In June the Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences at the University of Limerick hosted Professor Stephen Cobley from the University of Sydney. Professor Cobley is one of the world’s leading experts on athlete development in sport, having edited such key texts as the Routledge Handbook of Talent Identification and Development in Sport and Talent Identification and Development in Sport: International Perspectives.
In addition to meetings with various staff members about ongoing and potential future projects, Professor Cobley presented some of his research on Project H2gr0w: a long-term collaboration between Swimming Australia and The University of Sydney which seeks to enhance the development of young swimmers through applying a better understanding of growth and maturation.
The presentation, which in addition to UL staff and postgraduates was attended by representatives from various national and regional governing bodies for sport and researchers from Munster Technological University’s HExSpo Research Centre, showcased the origins and development of the project. The talk provided enlightening insights into what might be achieved through partnerships between academic researchers and sporting organizations.
In addition, Professor Cobley hosted a workshop for postgraduate students from both PESS and MTU, providing feedback on their work to date and guidance on how they might communicate the implications of their work to a broader audience.
Readers interested in finding out more about Professor Cobley’s work should review his Google Scholar profile; a number of key recent publications are listed below.
Youth sport dropout according to the Process-Person-Context-Time model: a systematic review
Dr Phil Kearney is the Course Director of the MSc Applied Sports Coaching within the PESS Department here at the University of Limerick. View Phil’s profile: https://pure.ul.ie/en/persons/philip-kearney
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