
BSc (Hons) Football Studies
The course is designed and tailored for those individuals passionate about football, enthusiastic to learn from the game in order to reach their aspirations to work within it....
Associate Professor of Sociology
Department of Sport and Health
Rory graduated from Solent University in 2010 with a degree in BA (Hons) Football Studies. Following this, he successfully completed an MSc in Sociology of Sport at Loughborough University. He returned to the University on a part-time basis in 2011, before being appointed as a Lecturer in 2014, Course Leader in 2016 and Associate Professor in 2020. He also completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in 2013, becoming a fellow of the Higher Education Academy shortly after.
He completed his PhD in 2015 under the supervision of Professor Eric Anderson. This research focused on the construction of masculinities among young, elite footballers in the UK. Since then, he has conducted a broad range of research in areas related to this – including football fans’ acceptance of homosexuality, sports media representation, anti-discrimination policy, male friendships and openly gay students in education. This research has been published in a variety of leading journals, in monograph format and as book chapters. His research also regularly appears in national and local newspapers, international news agencies and national radio.
He is currently working on an ongoing funded project focused on the experiences of LGBT football fans, as well as conducting research on non-exclusive sexualities, masculinities in cricket and experiences of head trauma in sport. He welcomes contact from potential PhD or MPhil students in any of these areas.
He also co-edits the Palgrave Studies in Masculinity, Sport and Exercise book series with Jamie Cleland and Eric Anderson.
Rory’s teaching predominantly relates to the sociological study of football. He teaches this across all three years of the Football Performance and Participation undergraduate provision, as well as at MA level. He is also involved in the delivery of research methods at undergraduate and postgraduate level, and supervises numerous dissertation students.
Rory is also the joint Doctoral Co-Ordinator in the School of Sport, Health and Social Sciences.
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