This content is associated with The Open University's Sport and Fitness courses and qualifications.
World Cup 2023
Read our football content offering an insight into the challenges faced by females playing the beautiful game.
-
World Cup 2023: is it a case of USA or England?
In this article Simon Rea introduces the 2023 World Cup and assesses who are the potential winners.
Article
Level: 1 Introductory
-
A World Cup legacy for generations to come
It is now common that major sports events are accompanied by a legacy plan that defines the longer lasting benefits and opportunities it can promote.
Article
Level: 1 Introductory
-
Sub-concussions in women’s football: what can be done to protect the brains of footballers?
In this article Simon Rea explores the issue of sub-concussions in women’s sport and why research is so important to prevent long-term injuries.
Article
Level: 1 Introductory
-
From headlines to hashtags: is the FA doing enough to promote gender equality through social media?
Recent studies suggest that social media can play a role in promoting gender equality in sport, but are the governing bodies taking sufficient action? Steph Doehler explores in this article.
Article
Level: 1 Introductory
-
How inclusive is women’s football?
Despite it being an important site for gender equality, not everyone’s experiences in women’s football are the same.
Article
Level: 1 Introductory
-
Why do female footballers experience knee injuries and what can be done?
A study in 2019 found female footballers had more than double the incidence rate of an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury compared to male football players. Nigel Wright looks at the reasons behind this.
Article
Level: 1 Introductory
Women in sport
Discover a series of articles on women in sport, such as the challenges faced when returning to compete after becoming a mother, issues facing grassroots cricket, and the importance of female leadership in sport. Then check out a set of animations looking at the menstrual cycle, breast health and pelvic floor and how these impact women when participating in sport and fitness.
-
Women in sport
Ever thought about sports and wondered, but what about for a woman? These articles cover specific topics concerning women in sport, considering questions such as, what if Eliod Kipchoge was a woman? Are women leaders the key to growing women’s sport? What about motherhood, what are the challenges in returning to sport or starting up a new sport?
Article
Level: 1 Introductory
-
Issues in women's health in relation to sport and fitness
Explore some themes in women's sport in the following animations.
Article
Level: 1 Introductory
Fanatical about sport? Try one of our free courses
-
Supporting female performance in sport and fitness
Do you support women’s performance in sport or fitness as a coach or parent? Are you a female athlete who wants to optimise your performance using recent research insights? If so, then this free course is for you. It addresses the problem of sports science research traditionally being male dominated and the assumption that if it works for men ...
-
The business of football
This free course, The business of football, was produced by The Open University working in partnership with The English Football League Trust. If you are fascinated by men's and women's football and interested in discovering more about business and management, then this engaging and stimulating course is for you.
-
Sporting women in the media
The mass media (e.g. radio, TV, internet) has become one of the most powerful institutional influences in society. This free course, Sporting women in the media, explores whether gendered inequalities exist in sport by evaluating the media coverage. The media can be highly influential in shaping perceptions about gender in sport and headlines ...
-
The athlete’s journey: transitions through sport
The athlete’s journey through sport can be characterised by several transitions and periods of change. This course is designed to help you understand that journey, whether in reference to a professional or recreational athlete, and the nature of support they may need at different times. The course also provides practical guidance, whether ...
-
Coaching others to coach
Are you responsible for supporting sport and physical activity coaches to become inspirational and excellent in their practice? This course is designed for coach developers, educators, mentors and tutors who support coaches to improve. You will explore how people learn, what are the skills and qualities of an effective coach of coaches, as well ...
-
Communication and working relationships in sport and fitness
This free course, Communication and working relationships in sport and fitness, explores the personal skills that underpin so much work in sport and gyms. We often hear employers refer to the importance of these interpersonal relationships or ‘soft skills’ in sport and fitness, and in this unique course you’ll build valuable insights into ...
-
Exploring sport coaching and psychology
This free course, Exploring sport coaching and psychology, investigates how scientific and management ideas contribute to success while also taking you on a journey through unique sporting case studies and insights that will change how you view and study sport. You will consider how the mind, the body, the environment and training techniques all...
-
Exploring the psychological aspects of sport injury
Have you ever experienced a sport injury? Have you ever thought there could be a psychological dimension to sport injuries, as well as a physical one? Sport injury is relatively common among sport and exercise participants, and while the physical impact of injury is often easy to recognise, the psychological impact is less obvious. In this ...
-
The football World Cup: where sport and politics collide
Occasionally, controversies arise that remind us of the link between sport and politics. It was once common for leading figures in the sporting world to declare that sport was, effectively, a politics-free zone. Sport was cast as the perpetual innocent party, liable to be corrupted by any connection with politics. However, it has become ...
-
Learning from sport burnout and overtraining
Sport can place high levels of stress on athletes, coaches and others involved. If unable to cope with these stresses they may be vulnerable to developing burnout. This free course, Learning from sport burnout and overtraining, examines burnout in sport from various perspectives including both the coach’s and athlete’s perspective. Drawing on ...
-
Training for endurance in sport and fitness
In this free course you will explore an important aspect of strength and conditioning which refers to the physical preparation of athletes: endurance. You will look at the physiological factors that underpin endurance and assess how endurance can be developed relative to performance in a range of sports.
-
Training for speed and power in sport and fitness
In this free course you will explore two aspects of strength and conditioning in sport and fitness: speed and power. Strength and conditioning is the physical preparation of athletes and in this course you will explore the physiology of speed before looking at training methods to develop speed. You will also look at power which is a concept ...
Rate and Review
Rate this article
Review this article
Log into OpenLearn to leave reviews and join in the conversation.
Article reviews