Everton Announces Research Partnership

16 Oct 2016 | tshego

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Everton Football Club has announced plans with Liverpool Hope University for an official research partnership – the first of its kind between a Premier League club and university.

The five-year agreement will see the university work with Everton to provide academic resources to support the club’s research requirements in both the commercial and performance spheres, technology development and governance.

As well as assist the club with its commercial growth, Liverpool Hope will work with Everton in the Community to quantify and provide evidence of social impact with the club’s community programme.

In addition to the research side, both will benefit from a knowledge exchange through guest lecturers, placements and volunteering opportunities.

Professor Pillay, vice chancellor and rector, Liverpool Hope University, said: “The partnership between Everton and Liverpool Hope University developed because we share the aspiration of making a positive impact in and beyond our communities. The benefit of being in a long-term research relationship means our focus can be on the quality of the work and the impact made by our research. It is a great opportunity for the university and for Everton – but what excites me the most is the impact this partnership could have on our city, and potentially other cities, once the model is proven.

“Through our initial work with Professor Barrett-Baxendale we have been able to see the impact that Everton in the Community has made in our society. We are excited that both through her role as an Honorary Visiting Professor at the university, and our organisation’s collaboration, we will be able to make further significant progress in this hugely important area.”

Professor Barrett-Baxendale MBE, executive chair, Everton in the Community and director at Everton Football Club, added: “Everton in the Community and Everton Football Club have grown considerably over the past decade into larger, more professional organisations with greater resources. The quality of the support we will now get from Liverpool Hope, which has recently become the third highest ranked modern university in the country and one of the top 50 UK universities, is best-in-class. In order to achieve our ambition, we have a requirement for a dedicated research facility that can work across our organisation to benchmark, test ideas and help us take new initiatives forward. Having access to the expertise of post-doctoral researchers will give us an advantage in a number of areas, not least in our ability to optimise the life-changing and life-saving work in our local communities.”