Four projects awarded UEFA research grants

The UEFA Research Grant Jury has awarded four grants for 2010 for doctoral and post-doctoral work being undertaken by researchers investigating European football.

UEFA had received 40 proposals for the first edition of its research grant programme, and the following projects have been awarded grants:

• Lilia Douihech (Université Paris 9 Dauphine): Le "droit au pari" des organisateurs de competitions sportives, instrument de lutte contre la fraude? (Betting duties in favour of the organisers of sports competitions – an instrument in the fight against fraud.)

• Dr Stanislas Frenkiel (Université Lyon 1 Claude Bernard): Une histoire de la condition d' 'immigré sportif': Etre football africain et travailler en Europe. (Historical study of the lot of the sporting immigrant: What it means to be an African footballer and work in Europe.)

• Dr Geoff Walters (Birkbeck, University of London): Corporate Social Responsibility in European Football.

• Dr Jean William (De Montfort University): Women's Football, Europe and Professionalisation 1971–2011.

UEFA considers all the topics covered in the four projects to have important links to its activities, as well as for European football. Participants have now ten months to provide UEFA with their reports.

The UEFA Research Grant Jury comprised members of the European football family and academics known internationally for their work in connection with the European game: William Gaillard (adviser to the UEFA president, chairman); Nodar Akhalkatsi (UEFA National Team Competitions Committee member); Per Ravn Omdal (UEFA honorary member); Giangiorgio Spiess (UEFA honorary member); Paul Downward (Professor, Loughborough University, England); Mikkel Draebye (Professor, SDA Bocconi, Milan, Italy); Gérald Simon (Professor, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France).

Under the scheme, research proposals – which are invited from areas such as economics, history, law, management, political science and sociology – are submitted to the research grant jury. UEFA encourages proposals focusing on governance and regulation in European football; specificity and autonomy of sport; challenges facing professional football such as illegal betting, doping and corruption; women's football; grassroots and amateur football; and youth development and movement of players.

Applications for the second cycle of the UEFA Research Grant Programme should be sent to UEFA before 31 March 2011. Updated regulations and information will be available on UEFA.com later this year.