50 years of Sport Science

Five decades ago, Liverpool Polytechnic made the decision that the combination of its own academic excellence and the city’s sporting history provided the perfect opportunity to launch the world’s first degree in sports science.

Dr Vaughan Lancaster Thomas was joined in this quest by PhD graduate Tom Reilly and Frank Sanderson. A sports science lab was created and in September 1975, the first 22 students enrolled on the world’s first sports science degree. It was a revolutionary programme, which included input from scientists and engineers from across the existing Polytechnic programmes – these included biomechanics, pharmacy, genetics, chemistry, biomedical sciences and data sciences, as well as pure sports and performance science.