About the project or challenge area

Pledgeball is a research-driven charity that works with sports fans and football clubs to tackle climate change through mobilising communities to make climate pledges. Pledgeball has a research arm which analyses the impact of pledging and is led by founder Katie Cross, trustee Professor Mark Doidge from Loughborough University, and adviser Jenny Amann. Pledgeball works with stakeholders across the football community, from the Football Supporters’ Association to clubs, from County FAs to leagues.

This challenge area is a partnership between the Cabot Institute for the Environment and Pledgeball. Students will work directly with academics from the Cabot Institute on a unique standalone project which will also aim to contribute to the mission of Pledgeball.

We are particularly looking for project proposals which explore the following research areas:

· Engaging football fans in climate action through behaviour change

· Supporting sustained lifestyle changes among football fans

· Football club values and their impact on fans

· Qualitative or mixed-method analysis of Pledgeball’s ‘pledges’

Cabot is an interdisciplinary research institute; we are keen to work with students who approach these research areas from diverse perspectives and using a range of methods, including innovative and creative methodologies.

Why choose this project?

This opportunity will appeal to students who are passionate about sport or football and its potential to act as a mobilising force for community action. You will have the opportunity to develop your own research question within the scope of your chosen research area. Research on climate change and football is an emerging area of knowledge, and students working with the Cabot Institute and Pledgeball as part of this research cluster will be at the forefront of new research.

You will be supervised in your research by experts from the University of Bristol. You may have an idea of who you want to work with, if not the Cabot MScR team can help you to identify the best expertise to guide you in your research.

About you

Applications are welcome from students from any discipline, providing you can demonstrate the research methods you will be using and how your skills align (or how you will access any required training). We also welcome applicants who can demonstrate knowledge, experience and skills developed in the workplace, or elsewhere, relevant to the area of research. We encourage applicants with questions about projects, research questions or potential supervisors to contact the Cabot MScR team on cabot-masters@bristol.ac.uk

How to apply

All students can apply using the button below, following the Admissions Statement (PDF, 188kB). Please note that this project requires a research statement - for further guidance, please see Section B of the Research Statement template (Office document, 74kB). 

This project is not funded, for further details please use this link.

Before applying, please get in touch with cabot-masters@bristol.ac.uk to discuss your supervisory team.