Paul R. Ford

Dr Paul R. Ford is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Sport, Exercise and Applied Science at St Mary’s University since 2020, and Theme Lead in the SWIFT Research Centre. He teaches on MSc Performance Football Coaching, MSc Sports Coaching, and BSc Chelsea Football Club Foundation Coaching and Development programs. Dr Ford holds a PhD from Liverpool John Moores University and previously worked at the University of Brighton. He is a National Teaching Fellow (Higher Education Academy, UK) and Visiting Research Fellow at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Institute of Sport.

His research focuses on skill acquisition, motor behavior, expert performance, soccer science, and youth talent development. He has secured significant external research funding and published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and books. Dr Ford supervises PhD students and serves as Associate Editor for journals, contributing to Research Excellence Framework evaluations. He co-founded and organizes the Expertise and Skill Acquisition Network (ESAN) Conference, now in its 10th edition.

Dr Ford’s consultancy work spans professional sports organizations like Real Madrid FC and UK Sport, leveraging his expertise in coach education and performance science. He previously served as an age-group coach in a Premier League academy and co-leads the BASES Skill Acquisition Special Interest Group. His work bridges scientific research and practical coaching applications in sport.