Hayley Fitzgerald

Professor Hayley Fitzgerald is a faculty member at Leeds Beckett University within the Carnegie School of Sport. Her work focuses on disability, physical education, and youth sport, with a commitment to participatory research and social justice. She teaches social and cultural aspects of leisure, sport, and physical education while supervising four PhD students.

Research Focus

• Primarily explores disability studies, sociology of sport, and equity in physical education.
• Advocates for inclusive, participatory research strategies involving young people.
• Theorizes using British disability studies and Pierre Bourdieu's frameworks.

Leadership and Engagement

• Co-convener of the British Educational Research Association's PE and Sport Pedagogy Special Interest Group.
• Chair of the United Kingdom Disability Sport Coaching, Learning, and Leadership Group.
• Active in the Centre for Social Justice in Sport and Society (CSJ).
• Delivered a TEDxLeedsBeckettUniversity talk on aging and sport.
• Professional boxer and coach, challenging age and gender stereotypes.