Emma has over 13 years of coaching experience in both hockey and football, which has seen her work with a range of age groups across both participation and elite levels. Most notably Emma previously worked with the England Women’s U17 football team delivering competition performance analysis. Since then, she has continued to coach at county and regional level for England hockey.  After working for the North Riding County FA Emma recognised that the education of coaches was paramount to the development and success of athletes. From here Emma went on to complete her PhD, evaluating an elite coach education programme for the Premier League. She was able to work with and within renowned football academies which has since provided some excellent connections for further research.

Emma’s research methodology is something which shows her uniqueness. Her research uses critical realism and realist evaluation. This philosophical methodological approach allows her to contribute in a different way to the current sports coaching landscape. Her research has been published in high quality international journals and presented at conferences in the UK and abroad.

Emma has a broad interest in the education and development of Sports Coaches across the UK. More recently however, Emma has begun to combine her personal outdoor interests with her research. In 2019/20 Emma and colleagues worked closely with Glenmore Lodge in Scotland to understand the expereinces of individuals in women-only/specific spaces. This has led to her current work with the Outdoor Partnership in North Wales, which seeks to examine the transition between training and career roles for outdoor instructors.

More boradly Emma's research interests cover;

- Coach education

- Coach Development

- Women-specific spaces

- Gender studies

- Embodiment

- Affect

- Sensory ethnography