For several years, the University has worked closely with WWR to advance female participation in wheelchair rugby, contributing to significant rule changes introduced earlier this year, the first major revisions to the sport’s regulations in many years.
Building on footage collected at the European Championships in April, Owen gathered additional match video to support a detailed analysis of how the new rules are influencing game play and player involvement. The footage will be processed by newly appointed Research Assistant Lauren Filer, who will support the systematic coding and data analysis.
Reflecting on the data collection in Thailand, Owen commented:
“It was an incredible experience capturing the video footage at the IWRF Asia-Oceanic Championship in Bangkok, it was a great opportunity to contribute to the growth and understanding of wheelchair rugby. I would like to extend my appreciation to WWR for looking after me and making me feel welcome”
Alongside video analysis, qualitative insights are being captured by Lucy Handford, who is conducting semi-structured interviews with players, coaches, and support staff. These discussions aim to gather first-hand experiences of the rule changes and the broader implications for participation and performance.
By integrating quantitative and qualitative methods, the project seeks to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the sport’s evolving structure and to support efforts to grow wheelchair rugby on a global scale.
The PHC team extends its thanks to Richard Allcroft and the WWR office for their continued support in facilitating this work.