Alessio graduated in 2017 from the University of Westminster in International Business with Chinese, after spending one year in Shanghai as part of his studies. He then graduated from the University of Edinburgh in MSc Sport Policy, Management and International Development with distinction in 2018. His research focuses on the role of football toward improving the lives of refugees in the Central Mediterranean area within the Sport for Development and Peace sector. Other than being a doctoral researcher at Loughborough University, he currently serves as the managing editor for the Journal of Sports for Development.
Research
Research Title: Sport for Development and Peace: Inclusion through football for refugees in the Central Mediterranean area
The doctoral research project is a qualitative study of the practical value of football in the journey of refugees towards resettlement in Europe. It aims to critically understand the role that football can have towards the improvement of refugee lives in host countries. To achieve this aim, the research looks at aspects of the functional development of transferrable skills beyond sports. Moreover, it aspires to achieve transnational findings through the analysis of a migratory movement, taking into account contextual and generalizable aspects of refugees in sport.
External activities
- Managing Editor at Journal of Sport for Development (JSFD)
- Guest Speaker for the International Day of Sports for Development and Peace 2021– Liceo Scientifico dello Sport Adone Zoli, Atri, Teramo
Featured publications
- (Conference Abstract) A soft solution for a hard problem? Exploring the value of football for European refugee resettlement - ESA RN 28 Midterm conference 2021 – University of Teramo
- (Conference Abstract) Sports in liminal spaces: Reviewing the value of football in asylum seekers journeys to Europe and in refugee camps – QRSE Student Conference 2021 – Anglia Ruskin University