Dr Jim Lusted

Professional biography

Jim's research interests revolve around a critical examination of social inequalities in sport, focusing particularly on the structural and institutionalised barriers to participation for minoritised social groups. He has undertaken commissioned research for several institutions including The Football Association, The England and Wales Cricket Board, The Youth Sport Trust, Sporting Equals, Northamptonshire Sport and the Northampton Leisure Trust.

He has a particular interest in grassroots, recreational sport, developed from his PhD thesis completed in 2009 which investigated the implementation of The FA's equality policy into grassroots football. More recently he has turned attention to the social barriers to sport coaching, having recently co-edited the Routledge collection ''Race', Ethnicity, Racism and Sport Coaching'.

Jim's full list of publications can be found on his Google Scholar profile here and his ORCID ID is available here .

Jim has taught a wide range of sport related topics, particularly those related to the social scientific understanding of sport. He enjoys introducing learners to the discipline of sociology and applying key sociological theories and concepts to explore the relationship between sport and society. He also enjoys teaching research methods and approaches, particularly qualitative research designs.

Jim is currently module chair for E312 (Athletic Development: A Psychological Perspective), having previously co-chaired the Level 1 modules E117 (Introduction to Sport and Fitness) and E119 (Working with People in Sport and Fitness). He has also been an Associate Lecturer on E119 since 2019.

To find out more about the Sport and Fitness qualifications available at The Open University please click here .

Jim has worked with several sporting organisations to develop and implement recommendations related to improving access and experiences of minoritised groups in a range of sport and physical activity settings. He has held a number of Board positions in sport organisations including chair of Kick It Out's first Grassroots Advisory Group and vice-chair of Northamptonshire FA's Inclusion Advisory Group.

He has disseminated his research across several media outlets including BBC radio and the BBC Sport website and has published numerous blogs on topics including sport fandom, inequalities in sport and teaching and learning in Higher Education.

Jim has previously managed a number of student and staff exchange programmes across the world, including teaching on sport related programmes at University of Jvyasykla in Finland. He has undertaken collaborative research activities with colleagues from countries including the USA, Denmark, Australia, Holland, Finland and Ireland.