Background

Born in Liverpool, attended Toxteth Technical HS. Apprentice Engineer and Assistant Foreman J. Lucas Ltd., BTech. in Production Engineering obtained at Loughborough University and PhD through CNAA while Lecturing at Heriot Watt University. Joined Loughborough University in 1985 as Senior Lecturer in Manufacturing Engineering. 1998 present position.

School Research Groups

Sports Technology

Research Interests and Activities

Research, analysis, measurement and testing of ball sports equipment.
Particular interests in golf, soccer, racket sports and rugby

External Activities

International conferences session chair:
2007 World Scientific Conference on Football, Antalya, Turkey.
2002 World Scientific Congress of Golf, St. Andrews, Scotland.

Invited lectures:
2007 World Scientific Conference on Football, Design and Manufacture of Soccer Balls, Antalya, Turkey.
• Referee for Journal of Sports Engineering, Journal of Sports Science, Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Collaborative Research:
Current examples include soccer and rugby ball advanced modelling and testing with adidas, rackets and cricket research with Dunlop Slazenger, sports footwear and apparel with adidas, golf equipment modelling with TaylorMade.

Strategic research collaborations:
Dunlop Slazenger, UK, since 1986, significant work has included computer based golf equipment research, rackets, cricket and hockey. Dunlop sponsored Chair in Sports Technology in 1998 and continued to provide fundamental research funding.
Callaway Golf, USA, since 1998, a significant programme of research concerned with psychology of sports equipment.
adidas, Germany, since 2001, our largest collaborator with major research activities into soccer and ovoid balls. Research has made significant contributions contributed to the 2004 and 2008 European Championship balls and to the 2006 and 2010 World Cup balls. Other adidas sponsored research is concerned with sports shoe and apparel technologies. An industrial integrated research doctorate programme was started in 2006 with 4 students in place.

Commercialisation of research:
2003 A spin out Company “Sports Dynamics” formed to commercialise the QuinSpin kicking assessment system
• Patents / licences
3 patents concerned with a soccer ball launch assessment system
1 patent concerned with hollow cricket bat technologies.

Awards

2001: Peterson Award from the Society for Experimental Mechanics:
Best Applications Paper in the journal “Experimental Mechanics”.
2007: 2nd Best Paper, World Scientific Conference on Football

Publications

View central admin publications database (new window)

Links

Sports Technology Research Group