Staff profile

Iain joined Durham University in August 2014 having previously been employed as a researcher, lecturer and researcher at Loughborough, Southampton and Edge Hill Universities. He has a BSc in Mathematics from University of Edinburgh, an MA in Sports Development from Cheltenham & Gloucester College of Higher Education and a PhD in Sport Policy from Loughborough University.

Iain’s research has primarily examines sport policy and development, and has spanned global and national levels as well as a variety of local and community contexts. In doing so, Iain's research has made significant contributions to understanding of youth and community sport policy in the UK and international use of sport for development in countries of the global South. Iain's research has also drawn on and made theoretical contributions in the fields of political science and international development.    

Iain has published widely in sport, development and politics journals. He has co-authored two mongraphs: Sport Policy in Britain (with Professor Barrie Houlihan, Loughborough University) and Localizing Global Sport for Development (with Tess Kay, Ruth Jeanes and Davies Banda), and co-edited Implementing Sport Policy: Organisational Perspectives on the UK Sport System (with Marc Keech and John Hayton) and the 2nd edition of the Routledge Handbook of Sports Development (with Anna-Maria Strittmatter, Mike Sam and Kyle Rich) . His research has been supported by grants and consultancy from the Leverhulme Trust, Commonwealth Secretariat, Sport and Recreation Alliance, Sport England and UK Sport. 

 

Publications and Social Media Information

Google Scholar https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=UKQkJakAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

Researchgate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Iain-Lindsey

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/iain-lindsey/

Bluesky @iainlindsey.bsky.social

PhD Supervision

I welcome enquries and applications from potential PhD students who share any of my research interests listed below

• Grassroots Sport & Physical Activity Policies
• Practices and implementation in the UK sport and physical activity sector
• Theoretical approaches for sport policy research
• International Sport-for-Development
• Sport and Sustainable Development

• 2021: Keynote: 2nd International Conference of Sport for Development and Peace, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia:
• 2019: Visiting Professor, Seoul National University:
• 2019: Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Sport Policy and Policy:
• 2016 - 2023: Editorial Board Member, Journal of Sport for Development:
• 2009 - 2019: Co-Editor & Book Reviews Editor, International Journal of Sport Policy and Policy:

Authored book

• Localizing global sport for development
  
  Lindsey, I., Kay, T., Jeanes, R., & Banda, D. (2017). Localizing global sport for development. Manchester University Press.
• Sport Policy in Britain.
  
  Lindsey, I., & Houlihan, B. (2013). Sport Policy in Britain. Routledge.
• Enhancing the Contribution of Sport to the Sustainable Development Goals
  
  Lindsey, I., & Chapman, T. (n.d.). Enhancing theContribution ofSport to theSustainableDevelopment Goals [Contracted by publisher]. Commonwealth Secretariat.

Edited book

• Routledge Handbook of Sports Development
  
  Lindsey, I., Strittmatter, A., Sam, M., & Rich, K. A. (Eds.). (2026). Routledge Handbook of Sports Development. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003503910
• Implementing Sport Policy
  
  Keech, M., Lindsey, I., & Hayton, J. (Eds.). (2023). Implementing Sport Policy. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003162728

Journal Article

• A new normative underpinning for sport policy research: Advancing the field through thinking with political philosophy theory
  
  Lindsey, I. (2025). A new normative underpinning for sport policy research: Advancing the field through thinking with political philosophy theory. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2025.2599143
• Sustainable Elite Youth Sports: A Systematic Scoping Review of the Social Dimensions
  
  Schubring, A., Bergentoft, H., Caspers, A., Jaczina, K., Lundvall, S., Jacobsson, J., Barker‐Ruchti, N., Gojanovic, B., Lindsey, I., Loland, S., Pill, S., Bjørndal, C. T., Wals, A., Østergaard Nielsen, R., Hausken‐Sutter, S. E., Sevdalis, V., & Grau, S. (2025). Sustainable Elite Youth Sports: A Systematic Scoping Review of the Social Dimensions. Sustainable Development, 33(5), 7575-7590. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.3526
• Analysing the content of sport policies: Disciplinary approaches and new directions
  
  Lindsey, I., Wigham, S., & Keech, M. (2025). Analysing the content of sport policies: Disciplinary approaches and new directions. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 17(1), 43-59. https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2024.2378147
• Placing community at the heart of community sport development: introducing the community sport development framework (CSDF)
  
  Mori, K., Morgan, H., Parker, A., & Lindsey, I. (2025). Placing community at the heart of community sport development: introducing the community sport development framework (CSDF). Sport in Society, 28(3), 433-451. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2024.2355647
• Two decades of youth sport policy research: A augmented scoping review and synthesis
  
  Lindsey, I., Strittmatter, A., Hayton, J., & O’Gorman, J. (2024). Two decades of youth sport policy research: A augmented scoping review and synthesis. European Sport Management Quarterly, 24(5), 1001-1025. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2023.2233553
• Great Expectations: A Critical Review of Interorganizational Relationships in Amateur Sport
  
  Misener, K., Babiak, K., Jones, G., & Lindsey, I. (2022). Great Expectations: A Critical Review of Interorganizational Relationships in Amateur Sport. Journal of Sport Management, 36(3), 277-288. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2021-0240
• Sport for development and transformative social change: The potential of Margaret Archer’s Morphogenetic Approach to reconceptualise a longstanding problem
  
  Lindsey, I., & Wiltshire, G. (2022). Sport for development and transformative social change: The potential of Margaret Archer’s Morphogenetic Approach to reconceptualise a longstanding problem. Sociology of Sport Journal, 39(1), 78-87. https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.2020-0112
• Simplistic policy, skewed consequences: Taking stock of English physical education, school sport and physical activity policy since 2013
  
  Lindsey, I., Metcalfe, S., Gemar, A., Armstrong, J., & Alderman, J. (2021). Simplistic policy, skewed consequences: Taking stock of English physical education, school sport and physical activity policy since 2013. European Physical Education Review, 27(2), 278-296. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356336x20939111
• Gendered trends in young people’s participation in active lifestyles: The need for a gender-neutral narrative
  
  Metcalfe, S. N., & Lindsey, I. (2020). Gendered trends in young people’s participation in active lifestyles: The need for a gender-neutral narrative. European Physical Education Review, 26(2), 535-551. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356336x19874095
• Analysing policy change and continuity: Physical education and school sport policy in England since 2010
  
  Lindsey, I. (2020). Analysing policy change and continuity: Physical education and school sport policy in England since 2010. Sport, Education and Society, 25(1), 27-42. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2018.1547274