The Feminisation of Sport Migration

Summary

Background

With the exception of a handful of studies, research on sports labour migration has focused on the experiences of male athletes. This is incongruous given that migration has become a more entrenched feature of women’s sport, particularly in football. The academic neglect of transnationally mobile female athletes has contributed to an incomplete understanding of the socio-economic, cultural, gendered and in some cases, racialised dynamics that underpin sports migration and the experiences of migrant athletes. Recent work (Darby et al, 2022; 2024 and Agergaard, 2024) has called for this lacuna to be urgently addressed.

This project will examine the motivations, experiences and career trajectories of female transational athletes and how their pursuit and/or production of mobility impacts on their individual and social identities. It is underpinned by the need to consider: host countries’ status in the global/transnational division of labour in women’s sport and global geographies of power; international female athletes as migrant labourers whose experiences are gendered and racialised; how particular local contexts influence the identities, migratory aspirations and subsequent experiences of migration; the gendered and precarious nature of sport as work, and the specific experiences of female transnational sport migrants around belonging and settlement.

Research Design

The project will likely utilise a mixed methods design including, but not limited to, interviews, (non)participation observation, documentary analysis and surveys. We are also open to the use of netnographic and arts-based methods.

Research Objectives

These general objectives should be adapted by applicants to reflect their interests when submitting their research proposal:

• To explore the transnational sports labour migration of female athletes within one or a range of sports across one or more geopolitical spaces;
• To examine the impact of migration on the athletes concerned in terms of mobility/immobility, sports performance, precarity, sport as work, belonging and settlement;
• To analyse how the pursuit and/or acquisition of spatial mobility impacts on female athletes’ individual and social identities.

Skills required

Applicants will possess: a demonstrable specialism in social science, sociology and/or the humanities or a related area; academic performance in these areas, evidenced through a relevant postgraduate qualification, conference presentations and/or peer reviewed publications, and evidence of independent research.

Supplementary skills might include professional or vocational experience of sport and/or labour migration as well as the ability to build relationships within women’s sport and with transnational migrants.

Essential criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

• Experience using research methods or other approaches relevant to the subject domain
• Sound understanding of subject area as evidenced by a comprehensive research proposal
• A comprehensive and articulate personal statement

Desirable Criteria

If the University receives a large number of applicants for the project, the following desirable criteria may be applied to shortlist applicants for interview.

• First Class Honours (1st) Degree
• Masters at 65%
• Work experience relevant to the proposed project
• Publications - peer-reviewed

Equal Opportunities

The University is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants from all sections of the community, particularly from those with disabilities.

Appointment will be made on merit.

Funding and eligibility

This project is funded by:

• Department for the Economy (DfE)
• Vice Chancellor's Research Scholarship (VCRS)

Our fully funded PhD scholarships will cover tuition fees and provide a maintenance allowance of £19,237 (tbc) per annum for three years* (subject to satisfactory academic performance).  A Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) of £900 per annum is also available.

These scholarships, funded via the Department for the Economy (DfE) and the Vice Chancellor’s Research Scholarships (VCRS), are open to applicants worldwide, regardless of residency or domicile.

Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

*Part time PhD scholarships may be available, based on 0.5 of the full time rate, and will require a six year registration period (individual project advertisements will note where part time options apply).

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies.