PhD Studentship - Fostering Well-Being and Mental Health of Elite Soccer Match Officials

Project advert

Elite soccer officiating is a profession with substantial physical and mental demands with the responsibility to maintain integrity in the game. Match officials face a variety of stressors, including public scrutiny and abuse both on and off the field. Failure to effectively cope with these demands can lead to increased error and an inability to deal with non-sport life events, which may affect well-being and lead to dropout. Considering the complexity of the role and dynamic performance environment, match officials’ ability to cope effectively depends on the interaction of multiple factors, including socio-demographics, personality, stress appraisals, coping resources, and social support networks. This exciting fully funded PhD provides an opportunity to pursue postgraduate study within Manchester Metropolitan University’s Institute of Sport in collaboration with the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) governing body responsible for the training, development, and mentoring of elite soccer match officials in England. The PhD, as part of our growing, vibrant doctoral community, will use mixed methods approaches to understand how individual and environmental factors interact to protect and support match officials' mental health and well-being. Findings will provide PGMOL with effective and meaningful evidence-based interventions to support and protect match officials' mental health and well-being.

Project aims and objectives

Objectives:

1. Conduct a cross-sectional study to understand the interplay of socio-demographics (e.g., age, gender, culture, previous experience), personality traits, appraisals, coping resources, and social support networks in predicting the prevalence of mental health and well-being among soccer match officials.
2. Understand soccer match officials' lived experiences of mental health symptoms and well-being to facilitate the identification of individual, organisational, social, and environmental barriers and enablers to foster collective behaviour change to protect match officials' mental health.
3. Design and implement interventions informed by knowledge from the previous points, including evaluations of reliability and validity.
4. Provide PGMOL and applied mental health practitioners with applied interventions at individual, organisational, and social levels (e.g., media campaigns) to improve elite soccer match officials' mental health, well-being, and welfare in the game.

Funding

The student will be in receipt of a stipend payment; the Research Council minimum rate (set by UKRI) is £20,780 for 2025/26. This opportunity is only available to Home students. Home fees are covered.

Specific requirements of the candidate

Essential:

1. A first or upper-second-class BSc honours degree in sport and exercise science, psychology, or another related discipline.
2. An ability to critique and analyse scientific evidence, methodology, and data.
3. An ability to interpret and communicate complex data in terms that are easily understood.
4. An ability to maintain records and the organisation of data files using Microsoft Excel.

How to apply

Interested applicants should contact Dr Mariana Kaiseler (M.Kaiseler@mmu.ac.uk) for an informal discussion. To apply, you will need to complete the online application form for a full-time PhD in Sport and Exercise Science. You should also complete a narrative CV addressing the project’s aims and objectives, demonstrating how the skills you have map to the area of research, how your experience makes you suitable for this position, and why you see this area as being of importance and interest. You will need to upload your statement in the supporting documents section of the University’s Admissions Portal or email the application form and statement to PGRAdmissions@mmu.ac.uk.

Closing date: 30 May 2025

Expected start date: October 2025.

Please quote the reference: SciEng-MK-2025-Match officials well-being.

£20,780 - please see advert.