Please call the press office on 01509 223491 to arrange an interview with Dr Verity Postlethwaite. Bookings can also be made online at globelynx.com.
Verity joined Loughborough University in 2023 as part of the University’s prestigious Vice-Chancellor Independent Research Fellowship scheme. In December 2024, Verity became a Lecturer and contributes to the learning and teaching on the varying Sport Management courses. Her research and enterprise activities are based in the School’s Sport, Business and Society research and innovation theme. Verity's research focuses on the use of events as catalysts for social and community change in the UK, Japan, and Australia. Beyond research, Verity proactively contributes to the University’s research and innovation culture, with expertise in inclusive partnership building and translating research into publicly accessible formats. She is an active contributor to vibrant Loughborough University activities and networks, including the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport, the Loughborough University Policy Unit, and the UNESCO Chair in Sport, Physical Activity and Education for Development.
Prior to joining Loughborough University, Verity completed an undergraduate degree in Politics (University of Nottingham), a postgraduate degree in International Law, Ethics and Politics (University of Birmingham) and a doctoral study exploring the governance of the ‘inspire a generation’ legacy aim connected to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games (University of Worcester). During her studies, Verity has cultivated opportunities to work abroad, be part of industry-based research projects and grow a network of collaborators. She has built these development and educational experiences through securing varying research, visiting fellowships and travel grants from a variety of funders including: the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Toshiba International Foundation, the British Society for Sports History, and most recently through a collaborative partnership with the Spirit of 2012.
In September 2024, Verity delivered a public lecture titled: London 2012 to Paris 2024: How important is social legacy at major international events? A recording of this lecture is available online.
Verity’s research is broadly focused on how events have been used in local, national, and international contexts as a catalyst for social changes associated with disability, gender, and geographic inequalities. Her research explores the governance, diplomacy, and policy processes involved in achieving social and community impacts through events. With an interdisciplinary research approach, she utilises a range of qualitative and quantitative methods to analyse the conceptualisations of legacy, sustainability, inclusion, and placemaking. A consistent thread throughout Verity’s eclectic research portfolio is the shared vision for creating equitable and inclusive opportunities for communities who are often marginalised or overlooked in governance processes. She currently leads on a ‘Learning Partnership’ project funded by Spirit of 2012, to use Spirit’s research and learning around inclusion and disability to create a digital learning resource.
Verity has contributed to several university-based research and innovation projects, leading to the publication of journal articles, industry reports, and edited book chapters. She is a co-editor of two edited book collections which feature representation from scholars across different national contexts, disciplinary perspectives, and career stages: Handbook of Sport and Japan (AUP, 2024) and 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Politics, Representation and Management (Routledge, 2023). Coupled with these formal publications, Verity continuously looks to forge communication and impact pathways between research and industry, with a particular speciality in translating research into strategic thinking and policy formation. She has contributed to discussions and debate on a variety of topics in local, national, and international settings, including:
- Co-lead on the Capital of Sport: A Feasibility Study, that tested concepts for a UK ‘Capital of Sport’ event underpinned by health and wellbeing outcomes (2023-2024).
- Co-hosted a Spirit of 2012 x Loughborough University Summit to bring together voices from across different networks to discuss and shape future debate on social and community legacy of events in the UK (2023).
- Invited attendee to the co-hosted Global Observatory for Gender Equality and Sport and UNESCO working meeting in Paris, France (2023).
- Invited panel speaker to the UKRIO Webinar Series event, ‘Research Culture: Environments & Accountability’ in association with GuildHE (2023).
- Invited panel speaker to the Sport for Development Coalition Town Hall event, ‘Beyond the Games: How can sport for development contribute to an impactful legacy for major events’ (2022).
- Invited Advisory Board member for a British Council Wales commissioned project ‘Wales and the soft power of sport’ (2019-2020).
- Invited contributor to the House of Councillors, Tokyo, Japan, for an ESRC funded event ‘Building Japanese research capacity around disability studies and sport to positively impact the lives of people with disabilities - 2020 and beyond’ (2019).
- Inclusion Advisory Board member for the Northamptonshire Football Association (2024 onwards).
- Member of the panel for the British Society of Sports History, Lord Aberdare Literary Prize (2022 to 2025).
- Research associate and consultant for Counsel Ltd. (2020-2024).
- Research associate in the Japan Research Centre at SOAS University of London (2019-2024).
Featured publications
- Takayuki Yamashita, Verity Postlethwaite & Gyozo Molnar (2024) Winter Sporting Cultures and Japan. In Helen Macnaughtan and Verity Postlethwaite (ed) Handbook of Sport and Japan, Amsterdam University Press, pp.232-244, ISBN: 9789048561056.
- Verity Postlethwaite (2023) The International Paralympic Committee, Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games, and the invasion of Ukraine. In Chadwick, S, Widdop, P, Goldman, MM (ed) The Geopolitical Economy of Sport: Power, Politics, Money, and the State, Routledge, pp.67-74, ISBN: 9781032390611. DOI: 10.4324/9781003348238.
- Verity Postlethwaite, Claire Jenkin & Emma Sherry (2022) Sport diplomacy: an integrative review, Sport Management Review, DOI: 10.1080/14413523.2022.2071054
- Adam Beissel, Verity Postlethwaite & Andrew Grainger (2022) “Winning the women’s world cup”: gender, branding, and the Australia/New Zealand As One 2023 social media strategy for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™, Sport in Society, 25:4, 768-798, DOI: 10.1080/17430437.2021.1980780
- Verity Postlethwaite, Geoffery Z. Kohe & Gyozo Molnar (2018) Inspiring a generation: an examination of stakeholder relations in the context of London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics educational programmes, Managing Sport and Leisure, 23:4-6, 391-407, DOI: 10.1080/23750472.2019.1591296
- Verity Postlethwaite & Jonathan Grix (2016) Beyond the Acronyms: Sport Diplomacy and the Classification of the International Olympic Committee, Diplomacy & Statecraft, 27:2, 295-313, DOI: 10.1080/09592296.2016.1169796
- Verity Postlethwaite (2014) Sochi Winter Olympics and the controversy of the Russian Propaganda Laws: is the IOC buckling under the pressure of its own incoherence in thought? International Sports Law Journal 14: 264–274 (2014). DOI: 10.1007/s40318-014-0059-z