Sport and Health ─ Exploring the Current State of Pay

It is a common assumption that sport is good for us and that participation in sport embodies public health benefits. With sport being increasingly used to deliver public health interventions worldwide, this book critically examines the rationale and evidence for sport as a public health policy tool. It looks at sport interventions across the lifespan, for biological, psychological and social benefits, including those that utilise a settings based approach to health promotion such as professional sport clubs. Drawing on cutting-edge research which examines policy and practice at community and elite levels, this is important reading for anybody working in sport development or public health.

Dan Parnell is Senior Lecturer in Business Management at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, and Research Director of Connect Sport, a network that serves to raise awareness of and participation in community sport. Dan is primarily interested in the social role of sport through the evaluation of organisations and interventions using mixed and multi-method approaches both quantitative and qualitative. He currently conducts research with a number key strategic stakeholders in sport, including the Football League Trust, the English Premier League and the Football Foundation. This work concerns research with participants across the lifespan (including "hard-to-reach" groups), and extends to coaches, managers, chief executives, funders, policy makers and other stakeholders. Dan has led a number of club based interventions based on his work within the Everton Active Family Centre (a unique centre based at Goodison Park the home of Everton Football Club), has completed the national evaluation of the Extra Time programme, alongside completing a further three national evaluations concerning school sport, coach education and sustainable community facility investment.

Peter Krustrup is Professor of Team Sport and Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark and Honorary Visiting Professor, University of Exeter, UK. Peter has authored 200 original research articles, with a total of 8000 citations, and has got an H-index of 45. His three main research areas are Muscle Physiology, Human Performance and Health Effects of Sports. Currently, Peter is continuing his pioneering work on the fitness and health effects of football and other team sports. His research includes investigations of the cardiovascular, metabolic and musculoskeletal effects of team sports compared with other types of physical activity (PA), and its potential as prevention and treatment of lifestyle diseases. He is a UEFA A-license Coach and worked as assistant coach for the Danish Women’s National Team that won a bronze medal in the Euro 2013 tournament. He is an editor for European Journal of Applied Physiology and British Journal of Sports Medicine and has acted as guest editor for two "Football for Health" special issues in Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. He has received several research dissemination awards, such as Men’s Health Award and the Faculty of Science Media Award.