A sport
management academic from Northumbria University, Newcastle, has been awarded a Distinguished
Service Award by the European Association for Sport Management.
The European Association for Sport Management (EASM) was established as an independent association of people involved or
interested in the management of sport.
It aims to
promote and encourage scientific research into sport management and to develop
professional practice, teaching and learning excellence in the subject. The
Association works with many international sport federations, non-government
organisations and higher education institutions, as well as the sport
management industry.
The EASM
Distinguished Service Award is intended to acknowledge the value and
contribution made in fulfilling the aims of EASM within a voluntary capacity.
Only the second
person to have ever received the accolade, Ruth
Crabtree, Head of International Development for Northumbria’s Faculty of
Health and Life Sciences, was presented the award during the 27th European
Sport Management Conference in Seville.
Ruth
has an international reputation and extremely strong academic credibility as a
sport management educator and has been teaching in Higher Education for over 20
years.
She
is often asked to contribute internationally to strategically develop the
discipline of sport management. Examples of this include designing academic
curriculum for programmes across the world and advising international sport
think tanks such as the Doha Goals Forum, which is the premier platform for world leaders to
advance social initiatives through sports.
Well recognised
as having a deep understanding of inter-cultural views and how this can impact
upon strategic development, Ruth is also often invited to conferences and
symposiums to present her views and ideas on how to advance sport management
across the globe.
Her
research specialises in sport tourism, in particular how to manage national
parks and tourism in countries such as Australia, North America and New Zealand.
The Northumbria academic is currently researching student engagement within
Higher Education and the changing nature of the student body and how this can
impact upon student’s learning.
Throughout her
career Ruth has been involved with many global sport organisations. As well as sustaining
her role as a voluntary EASM board member for 10 years, including the position
of the EASM treasurer as well as the position of EASM Vice-President, she currently
holds the prestigious posts of Vice-President of the World Association of Sport Management and
Advisor to the African Sport Business Association.
After stepping
down from the EASM board last year, Ruth was thanked for her dedication to the
organisation and honoured with the Distinguished Service Award.
EASM honorary
President Per Göran Fahlström described the award winner as “one of the unsung
heroes, who stays in the background while being one of the most important
drivers for the development of the association.”
Fahlström
continued, "The EASM Distinguished Service Award 2019 is presented to Ruth
Crabtree as recognition for her significant involvement and outstanding service
to the European Association for Sport Management. Ruth has worked for and
helped develop EASM over many years and in different capacities. Her
commitment, her leadership style as well as her collegiality and loyalty
represent the highest standards for the work in voluntary organisations like
EASM."
Speaking about
her award, Ruth said, “It was a real surprise and honour to receive the award
from EASM and it has been a privilege to work with leading scholars and
academics from across the globe. Working
strategically and having the ability to implement good practice and help
develop the academic discipline of sport management internationally has been a
joy.”
Ruth added, “It
has also opened up so many other opportunities for Northumbria staff and
students too, who have attended many events ran by EASM including: conferences,
summer school, PhD seminars, work placement opportunities, as well as the
European Sport Management Quarterly academic journal produced by EASM”.
Northumbria
University has an outstanding reputation for sports education. It was one of
the first universities in the UK to offer sports degrees more than 40 years
ago. The University provides students with state-of-the-art teaching facilities
and holds a strong reputation for teaching and research in physiology, strength
and conditioning, exercise science and sports management and coaching.
Many of the
University’s sports courses are accredited and endorsed by professional
associations and national governing bodies, with field trips and work placement
opportunities available at organisations which have included the International
Olympic Committee, Adidas and the Football Association.
Find out about our Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation courses at Northumbria.
