Dr Francesca Champ
Sport and Exercise Sciences
Faculty of Science
Email: F.M.Champ@ljmu.ac.uk
Telephone: 0151 231 2783
ORCID
Dr Francesca Champ is a Lecturer in Psychology of Football and teaches across the undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes within the School of Sport & Exercise Sciences. Francesca is the module leader for Current issues in Science and Football, and returns to Liverpool John Moores University after having completed her undergraduate degree in Sport and Exercise Science, postgraduate degree in Sport Psychology and doctoral degree on the psychological development of elite youth footballers at the university.
Francesca's main research interests are psycho-social development and identity in professional football, organisational and cultural sport psychology, applied sport psychology consultancy and mental health in sport.
Francesca is a BASES accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist (Psychology) who currently works with elite athletes across a variety of sports to facilitate performance. Through her research and applied consultancy within professional football, Francesca has attained a number of international awards including the 2016 Aspetar 'Excellence in Football Research' award at the European Congress of Sports Science; the 2016 Human Kinetics 'Best Student Free Communication Presentation' award at the British Association for Sport and Exercise Sciences Annual Conference; and the 2017 Routledge 'Early Career Researcher' award by the Football Collective.
Francesca is currently working with stakeholders nationally and internationally to explore mental health in professional sport, and is part of a supervisory team working on a project to explore the mental health of professional female footballers in the Women's Super League (WSL).
Languages
English
Degrees
Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom, PhD
Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom, MSc Sport Psychology
Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom, BSc (Hons)
Certifications
British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Accredited Sport Scientist (Psychology)
Higher Education Academy, Fellowship
Academic appointments
Lecture in Psychology of Football, Liverpool John Moores University, 2020 - present
Lecturer in Sport Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University, 2019 - 2020
Lecturer in Sport & Exercise Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, 2017 - 2019
Journal article
Feddersen NB, Champ F, Littlewood MA. 2025. The Sport Psychology Canvas: Designing, adapting, and documenting Sport Psychology provisions in men’s football academies in England Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, DOI Publisher Url
Andrew M, Ford PR, Alder SE, Champ FM, Brownlee TE, Datson N, Causer J. 2024. Talent development in female soccer: Developmental activities of professional players in England Journal of Sports Sciences, :1-12 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
McGinty-Minister K, Swettenham L, Champ FM, Whitehead AE. 2024. “Smile more”: Women’s experiences of sexism while working in sport from a social ecological perspective Sport in Society, :1-24 DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Feddersen NB, Champ F, Sæther SA, Littlewood M. 2023. How Psychologists in Men's English Football Academies Evaluate Their Working Context and Adopt an Appropriate Professional Practice Framework Sport Psychologist, 37 :170-178 DOI Publisher Url
McGinty-Minister K, Champ FM, Eubank ME, Littlewood MA, Whitehead A. 2023. Stakeholder conceptualisations of mental health and mental illness in English Premier League Football academies Managing Sport and Leisure, DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Feddersen NB, Champ F, Sæther SA, Littlewood M. 2022. Confidentiality and surveillance challenges for psychologists working in men’s football academies in England Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Martin AM, Champ F, Franklin Z. 2021. COVID-19: Assessing the impact of lockdown on recreational athletes PSYCHOLOGY OF SPORT AND EXERCISE, 56 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Perry C, Champ FM, Spandler H, Macbeth J. 2021. Mental Health and Elite Female Athletes: A Scoping Review Psychology of Sport and Exercise, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Champ FM, Ronkainen NJ, Littlewood MA, Eubank M. 2020. Supporting Identity Development in Talented Youth Athletes: Insights from Existential and Cultural Psychological Approaches Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, 11 :219-232 DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Champ F, Ronkainen N, Tod D, Eubank A, Littlewood M. 2020. A tale of three seasons: a cultural sport psychology and gender performativity approach to practitioner identity and development in professional football QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN SPORT EXERCISE AND HEALTH, 13 :847-863 DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Champ FM, Nesti MS, Ronkainen NJ, Tod DA, Littlewood MA. 2020. An Exploration of the Experiences of Elite Youth Footballers: The Impact of Organizational Culture Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 32 :146-167 DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Champ F, Ronkainen NJ, Nesti MS, Tod D, Littlewood MA. 2019. ‘Through the lens of ethnography’: Perceptions, challenges, and experiences of an early career practitioner-researcher in professional football Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, DOI Author Url Publisher Url Public Url
Perry C, Chauntry AJ, Champ FM. Elite female footballers in England: an exploration of mental ill-health and help-seeking intentions Science and Medicine in Football, DOI Author Url Publisher Url
Chapters
Stratford A, Champ FM. 2024. PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSITIONS Women’s Football: From Science to High Performance :134-143 DOI Publisher Url
Champ FM, McGinty-Minister K. 2024. MENTAL HEALTH IN PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S FOOTBALL Women’s Football: From Science to High Performance :144-155 DOI Publisher Url
Champ F, Cook GM. 2023. CAREER TRANSITIONS IN SPORT Routledge Handbook of Applied Sport Psychology: a Comprehensive Guide for Students and Practitioners, Second Edition :282-290 DOI Publisher Url
Research Grants Awarded:
UK Coaching, Care for coaches, Colum Cronin, Amy Whitehead, David Tod, Tabo Huntley, Colin Lewis, Grant value (£): 15,ooo, Duration of research project: 6 months. 2022
British Universities and Colleges Sport, Monitor and Evaluate FA Women's Leadership Programme, Allistair McRobert, Kristin MInister, Grant value (£): 3,500, Duration of research project: 8 months. 2022
Liverpool Football Club Women's, Senior Performance Psychologist (consultancy contract), Zoe Knowles, Grant value (£): 20,000, Duration of research project: 8 months. 2021
Liverpool Football Club Women's, Senior Performance Psychologist (consultancy contract), Zoe Knowles, Grant value (£): 20,000, Duration of research project: 8 months. 2020
BUCS, Design a Monitoring and Evaluation System for the FA Universities Women's Leadership Programme, Allistair McRobert, Rebecca Murphy, Grant value (£): £2,000, Duration of research project: 10. 2020
Conference presentation:
Mental health and wellbeing in professional women's football (Keynote), Flourishing in and Beyond Sport, Amsterdam (online), Oral presentation. 2022
Career Transitions in Professional Football, Wellcome Trust funded Event, University of Strathclyde, Oral presentation. 2019
Development & Performance: Integrating Psychology from Academy to First Team, Psychology in Football, Liverpool John Moores University, Oral presentation. 2019
Personal, ethical and cultural dilemmas associated with practitioner-research, Ethnography Symposium, Copenhagen, Oral presentation. 2019
Developing Elite Youth Footballers: A Psychosocial Approach, Invited Speaker, University of Central Florida, Oral presentation. 2018
Psychological Development in Professional Youth Football: An Ethnography of Sport Psychology Practice, Football Collective, Manchester, Oral presentation. 2016
Reflections from a Female Sport Psychology Practitioner Working in Elite Level Professional Football: Practitioner Identity and Development., European Congress of Sports Science (ECSS) Annual Conference, Vienna, Oral presentation. 2016
Challenges of Confidentiality in Elite Level Professional Football, BASES Annual Conference, Nottingham, UK, Oral presentation. 2015
Media Coverage:
AXA Health and Wellbeing Series. Available on LFCTV and AXA Social Platforms 2021
Online article. Liverpool Football Club Women's (opens in a new tab)
Other Professional Activity:
1st Team Performance Psychologist, Liverpool Football Club Women's. 2021
Membership of professional bodies:
Ambassador, Football Exchange Women's Network. 2021
Fellowship, Higher Education Academy. 2019
Accredited Sport & Exercise Scientist, British Association of Sport & Exercise Sciences. 2017
Other invited event:
Flourishing in and beyond the game, Amsterdam, Design, Implementation and Delivery of a Mental Health Strategy in Professional Women's Football. 2021
Editorial boards:
Managing Sport and Leisure Journal, Editor. 2020
Award:
Routledge Early Career Researcher Award, Football Collective. 2016
Human Kinetics Student Free Communication Presentation Award,, British Association of Sport & Exercise Sciences Annual Conference. 2016
‘Excellence in Football Research Award’, Aspetar, European Congress of Sports Science. 2016