Within the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, our Special Interest Groups (SIGs) play a vital role in focusing research efforts and fostering collaboration among staff and students. One such group, the Performance Enhancement SIG, includes several members of the GSSPP team, who are actively engaged in a broad network of collaborators across a variety of sports disciplines.
As part of our quarterly SIG meetings, we were fortunate to welcome Alek Gross, Head of Performance & Medicine at Brighton & Hove Albion Women’s FC. The session was organised by Dr Liam Anerson and open to both staff and postgraduate students, who were able to join either in person or online.
Alek delivered an insightful presentation, offering a behind-the-scenes look into the daily operations and challenges faced by performance and medical teams in women’s sport. His talk extended beyond conventional approaches to performance enhancement, shedding light on some of the unique and complex issues within female football. The depth and nuance of Alek’s perspective were both thought-provoking and inspiring, prompting many of us to reflect on how we approach research in this space.
The session also highlighted the value of involving postgraduate students in discussions around current research and practical challenges. It’s an excellent way to integrate students into active areas of academic inquiry and professional practice. As the lead for the Performance Enhancement SIG, this experience underscored the importance of bringing in external voices more regularly. Doing so not only expands our collective expertise but also encourages us to think beyond the boundaries of our immediate academic groups.
If you’re reading this and would be interested in delivering a session for our SIG, we’d love to hear from you. A huge thank you to Alek for his time and for sparking such valuable discussion. We truly appreciated the opportunity to learn from his experience.
L.Anderson.4@bham.ac.uk