on grassroots sport participation?

It has been suggested that football and communities are inextricably linked. Healthy lifestyles a... more It has been suggested that football and communities are inextricably linked. Healthy lifestyles are an important component in maintaining the sustainability of local communities, not least, because a convincing evidence base supports the holistic benefits that can be derived from health-enhancing behaviours, such as regular physical activity. As such, efforts to promote health improvement through sport and physical activity include those interventions delivered in professional sporting settings. Johnman and colleagues (Johnman and Mackie, 'The Beautiful Game') have heralded sports clubs as important venues for the delivery of health improvement interventions for a range of groups across local communities. This includes health improvement activities delivered in professional football club community schemes. While exemplary practice shows how health improvement programmes can be implemented and evaluated, our experience and engagement with professional football club community schemes supports the notion that more needs to be undertaken to help clubs develop monitoring and evaluation strategies in order to assess the impact of their health improvement programmes. In our short communication, we share our plans for helping two professional football clubs develop their monitoring and evaluation strategies for their community health promotion programmes. Potential outcomes emerging from this process are twofold. (1) To help club community schemes in-build and sustain monitoring and evaluation practices within their future health improvement provision. (2) To use the impact and process outcomes emerging from programme evaluations, to successfully secure the necessary resources to sustain future health improvement activities for their local communities. Outcomes emerging from this study will be of interest to football clubs and evaluators alike, as they seek to develop evaluation strategies for their health improvement programmes.

Community foundations and charities operating within professional football clubs are being champi... more Community foundations and charities operating within professional football clubs are being championed as a vehicle to deliver on the Public Health agenda. This personal commentary from the authors offers insight into the context of football for health drawing on the relevant research literature and their experiences working within the football industry in England. The football and health examples highlight under-resourced and under-evaluated interventions, whilst highlighting the importance of partnership working. The authors hope to support those in football and health in getting strategic through their interventions, evaluations and partnerships, in order to capitalize the potential of football in supporting the objectives of Public Health England.

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2012

Authors: Cope, Ed; Bailey, Richard; Parnell, Daniel; Kirk, Ben
Source: Health Behavior and Policy Review, Volume 5, Number 1, January 2018, pp. 103-113(11)

http://ingentaconnect.com/contentone/psp/hbpr/2018/00000005/00000001/art00011

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2012

Football in the Community (FitC) schemes have been operating within football clubs in the UK for ... more Football in the Community (FitC) schemes have been operating within football clubs in the UK for a number of decades. The rise of CSR within the broader societal context has resulted in these schemes being championed as a delivery arm for CSR through community engagement. Alongside this, FitC schemes (and community sport) have received unprecedented funding and support for sport based social change projects (i.e., crime, social inclusion and health). This enthusiasm to champion (and fund) football as a key vehicle to tackle social agendas has not been matched with funding to support research and evaluation.

Youth club managers stated that the SFS campaign has left a legacy within the youth clubs. Youth ... more Youth club managers stated that the SFS campaign has left a legacy within the youth clubs. Youth clubs have benefitted from new partnerships and will use the sports equipment to continue the activities provided and use the information learned to develop smoking prevention activities.

Viner [1] provides a compelling and timely insight into the health of our children and the import... more Viner [1] provides a compelling and timely insight into the health of our children and the importance of enhancing the current status quo, for few could argue the moral and economic rationale for looking after the children, our future. One key part of children's lives is education. It is pertinent to bring in a hotly debated topic, Physical Education and School Sport (PESS). The growing political interest in sport, echoed in education, highlighted the potential of PESS to contribute to broader political policy objectives. Consequently, back in 2002, the New Labour government decided to make PESS one of its policy priorities. The launch of the national PESS and Club Links (PESSCL) strategy in 2002 represented a major political and financial commitment by the Labour government to the creation of aground-breaking infrastructure for PESS. The rationale was that all children, whatever their circumstances or abilities, should be able to participate in and enjoy PESS [2]. Despite this, under the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government of 2010 and the majority Conservative government in place today, the sporting landscape changed significantly and abruptly over the period of a year [3]. The new coalition government announced the end of the PESSCL strategy and introduced a new investment in PESS through the PE and Sport Premium for primary schools. This involved the distribution of over £450 million directly to primary school head teachers to improve PESS between 2013 and 2016. This investment and outsourcing of PESS has resulted in the rise of a new type of external provider. The decentralization of decision-making on this investment to head teachers has seen a range of willing external providers that include small businesses, charities, social entrepreneurs and professional football clubs, whom compete for PESS funding [4]. This is important, as organised PESS may have been central to disengaging many of our long-term inactive people from any form of exercise [5]. Moreover, very little is known about the impact or potential of PESS, whilst at the same time having a vast array of outsourced providers delivering experiences through sport to many children who may not like sport, which could be contribute to inactivity in the present and future generations [6]. Without wishing to denigrate the value of PESS to children's current and future health outcomes, without empirical evidence, assumptions that primary school PESS can help tackle major lifestyle diseases appear amplified [6]. In agreement with the editorial, my intention is to add PESS to the debate. As with the call for action, given change and evidence, the flip-side to the status quo is a PESS programme that is at least playing a positive contributing part of children's health.

Re: Rise in mortality in England and Wales in first seven weeks of 2018 Hiam and Dorlings [1] edi... more Re: Rise in mortality in England and Wales in first seven weeks of 2018 Hiam and Dorlings [1] editorial and analysis is a welcomed contribution and timely prompt to keep the focus on the worsening health outcomes across England and Wales. Whilst evidence suggest life expectancy is likely to reduce for men and women in the United Kingdom (UK) [2], alongside a rise in infant mortality in the poorest families [3], it is critical attention remains focused on a key potential cause, austerity driven policy measures, especially for those in poverty.

Thorpe and colleagues (2014) offer a pertinent review of the literature and qualitative insight i... more Thorpe and colleagues (2014) offer a pertinent review of the literature and qualitative insight into an Aboriginal community sporting team and it's environment on the social, emotional and physical wellbeing of young Aboriginal men. Extending to the identification of barriers and motivators for participation. The impressive prospective outcomes highlighted within the article ranged from racism and discrimination through to health. There are many parallels in Thorpe's work that also emerge in Long et al's (2009) study of the literature on black and minority ethnic (BME) communities in sport and physical recreation in the UK. Disparities in patterns of participation, experiences of racism, and institutionalised attitudes manifest by players, practitioners and policymakers were merely some of the themes relating to barriers and constraints for BME groups. For us the conclusion that, participation in sporting environments with strong social networks, which reinforce cultural identity and pride, enhances the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people needs to be further examined. Thorpe and colleagues (2014) assessment of the role of the football club is something that we wish to explore further. In some senses the club, at least for the men, facilitated a number of positive outcomes that are worthy of further examination in regards to the chain of causation and consideration of process. Thorpe's argument reads in key places as a case of post hoc ergo propter hoc [after this (outcome) because of this (the club)]. The question for us is, can Thorpe conclude that football is ideally placed for these health promotion interventions that support health benefits, identity, cultural and communty cohesion or can we take more from this that the most important thing for Aboriginals is the bringing together of the community around shared enthusiasms because of its psychological potential for protection from racialised psychological harm? This then becomes the major catalyst for subsequent rather than consequent positive health benefits of being in a club. If Thorpe and colleagus (2014) were to consider their research from a different perspective that considered how social capital manifest itself, then they might draw out some insightful commentary on how sport can reinforce exclusion between groups and promote positive health messages at the same time. This contradicts dominant policy discourses. While playing in predominatly Aboriginal teams/settings, they were not only more conspicuous as targets for bigotry but they also used sport as a form of resistance. In this case the Aboriginal respondents emphasise the racialised processes that forced them to self-exclude from predominantly white teams/clubs, due to the oppression of racism. This process reflects the same strategies used by black migrants in Ireland who experienced similar forms of racialised barriers (Hylton, 2011). As a result, their self-exclusion and recourse to 'safe spaces' factor into their 'choice' of physical or leisure activities and hint at possible considerations in establishing health promotion strategies for the Aboriginal community.

Adab et al [1] highlight the challenges associated with tackling the obesity epidemic and the rol... more Adab et al [1] highlight the challenges associated with tackling the obesity epidemic and the role professional football clubs may play in this process. There is a common assumption by some in government, media and the general public that sport is unequivocally good. Football, and the brand English Premier League, has a global reach and mass youth appeal, which one could easily associate with a potential vehicle to harness health awareness and promotion messages [2]. However, adopting a philosophy of ‘football is good’ may be unwise, especially when exploring complex issues, such as obesity in children.

The inverse relationship between physical activity and obesity is relatively well-established [3], and there is growing evidence supporting the football as a context that can support the reduction of obesity [4], including clinically significant weight loss [5]. Yet, we need to understand the policy and practical conditions, such as physical education and school sport (PESS) settings, if we are going to realise the potential outcomes of any intervention. It seems appropriate to view the current PESS landscape within a broader policy context of austerity, triggered as a political tool to potentially mitigate the impact of the economic downturn in the UK and elsewhere.

Austerity-related policies impact sport through the closure of sport facilities [6], often hitting those in the most deprived areas hardest, whilst helping create a reality whereby government sport participation goals have not been met [7]. Within an environment of declining opportunity for sport participation, and the proverbial tightening of belts in school funding for PESS, the emergence of external providers and the outsourcing to private companies, including professional football clubs has become widespread [8]. This is a dramatically changing and unfamiliar environment, but one with which the different stakeholders in the battle against obesity must become familiar.

We support this research as adding further evidence about the potential of professional football clubs to deliver effective interventions and rigorous evaluations. Yet, we urge policy makers to strive for better-organised and delivered interventions, alongside challenging the false economy of broader austerity related policies, notably cuts to sport and leisure services and the outsourcing of PESS that may impact individuals, families and communities opportunities for quality physical activity and sport. Otherwise, there are likely to be further, and potentially more severe, public health and financial consequences in the future.

Sport for Development and Peace in Latin America and the Caribbean The aim of this special issue... more Sport for Development and Peace in Latin America and the Caribbean

The aim of this special issue for the Journal Sport for Development (JSFD) is to encourage critical discussions on sport for development and peace (SDP) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Despite a growing body of SDP evidence, there is a lack of research on the social dimension of sport in the LAC, where sport has been purposely employed as a social catalyst for more than two decades. Given the importance that SDP programmes are customized to local contexts, greater research specific to the LAC region is needed.

Call for papers as PDF available here

Potential topics to be covered in this special issue include but are not limited to:

The use of sport to promote social cohesion in underserved communities
Stakeholder perspectives and experiences in SDP
SDP programme design and implementation
SDP programme evaluation/assessment
Translating theory into practice
Social policy in relation to SDP
The use of sport and sport-based programmes for peace and conflict resolution, social inclusion, and/or urban violence
Sport and health
Sport and gender
Sport and inclusion of people with disabilities
Social legacy of sport mega events
Methodologically diverse/innovative research
Key dates and details for submissions:

To be considered for the special issue, upload your manuscript through JSFD’s online portal (www.jsfd.org) by Monday 16 January 2017. Please indicate that the manuscript should be considered for this special issue in your cover letter. All submissions will be reviewed by the guest editors prior to going through double-blinded peer review. We expect the special issue to be published in 2018. To discuss a potential submission, feel free to contact any of the special issue guest editors.

Contact details for guest editors and languages spoken:

Daniel Parnell, Manchester Metropolitan University (d.parnell@mmu.ac.uk), English
Alexander Cárdenas, Open University of Catalonia (alexcarmen@yabhoo.com), Spanish/English
Paul Widdop, Leeds Beckett University (p.widdop@leedsbeckett.ac.uk), English
Pedro-Pablo Cardoso-Castro, Leeds Beckett University (p.p.cardoso-castro@leedsbeckett.ac.uk), Spanish/English
Sibylle Lang, Geneva Centre for Security Policy (sibyllelang@gmx.de), German/English/French/Spanish.

Journal of Sport in Society.

The austerity measures ushered across Europe and Worldwide are not just worthless news headlines,... more The austerity measures ushered across Europe and Worldwide are not just worthless news headlines, meaningless figures on balance sheets, pointless social media notifications, or cuts to abstract places that exist ‘somewhere’. Rather cuts on public spending imposed by such measures have unintended consequences on real people and places. The long-term interaction between sport and politics is well documented. An example of this is the United Kingdom (UK).
An example of this is the United Kingdom (UK): The UK was governed for 13 years by the Labour Party. ‘New’ Labour, champions of the ‘third way’, ‘governance’ and ‘partnership’, who invested heavily in public services and reforms. By 2010, the British and global economy was in disarray, arising from a financial crisis that first emerged in 2008. Since May 2010, the UK has had a Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government, which has made significant attempts to tackle the economic downturn. Ultimately, via the Comprehensive Spending Review 2010, an outlined £81 billion worth of cuts across government departments by 2014/15 was delivered. Interestingly, a quarter of this was targeted at the welfare budget (which has been expanded further). Ultimately, an era has come to an end where sport has been supported and applauded, partly because of the financial crisis and partly because of a change in ideology. The consequences of this include wide-scale closure of leisure services, the transferal of physical resources to private or voluntary sectors, reorganization and reduction of local authority sport development units.
The purpose of this short UK example and insight is to pick out some of the pertinent (but not exhaustive) issues to the special issue: Sport management issues in an era of austerity. The aim of the special issue is to explore the consequence of these types of changes for sport, in doing so, we hope to (a) highlight the current state-of-play within sport development across European and International contexts, (b) to highlight some of theoretical, practical and policy implications related to sport management and (c) highlight future considerations for policy makers, applied researchers and practitioners.
Possible topics include (but are not limited to):
• Changes in responsibility shifting from local authority to private enterprise,
• Staffing changes towards the use of volunteers,
• The role and servicing needs of volunteers and coaching staff,
• Reduced funding for elite sport and impacts on sport policy,
• National Governing Body strategies to deal with funding reductions,
• Reduced funding for grassroots sport and its impact on lifelong participation,
• The current state of school sport,
• The emergence of social enterprise.

Please contact Dr. Dan Parnell via email if you have any questions: d.parnell@leedsbeckett.ac.uk

@parnell_daniel (short read followed by longer details) West Ham United are recruiting a Director... more @parnell_daniel (short read followed by longer details) West Ham United are recruiting a Director of Football. Huddersfield Town are recruiting a Head of Football Operations and Bury Football Club are recruiting a Sporting Director. This relatively new position(s) is very much in the minds of leaders in football, as Clubs are seeking to find a competitive edge. The Sporting Director role (or whatever alias Clubs use) is viewed as one way of doing so by providing a strategy and culture set for high performance on and off the pitch.

This book explores the current role of a football and football clubs in supporting and delivering... more This book explores the current role of a football and football clubs in supporting and delivering social inclusion and health promotion to its community and seeks to examine the philosophical, political, environmental and practical challenges of this work. The power and subsequent lure of a football club and its brand is an ideal vehicle to entice and capture populations that (normally) ignore or turn away from positive social and/or health behaviours. The foundations of such a belief are examined, outlining key recommendations and considerations for both researchers and practitioners attending to these social and health issues through the vehicle of football. This book was originally published as a special issue of Soccer & Society.