Dr Hanya Pielichaty, Critical Pedagogies in Sport

The Women in Sport & Exercise Academic Network Podcast

About Dr Hanya Pielichaty and Critical Pedagogies in Sport

When I retired from playing football in 2015, I had clocked up three decades of unwavering dedication to the sport. My experience of, and within, football shaped my childhood and adulthood in many personal and professional ways. My memories of football include wearing oversized shirts designed for the male form, playing on undulating pitches, paying my subs and of overwhelming joy. The joy football brings cannot be under-estimated; it stirs the grey matter in the brain, facilitates the smell of Sunday afternoon shin pads and most importantly brings you a sense of community that you didn’t know could exist. The backdrop to this joy was a relentless need to prove myself on and off the pitch, and not always related to performance, but to be able to sustain your presence in a male dominated and guarded space. This is discussed at length in my book where I interweave my own memories of playing into a broader study alongside other players’ experiences.

My lived experiences of sport have shaped my professional and epistemological views of the world. My teaching covers modules relating to sport and society, and I also lead institutional equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) projects. A current study I am conducting explores the sense of belonging of students on male, white dominated degree programmes, such as Sports Business Management. I have found that my male dominated teaching spaces are reflective of my previous experiences in football. My feminist standpoint and approach to inclusive education must and does influence my teaching and learning practices. It is these experiences which led me to the creation of the Critical Pedagogies in Sport (CPIS) international network. The overall purpose of CPIS is to facilitate, support and share valuable practice relating to teaching and learning. It is hoped this will be achieved by interrogating what, why and how we teach in relation to inclusive education in sport. CPIS will be able to re/view, challenge, and address inequities in relation to teaching and learning which impact student experience. The aims of CPIS are as follows:

1. To provide a space for academics to share, discuss, collaborate, and challenge the way in which T&L is framed, delivered, and understood within Higher Education.
2. To host and facilitate network opportunities for critical pedagogical scholars to collaborate, innovate and create impact in teaching and learning practices.
3. To bring together evidence-based research on critical pedagogies in sport to inform and transform T&L in sports Higher Education.

Earlier this year (2023), I invited academics from across four institutions to join me in leading CPIS, they are: Professor Philippa Velija and Dr Catherine Phipps (both from Solent University), Dr Nik Dickerson (Loughborough University), Professor Chris Headleand (Staffordshire University) and Professor Belinda Colston (Eleanor Glanville Institute). Our own research which inspired us to develop this network includes work on the impact of gender regimes on students’ experiences and in relation to gender justice. The network is in its infancy but has already received overwhelmingly positive responses since its launch at the end of October 2022. The network currently has over 35 members, spanning 14 countries and is growing all the time.

Academics who currently (or aspire to) teach across degrees such as sports business management, esports, sports and coaching, physical education, sport and exercise science, sports psychology, and sports technology, amongst others, will find this network valuable. We hope to put on collaborative events soon and undertake various writing projects. If you would like to learn more about CPIS and/or join the network, please do get in touch with me via email [e-mail] and follow on Twitter @ CritPedSports.