معرفی
Paul Darby is a Senior Lecturer in the Sociology of Sport at the School of Sport, Ulster University, where he leads the Centre for Sport in Society and has been since 2002. Previously, he held a lectureship at Liverpool Hope University. His research focuses include football migration, disability inclusion in sport, Irish diaspora studies, and historical analysis of football-related disasters.
- Awarded PhD from Ulster University in 1997
Paul has authored over 90 peer-reviewed journal articles and three monographs: African Football Migration: Aspirations, Experiences and Trajectories, Gaelic Games, Nationalism and the Irish Diaspora in the United States, and Africa, Football and FIFA: Politics, Colonialism and Resistance. His work has been co-edited into two volumes on sport and the Irish diaspora, and football disasters. He is a founding member of the Sport Migration Network at Aalborg University and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
His research trends explore the intersection of sports sociology with disability studies, migration, and historical political economy. Recent publications analyze barriers to inclusion for disabled football fans, gambling marketing in sport, and child rights in global sports. He has secured grants from the ESRC, British Academy, European Union, UNICEF, and UK Sport.
- Honorable Mention - North American Sociology of Sport Association Outstanding Book Award (2023)
- Shortlisted for the 2023 Lord Aberdare Literary Prize
Paul supervises doctoral students in areas such as e-sports sustainability, football gambling in Africa, and visual impairment classification in para-sport. He has served as former editor of Soccer and Society and currently sits on the editorial boards of Soccer and Society and Impumelelo: The Interdisciplinary Electronic Journal of African Sport. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals including Reduced Inequalities and Decent Work and Economic Growth.
