Peter Auf Der Heyde

Peter Auf Der Heyde is a Lecturer in Sports Journalism, Film, and Media at Southampton Solent University, where he has been a faculty member since 2015. Prior to academia, he spent over three decades as a sports journalist and photographer, specializing in South African sports and anti-Apartheid activism. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Soccer News, founded the anti-Apartheid Abany News Agency, and worked for the German Press Agency (dpa) as Head of Sport. His academic work bridges sport, society, and media, with a focus on politics, human rights, and the sociology of sport. He holds a BA (Hons) in German and a B.Journ from Rhodes University, as well as a PGCTLHE from 2017.

His research explores the intersection of sport and justice, particularly in Apartheid South Africa and the U.S., with a forthcoming book Death in Pretoria (Penguin/Random House, 2025) examining political executions under Apartheid. He has authored influential works such as Has Anybody Got a Whistle (2002) and presented at conferences like the International Association of Literary Journalism Studies (IALJS). He also serves as a Senior Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Sociological Research & Practice.

At Solent, Peter teaches modules including Sport, Media and Society, Transferable Skills, and Literary Journalism. His pedagogical contributions include pioneering the Transferable Skills module, now a core curriculum component. He actively engages with transnational academic partnerships, notably with the University of Vic in Spain and the University of Johannesburg.