Jonny is currently a Research Associate in the School of Sport, Exercise, and Health Sciences, working with Professor Leanne Norman. He holds an undergraduate degree in Physical Education from Leeds Beckett University, a Masters by Research (MRes) in Physical Education, and a PhD in Sport and Physical Activity from Leeds Beckett University. After completing his PhD, Jonny worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Carnegie School of Sport at Leeds Beckett University.
Jonny’s research interests include gender equity in sport coaching, forced migration, sport and physical activity, qualitative research methods (including arts-based and creative methodologies), intersectional research, and social justice.
Jonny’s research primarily focuses on improving gender equity in sport coaching. His current Research Associate role seeks to improve the system conditions in which women coaches work and ensure that they are treated fairly in the system. More specifically, the role includes the development of a diagnostic tool for sport organisations to use to identify priority actions to improve the conditions for women coaches. The diagnostic tool will also help organisations understand their level of maturity in developing effective organisational practices under which women coaches can thrive.
Prior to joining Loughborough University, Jonny was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Leeds Beckett University, where he managed the insight for and co-authored the National Women in Coaching Taskforce Report, supported by Sport England. Importantly, this work focused on improving the working conditions and experiences of women coaches.
Jonny’s broader research interests stem from his doctoral research that explored the sport and physical activity experiences of care-experienced young people seeking asylum. Jonny’s work is driven by his passion for social justice, particularly in understanding how sport can better engage and support socially vulnerable groups. Jonny has also delivered and contributed to a range of qualitative and quantitative research projects for organisations including Women in Sport, UK Sport, UK Coaching, Activity Alliance, The Personal Best Foundation, and Coach Core.
Featured publications
- Norman, L., McGoldrick, M., Allen, J. and Martin, T. (2026) Reimagining sport coaching: Designing a system that works for women. Research Report: Women in Sport.
- Marks, K., Allen, J. and Kuppan, V. (2025) Behind-the-scenes insights from undertaking intersectional research in the field of sport and physical activity. Sport, Education and Society, 30(9), pp.1227-1241. DOI: 10.1080/13573322.2025.2486693.
- Stride, A. and Allen, J. (2025) Muslim students’ experiences of physical education: A scoping review. European Physical Education Review, 31(4), pp.599-621. DOI: 10.1177/1356336X241298637.
- Allen, J., Quarmby, T. and Dillon, M. (2024) ‘To a certain extent it is a business decision’: exploring external providers’ perspectives of delivering outsourced primary school physical education. Sport, Education and Society, 29(9), pp.1099-1113. DOI: 10.1080/13573322.2023.2264319.