Chris Smietanka - Lecturer in Applied Sports Science for Coaching
I have been involved in community football for over 20 years. I am the founding member of the award winning FA Charter Standard Development Football Club, “Plymouth Marjon FC” that was developed with club volunteers and the University of St Mark and St John. Applied practice in football development will enhance your underpinning knowledge, experience and employability and I act as a bridge from your academic programme to the community club. I oversee the sport science support programme for Plymouth Argyle FC Youth Academy and the operational management for their Centre of Excellence. I can support you in gaining important volunteering or placement opportunities. I am a Coach Mentor for the FA and as part of the degree programme; students can apply to become part of the FA Young Coach Development Team. Once accepted onto the programme you can draw on the expertise of FA Coach Mentors and attend county, regional and national FA workshops and conferences to develop your theoretical understanding and coaching practice.
I have several areas of interest that the sport science disciplines underpin. This includes skill acquisition, performance analysis, physiological testing relating to performance, coach mentoring and the development of football within the wider community. My research interests are linked to the mentoring of coaches and how this impacts on the development of youth football players at grassroots level.
Dr. Ryan Thomas - Senior Lecturer in Sports Development & Coaching
I have over 20 years of experience in academia, with lecturing and management/strategic positions held across both further and higher education. I currently work across various programmes in the School of Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation, and specialise in modules related to coaching, the management and development of sport, work-based placements, and more specifically, talent identification. I enjoy seeing academic topics from the classroom being delivered in real-life practice, and this has often seen me integrating a range of industry-focused projects and partnerships into relevant modules. This enables students to benefit from the development of employer-related skills and meaningful integration into local and regional sporting networks. I believe that such real outcomes from learning are crucial to enhancing knowledge and understanding of complex social and sporting topics.
I recently completed my PhD, which used a relational approach to better understand the interactions, relations, ties and network formation in academy football. This work provided an important and novel contribution to the talent identification and development literature, predominantly through the relational sociological theorising of Nick Crossley. I have used some of this work to influence further scholarly activity and impact policymakers through presentations at national/international conferences, publications in academic journals, and knowledge exchange/workshops/CPD via the Premier League and Association of Sporting Directors. I also have previous employment experience as a Development Officer, Coach, Coach Educator and Mentor across various levels of football.
Ian Stonebridge - Associate Lecturer in Sport Coaching and Physical Education
With a background in the professional game, I am well placed to link the theoretical underpinning principles of coaching to their application in real-life football contexts. Having gained UEFA ‘B’ Licence and FA Youth Award coaching qualifications, I have an understanding of the football-specific knowledge required to coach in a range of different environments, from ‘grassroots’ to the elite game.
My recent MSc in Sport Coaching and ongoing PhD studies provide me with an up-to-date perspective of the research landscape relating to football. In terms of teaching, my work focuses on the coaching process, coaching philosophy and behaviour, and the coach-player relationship. My research interests focus on the study of coach behaviour and coach learning, with a particular focus on socio-cultural influences on specific coaching contexts.
Having been an apprentice at Tottenham Hotspur, I subsequently played professionally for Plymouth Argyle and Wycombe Wanderers, representing England at Under 18 level. I retired through injury and am now coaching in Plymouth Argyle’s Youth Academy.
Aaron Cusack - Lecturer in Physical & Coach Education
As a UEFA ‘A’ Licence holder I am able to create a learning environment that aids students in developing their coaching philosophy along with the critical understanding and appraisal of the coaching process. This is deployed and evaluated through the use of different coaching styles, behaviours and methods to enhance coaching effectiveness. My teaching interests are based around the application of sport science principles to performance, skill acquisition, performance analysis, participation and performance coaching.
My research interests are based around elite youth development in football focussing particularly on decision making during game play as part of a development pathway. Furthermore, I have a keen interest in neuroscience and how the brain functions under varying stressors in football. Currently, I am exploring how fatigue impacts on decision making in game situations.
I have been a Lead Coach within the Plymouth Argyle Youth Academy for the past 12 years and currently I am responsible for the Under 16 age group. I also Tutor on the FA Youth Award for the Football Association.
Dwain Morgan - Social Inclusion Manager at PACT
My role at the Community Trust is to oversee all Inclusion projects, including the securing of funding, management of practical delivery and the monitoring and evaluation of government programmes. My role requires me to work with key Sport Development partners such as the Premier League, Sport England and sport-specific NGBs, to deliver projects in order to ensure that sport is accessible to all.
My role within the BA Football Development and Coaching programme is to delivery lectures across a number of modules, in particularly Football in the Community. My role is to link academic studies to practical sport development opportunities, bringing theoretical content to life. Using links with local partners and the professional football club, my role is to further enhance learning by bringing together students and potential employers within the sporting sector to gain first-hand experience.
Mark Lovell - Head of Community
My role is to oversee the management of the Argyle Community Trust, to develop programmes, manage staff, complete development plans and budgets and liaise with key stakeholders on a daily basis.
I currently deliver a number of lectures and seminars based around a number of modules, these are a mixture of practical, theoretical and learner led. I aim to help link theory to practice and build upon previous learning. I provide insight into the football industry and into football development and coaching through the Trust’s work and through regional and national programmes that Plymouth Argyle FC are involved in.
