PSA Annual Lecture 2022 - Back of the Net: How Sporting and Political Goals Coincide and Contradict

We were delighted to welcome Laura McAllister, Professor of Public Policy and the Governance of Wales at Cardiff University, as the presenter of the PSA’s 2022 Annual Lecture on 15 December. 

An expert in sports governance, and a former Wales international football captain, Professor McAllister’s lecture coincided with the 2022 Men’s Football World Cup. You may be aware of her speaking passionately about her experience in Qatar and challenges to freedom of expression, on TV news and on the radio.

In her lecture, Laura drew upon her considerable experience in public policy and sport governance to reflect that sport and politics should be closely linked and harnessed to create positive social and political change. She outlined how there is still much to do among elected politicians and sport governing bodies to enable more voices to be heard, investment in sport  at the grassroots and to ensure that those who benefit from hosting global sporting events are held to the highest standards

The lecture was followed by a Q&A session in which audience members were able to participate by submitting questions for discussion, managed with consummate professionalism once again by the BBC's Political Correspondent Emma Vardy who chaired the event.