Andy Harvey recieves funding for professional football research
Andy Harvey, doctoral research student and Teaching Assistant in the Department of Psychosocial Studies, has been successful in gaining funding for research into match fixing in professional football in Europe.
Andy Harvey, doctoral research student and Teaching Assistant in the Department of Psychosocial Studies, has been successful in gaining funding for research into match fixing in professional football in Europe. The project, 'Don't Fix It!' has been awarded a total of €300,000 EUROS (approx £240,000 GBP) over an 18 month period from 1 January 2013 - 30 June 2014. The research element of the project is worth approximately €24,000 EUROS (approx £19,000 GBP) and was submitted under the banner of the Birkbeck Sports Business Centre , and supported by one of the Centre’s Co-Directors , Sean Hamil. The project leader is FIFPro, the world professional footballers' union, who have headquarters in Amsterdam, and is co-funded by UEFA, the European governing body for football. Other partners in the project are professional footballer associations from Greece, Slovenia, Romania, Norway, Finland, Italy, Scotland and England. Welcoming the award, Andy Harvey says,
The project will help prevent match fixing in football through research-led education programmes, the sharing of good practice and targeted campaigns in eight countries. The project will significantly build the capacity of football authorities and organisations and public authorities to combat match fixing by addressing the factors that invite match fixing, such as low wages, harassment, intimidation, gambling and criminal activities. The project will train ‘focal points’ in each country who will take the lead against match fixing and will develop education programmes and confidential reporting tools that will provide accessible information to prevent match fixing and to report suspicions of match fixing. Using the unique access associations have to players, referees and officials, the project will develop targeted campaigns to promote a new FIFPro/UEFA Code of Conduct against match fixing and to warn of the dangers of match fixing. Birkbeck will undertake qualitative research to better understand the issues that lead to match fixing and will disseminate results of the research and good practice via conferences, reports, journals and other relevant means .
All queries about the project should be addressed to Andy Harvey at andrew.harvey@bbk.ac.uk or by phone on 07939 652029.