Francesca Dean

Francesca Dean is an Associate Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the Health Sciences University, specializing in integrating sport psychology into youth development programs. She teaches undergraduate students in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and is nearing completion of her PhD on sport psychology integration in English academy football. With seven years of experience as an Academy Performance Psychologist at AFC Bournemouth, she bridges theoretical and practical aspects in her teaching. Her research focuses on optimizing sport psychology delivery in professional football academies.

Education:

• Bachelor's in Sport and Social Sciences from the University of Bath
• PhD candidate (final stages) at Health Sciences University

Key Research: Explores how sport psychology can be effectively embedded into full-time youth athlete development programs, particularly in Premier League academies. Her work highlights practical applications of psychological interventions in high-performance environments.

Professional Background: Prior to academia, Francesca worked in applied sport psychology at AFC Bournemouth, applying theoretical frameworks to real-world athlete development.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with football academies and university research groups to advance sport psychology practices in youth sports.