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What is the background to the project?
- Sport has been identified as one of the seven best investments for promoting physical activity and in many countries worldwide, half of children participate in organised sport.
- However there is a socioeconomic gap in physical activity among children, where children from high income households are more likely to participate in sport compared with children from low or middle income households.
- From our recent research on the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on sport and physical activity for children, we found that families are struggling to cover the costs of sport and physical activity.
- Many parents discussed how sports clubs are also under pressure and operating in financially challenging times.
- To ensure that all children have an opportunity to participate in sport, there is a need for us to find out how sports clubs support low-income families and/or families that are struggling financially and to share these results and examples of good practice with sports clubs.
What is the aim of the study?
The overall aim of this study is to understand how community sports clubs support low-income and/or families struggling financially to enable children to participate in organised sport.
How can I get involved?
This study is due to launch in June 2025. It is an all-island study and we will be asking for those involved in the management/leadership of a community sports club/organisation that provides activities for children aged <18 years to complete an online survey.
You will be able to participate if you hold a position of management/leadership in a community sports club/organisation. For example:
- Chairperson / President / Director
- Vice/Assistant Chairperson / President / Director
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Club Manager / Supervisor
- Committee / Board / Executive Member
- Youth Representative / Underage Officer
- Fundraising Officer
If you would like to take part in this research you can complete the survey.
This is a multi-disciplinary research project involving researchers at Ulster University:
- Dr Maria O'Kane (School of Health Sciences)
- Roisin McCafferty (School of Health Sciences)
- Dr Angela Carlin (School of Sport and Exercise Science)
- Sinead Connolly (School of Sport and Exercise Science)
- Robert Deane (School of Sport and Exercise Science)
Lecturer in Healthcare Science
Dr Maria O'Kane
Lecturer in Healthcare Science
Dr Maria O’Kane is a Lecturer in Healthcare Science / Health Physiology in the School of Health Sciences within the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences. Maria was awarded a BSc and PhD from Ulster University. Since completing her PhD in 2016, Maria has worked as a Research Fellow / Walking In ScHools (WISH) Trial Manager within the School of Sport.
Prior to this, she was a Research Associate within the School of Psychology and a Clinical Trial Co-Ordinator within the Northern Ireland Clinical Trials Unit (NICTU). Maria’s research interests focus on health promotion, behaviour change and lifestyle interventions to improve health and wellbeing.
Lecturer In Physiotherapy
Roisin McCafferty
Lecturer In Physiotherapy
Senior Lecturer in Exercise and Health (Physiology)
Dr Angela Carlin
Senior Lecturer in Exercise and Health (Physiology)
Dr Angela Carlin is a Senior Lecturer and Course Director in the School of Sport and Exercise Science. Angela was awarded a BSc and PhD from Ulster University and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Angela’s research interests include the development and evaluation of interventions to promote physical activity in children and adolescents, the determinants of physical activity across the lifecycle, and the use of technology to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour. Angela has been involved in several national and international research projects and supervises doctoral students.
Angela is Principal Investigator on the Y-PATH NI project, involving the development and testing of the Youth – Physical Activity Towards Health intervention in post-primary schools in Northern Ireland. Angela’s current research collaborations also include the Walking In ScHools (WISH) Trial: A peer-led, school based walking intervention for adolescent girls, and EUMOVE, an Erasmus+ Project aimed at implementing a comprehensive set of strategies and resources to enable the educational community to promote healthy lifestyles.
Angela recently led the all-island research working group for the 2022 Ireland North and South Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. Angela has published >30 peer-reviewed research articles and disseminated her research at national and international conferences.
Lecturer in Sport & Exercise
Sinead Connolly
Lecturer in Sport & Exercise
Mrs Sinead Connolly is a full time Lecturer in physical education and sports coaching. She joined the School of Sport staff team in January 2008, prior to this Sinead worked as a physical education teacher for eight years and spent three years working as the Northern Ireland Coaching/Education Officer for the (then) Northern Ireland Institute of Coaching and Sport NI. As a Lecturer in the School of Sport the main focus of her work is in the areas of Sports Coaching and Physical Education. She teaches both theoretical and practical modules across both BSc programmes (sport studies and sport & exercise sciences). As the Learning and Teaching Coordinator for the School of Sport; Sinead leads the staff to develop, promote and grow the quality of provision so that the student experience is the very best it can be.
As a British Gymnastics, Coaching Ireland and Sport NI Coach Educator and Assessor Sinead has extensive experience providing coach education courses in both generic and sport specific settings and has made a significant contribution to the workforce development in gymnastics in particular. Sinead has co-authored a number of courses and resources in the areas of safeguarding children in sport, gymnastics and physical education. She worked closely with Gymnastics Ireland in the production of their GymEDGE programme.
In 2006 Sinead established Club GymFUN, a community gymnastics club based at Ulster University. This club has become a focus for the award winning Ulster University GymFUN Coach Education and Employability programme which has produced over 200 gymnastics coaches and has training more than 200 school teachers in gymnastics. In 2015 the Club was awarded the prestigious British Gymnastics Club of the Year NI award and was runner up in the national Club awards. Sinead’s contribution to workforce development was also recognised at these awards when she was runner up in the Coach Educator Category at the British Gymnastics National Awards.
