Tim Gabbett: When it comes to player welfare, communication remains the key

Allow me to set the scene — in 2013, Dr Cian O’Neill arrived in Cork Institute of Technology to head up a new department called Sport, Leisure & Childhood Studies.

The vision was to create an environment where the lifespan of human development could be taught, learned, and researched through courses and academic programmes that spoke to future practitioners in early years education, Montessori, and sport science.

Such aspirations require an awareness of change and progression in each domain in order to stay up-to-date with current research and methods of delivery. Sport science is regarded as one of the fastest changing domains in education, with technology impacting on the day-to-day work of applied practitioners.