University institute set to study sports and leisure

The Research Institute for Sport, Physical Activity and Leisure will be launched next month at Leeds Metropolitan University.

Director Prof Carlton Cooke said: “We are delighted that our university and major external stakeholders in the worlds of sport, physical activity, leisure, events, tourism and hospitality continue to recognise the critical mass of research excellence that exists in the five university research centres that comprise the institute.

“We look forward to continuing to develop our research across our university and in collaboration with other centres of excellence in the UK and beyond.”

Previous research at the university has included a project to help students with type 1 diabetes manage their condition.

Researchers also evaluated another project worth £1.6m funded by the Football Foundation to improve the state of men’s health particularly in deprived areas, while research into an anti-doping study found drug testing alone is not an effective deterrent in preventing athletes from taking performance-enhancing substances.

The institute is also evaluating the Royal British Legion’s Battle Back Centre at Lilleshall National Sports Centre in Shropshire, which is a £50m project over 10 years to provide development courses for the wounded, injured and sick.