Dr. Beth Clarkson is a Senior Lecturer in Sport Management and Development. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a regular reviewer of articles for a wide variety of academic journals owing to her multi-disciplinary approach to research that encompasses the disciplines of sports management, organisational psychology, sport psychology and sport sociology. 

Prior to joining the University of Portsmouth in 2016, Beth had 13 years’ experience coaching in elite youth football in the U.K., Europe and America, and holds a UEFA/FAW B License. She has held roles within the coaching industry as an academy soccer coach, performance analyst, PE specialist, area manager and also as a business development manager. Previous to her current role at Portsmouth, Beth also held a teaching position at the University of Winchester where she was the Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Sport Business and Marketing degree.

Beth has also consulted for international, national and local sports organisations on leadership, strategy and operations. 

Beth’s research interests are focused on three broad areas and their intersections: leadership, governance, and equality, diversity and inclusion. Specifically, Beth’s recent research has covered:

1. Equality, diversity and inclusion in coaching and management
2. Governance and management of women’s sport, focusing on women's elite football.
3. Leadership and emotion in performance groups.

Beth’s research has been previously featured in international and national media, including The Telegraph, The I, The Daily Mail, The Athletic, BBC Radio 4, the New York Times and Reuters. Beth has also written media articles for The Conversation on the lack of women coaches in football, the impact of Covid-19 on the future for women’s elite football, and most recently about the European Super League and women's football.

Her research has also been recognised internationally, most recently winning the 2020 Celia Brackenridge International Research Award for excellence in scholarship on women in sport. You can read her winning article here.

Beth teaches on the MSc. Sport Management and the BSc (Hons) Sport Management and Development degree programmes. She also is the External Examiner at the University of Roehampton for their BA Sport Management course. 

Beth currently supervises undergraduate, postgraduate and Prof. Doc research projects in a number of diverse research areas related to the broad areas of leadership, governance, gender and emotion. 

In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Beth is Chair of the School's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee and part of Athena SWAN assessment team and the Diverse Action Network.

Beth is available to be contacted by email for media requests.