Dr. Richard Elliott

Area of expertise

• Socio-cultural aspects of elite sport
• Social psychology

Industry expertise

• Richard has worked in conjunction with The FA, Premier League, League Managers Association, Kick It Out, British Basketball League, Elite Ice Hockey League and professional clubs in a number of sports.

• Socio-cultural studies of sport
• Social Psychology
• Mental Health

• PhD – Loughborough University
• MSc – University of Leicester
• PGCLT(HE) – Southampton Institute
• BA (Hons) – King Alfred’s College
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

• Elliott, R. (2024). Mental Health and Sport: Supporting Elite Athletes. London: Routledge.
• Elliott, R. (Ed.) (2017). The English Premier League: A socio-cultural analysis. London: Routledge.
• Elliott, R., & Harris J. (Eds.) (2015). Football and Migration: Perspectives, places, players. London: Routledge.

• Elliott, R. (2024). Out of control: Athletes, migration, and the consequences for mental health. In. J. Maguire, K. Liston and M. Falcous (Eds.), Handbook of Sport and Migration. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.

• Elliott, R. (2017). A whole new ball game: 25 years of the English Premier League. In R. Elliott (Ed.) The English Premier League: A socio-cultural analysis. London: Routledge.
• Elliott, R. (2017). Winning the war for talent: foreign players, status and the English Premier League. In R. Elliott (Ed.) The English Premier League: A socio-cultural analysis. London: Routledge.
• Elliott, R. (2017). The best league in the world?: Predicting the future of the English Premier League. In R. Elliott (Ed.) The English Premier League: A socio-cultural analysis. London: Routledge.
• Elliott, R. (2015). Chasing the ball: The motivations, experiences and effects of migrant professional footballers. In R. Elliott & J. Harris (Eds.) Football and Migration: Perspectives, places, players. London: Routledge.
• Elliott, R. (2013). Reinventing the past: Youth and national team development in England and Germany. In A. Waine & K. Naglo (Eds.) On and off the field: Football culture in England and Germany. Berlin: Springer.
• Elliott, R., & Maguire, J. (2010). ‘Net-gains’: Informal recruiting, Canadian players and British professional ice hockey. In J. Maguire & M. Falcous (Eds.) Sport and Migration: Borders, Boundaries and Crossings. London: Routledge.
• Elliott, R., & Harris, J. (2015). Playing the long-ball game: Future directions in the study of football and migration. In R. Elliott & J. Harris (Eds.) Football and Migration: Perspectives, places, players. London: Routledge.
• Harris, J., & Elliott, R. (2015). Perspectives, places and players: An introduction to football and migration. In R. Elliott & J. Harris (Eds.) Football and Migration: Perspectives, places, players. London: Routledge.

• Elliott, R. (2022). Football, migration, and mental illness: Analysing the problematic nature of international transfers. European Journal for Sport and Society, doi.org/10.1080/16138171.2022.2075140
• Elliott, R. (2022). Winning football’s war for talent: Highly skilled migration and the making of the English Premier League. Soccer and Society, 23(4-5), 411-419.
• Elliott, R. (2021). The man who would be worth billions: Vincent Pericard, Migration and Mental Illness. European Journal for Sport and Society, 18(4), 293-309.
• Elliott, R. & Gusterud, E. (2018). Finding the back of the net: Networks and migrant recruitment in Norwegian football. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 53(1), 69-83.
• Elliott, R. (2016). Football’s Irish exodus: Examining the factors influencing Irish player migration to English professional leagues. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 51(2), 146-161.
• Elliott, R. (2014). Brits abroad: A case study analysis of three British footballers migrating to the Hungarian Soproni Liga, Soccer and Society, 15(4), 517-534.
• Elliott, R. (2013). New Europe, new chances?: The migration of professional footballers to Poland’s Ekstraklasa, International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 48(6), 736-750.
• Elliott, R. & Bania, K. (2013). Poles apart: Foreign players, Polish football and Euro 2012, Soccer and Society special issue, ‘Exploring the cultural, ideological and economic legacies of Euro2012’, Soccer and Society, 15(2), 256-271.
• Elliott, R. & Harris, J. (2011). Crossing the Atlantic from Football to Soccer: Preliminary Observations on the Migrations of English Players and the Internationalization of Major League Soccer, WorkingUSA, 14(4), 555-568.
• Elliott, R. & Weedon, G. (2010). Foreign players in the Premier Academy League: ‘Feet-Drain’ or ‘Feet-Exchange’? International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 46(1), 61-75.
• Elliott, R. (2009). ‘Feet-Drain’ or ‘Feet-Exchange’?: Examining the Effects of Elite Foreign Footballers in the Premier Academy League. Birkbeck Sports Business Centre Research Paper Series, 2(2), 71-87.
• Elliott, R., & Maguire, J. (2008). ‘Getting Caught in the Net’: Examining the Recruitment of Canadian Players in British Professional Ice Hockey. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 32(2), 158-176.
• Elliott, R., & Maguire, J. (2008). ‘Thinking Outside of the Box’: Exploring a Conceptual Synthesis for Research in the Area of Athletic Labour Migration. Sociology of Sport Journal, 25(4), 482-497.
• Maguire, J., Mazur, Z., Wawrzyczek, I. & Elliott, R. (2009). ‘New Europe, Old Games’: Making Sense of Anglo-Polish Media Coverage of England versus Poland Football Matches. Sport in Society, 12(2), 141-154

• Elliott, R. (2021). ‘Football, migration and mental illness: Analysing the problematic nature of international transfers.’ Paper presented at 17th European Association for Sociology of Sport Annual Conference, Andalucía: Spain.
• Elliott, R. (2019). ‘Suffering in silence: Elite migrant footballers and the risk of mental illness’. Paper presented at 16th European Association for Sociology of Sport Annual Conference, Bo: Norway.
• Elliott, R. (2018). The precarious nature of foreign sojourn: Vincent Pericard, migration and mental illness. Paper presented at 15th European Association for Sociology of Sport Annual Conference, Bordeaux: France.
• Elliott, R. (2017). Winning the global war for talent: Immigrant players, status and the English Premier League. Invited paper presented at High Point University and the University of North Carolina Greensboro, North Carolina, USA.
• Elliott, R. (2016). Networks and migrant recruitment in professional football: An analysis of the Norwegian Tippeligaen. Paper presented at 13th European Association for Sociology of Sport Annual Conference, Copenhagen: Denmark.
• Elliott, R. (2015). Ireland’s loss, England’s gain: An analysis of the factors influencing Irish player migration to English professional football leagues. Paper presented at 12th European Association for Sociology of Sport Annual Conference, Dublin: Ireland.
• Elliott, R. (2015). From the Baltic to the Solent: Some preliminary observations on the role that football can play in the integration of Polish migrants in Southampton. Paper presented at Football as Inclusive Leisure, Southampton: England.
• Elliott, R. (2014). Professional football, commercialisation and the sponsorship, advertising, media axis. Invited paper presented at Encontro Internacional de Futebol Unisport, Sao Paulo: Brazil.
• Elliott, R. (2014). Elite youth development and ‘feet-drain’ in Brazilian football. Invited paper presented at Encontro Internacional de Futebol Unisport, Sao Paulo: Brazil.
• Elliott, R. (2013). Hungary for a chance: A case study analysis of British professional footballers’ migrations to the Hungarian Soproni Liga. 10th European Association for Sociology of Sport conference, Cordoba: Spain.
• Elliott, R. (2012). Football and international relations: People, places, power. Invited paper presented at Football: Politics of the global game, Warsaw: Poland.
• Elliott, R. (2012). Poles apart: Examining the migrations of professional players to Poland’s Ekstraklasa. International Sociology of Sport Association World Congress, Glasgow: Scotland.
• Elliott, R. (2012). The global game, the global league: Examining the globalisation of the English Premier League. Invited paper presented at University of the West of England Hartpury Sports Management Conference,Gloucestershire: England.
• Elliott, R. (2011). ‘Back to the future’: Assessing the problems facing youth development in English grassroots and elite level football. Leisure Studies Association Annual Conference: Leisure in Transition: People, Policy and Places,Southampton: England.
• Elliott, R. (2010). Football’s ‘other’ transfer market: Examining the effects of foreign players and processes of ‘feet-exchange’ in the Premier Academy League. Centers and Peripheries in Sport, Malmo: Sweden.
• Elliott, R. (2010). The athlete as highly skilled migrant: Examining the significance of a conceptual synthesis in athletic migration research. Sport and Diaspora, Lisbon: Portugal.
• Elliott, R. (2009). A game of two halves?: Foreign players in the English Premier League. Invited paper presented at Central Council for Physical Recreation European Summit, London: England.
• Elliott, R. (2009). Football’s foreign exchange: Challenging perceptions of foreign player involvement in the English Premier Academy League. Play the Game: 6th World Communications Conference on Sport and society, Coventry: England.
• Elliott, R. (2009). Football’s new ‘foreign legion’?: Foreign players in the Premier Academy League. Invited paper presented at FC Business Live Player and Coach Development Conference, Birmingham: England.
• Elliott, R. (2008). ‘Feet Drain’ or ‘Feet Exchange’?: The Effects of Foreign Players in the Premier Academy League. Invited paper presented at ‘Feet Drain’: An Opportunity for Players and a Loss for Nations Conference, London: England.
• Elliott, R. (2007). ‘Ever Increasing Circles’: Exploring the recruiting motivations of coaches in British professional ice hockey. Paper presented at 4th Conference of the European Association for Sociology of Sport, Munster: Germany.
• Elliott, R. (2005). Crossing Blue Lines and Baselines: North Americans in British Elite Basketball and Ice Hockey. Paper presented at the British Sociological Association Sociology of Sport Research Group 1st Annual Postgraduate Research Forum, London: England.

• Elliott, R. (2014). League Managers Association Review of Conduct in Technical Areas. Burton: League Managers. Association.
• Elliott, R. (2011). League Managers Association Review of Technical Areas. Warwick: League Managers Association.