Philippa Velija
Biographic Data
| ID | 257347 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Philippa Velija |
| GIVEN NAMES | Philippa |
| FAMILY NAME | Velija |
| SIGNATURE | VELIJA P |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Roehampton |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7689-4803 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 23 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 83 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
‘ I think I could see the turning point … people just came for good cricket ’: The Women's Big Bash League, The Hundred and female cricketers’ experiences of professionalisation
In this article, we discuss elite female cricketers’ experiences of playing during a period of rapid organisational and commercial change. As the first article to centre research specifically on the women who are playing cricket through this period, we draw on the wider lens of research on gender and professionalisation to document how elite female cricketers experience the global game. Utilising semi-structured, online interviews with elite fema…
The efficacy of coaches’ delivery of teaching personal and social responsibility in a youth sports club
Background This study was framed upon a Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) innovation at an Alpine ski racing youth sports club. Our purpose was to explore four coaches’ perspectives on the integration of TPSR into their coaching practice. Specifically, we integrated TPSR with an existing ski training programme, over 10 continuous weeks in Winter 2023, at an Australian commercial mountain resort. Author 1, who works at the resort …
Soccer, society and motherhood: Mothers, daughters and tackling gender norms
A systematic review of figurational sociology within physical education research
The Hundred: A sociological analysis of gender relations and the (semi-) professionalisation of women's cricket in England
In this article, we adopt a critical sociological perspective to understanding gender relations and cricket, through the lens of The Hundred - a new, short-form tournament, described by the England and Wales Cricket Board as being part of its long-term commitment to making cricket a gender-equal sport. The Hundred is the first sporting tournament in the world which, from the outset, featured fully aligned competitions for both men's and women's t…
Every day we'd have an arranged activity, so she'd have football, swimming, dance, gymnastics: A sociological analysis of parenting and sports-based enrichment activities for the under-fives
In this article we provide a sociological analysis of parental choice in pre-school sports and physical activity, as a form of concerted cultivation, to understand the uptake of sports-based physical activity (PA) enrichment activities in England. Despite a growth in the under-five pre-school enrichment market, little is known about why parents pay for their under-five child(ren) to participate in sport and/or PA enrichment or how this relates to…
Parents perceptions of online physical activity and leisure with early years children during Covid-19 and beyond
Prior to Covid-19, businesses offering enrichment activities for pre-school aged children were saturating the early years (0–5 years) market. However, the pandemic caused sudden changes to family routines with regular leisure activities cancelled. Using Lareau’s theory of concerted cultivation as a framework, we explored how physical activity (PA) was managed by parents of pre-school children and how routines changed during the pandemic. A UK nat…
That's where you start to think like, does anyone actually listen to or watch women's sport?' Gender Regimes and Students Experiences on Higher Education Sport Courses
In this article we apply theoretical tools from the work of Elias and Connell to critically discuss the ways in which gender relations on Higher Education sport courses are manifested and experienced by students. Drawing on data from an analysis of curriculum, as well as interviews, surveys and workshops with students across a range of sport courses at one university, we explore curriculum design and the ways in which knowledge is presented which…
Hearing their voice’: The experiences of physical education with pupils diagnosed with severe learning disabilities
The number of children educated within maintained Special Educational Needs (SEN) Schools, known as special schools, in England has continued to rise since 2006, yet the ‘pupil voice’ of children and young people with severe learning difficulties and those attending special schools remains limited in current research. Drawing on Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony (see Jones, 2006), this study aimed to provide an under-represented group with th…
We just thought everyone else is going so we might as well’: Middle-class parenting and franchised baby/toddler swimming
In this paper, we examine the continual and rapid growth of privatised baby/toddler swimming franchises (birth to 4 years) as part of a wider trend and market growth of baby/toddler sports, for example, Rugby Tots, Baby Ballet, and Little Kickers (football). Throughout the paper, we apply Bourdieu’s concepts of capital and habitus to understand parents’ motivations for taking their baby/toddler to organised swimming classes. These sporting activi…
Women's Empowerment
This entry discusses women's empowerment, a concept commonly used in academic and nonacademic contexts. Four themes are discussed: conceptualizing and problematizing what is meant by the term “women's empowerment,” outlining differing components in understanding women's empowerment, reviewing the challenges in measuring women's empowerment, and summarizing ongoing debates and issues when discussing women's empowerment
Print Media Narratives of Bullying and Harassment at the Football Association: A Case Study of Eniola Aluko
In this article we draw on critical theory to discuss how power frames the media 'narratives' of Eniola Aluko, a Black, female footballer who accused an established (White) football coach of bullying, harassment, and racial comments. We critically discuss data analyzed from 80 print media articles from three British newspapers (with circulation figures ranging from 1.4 million to 135,000 a day), from August 6, 2017 to October 19, 2017. In our fin…
Covid-19, Exercise and bodily self-control
This article is part of the discussion section "Sport and COVID-19" of Volume 1, Number 1, of Sports Sociology (SD)
Men fall like boiled eggs. Women fall like raw eggs.’ Civilised female bodies and gender relations in British National Hunt racing
This purpose of this article is to contribute to the existing research on the gendered nature of equestrian sports by discussing how power relations continue to position females on the margins of National Hunt (NH) racing. In the UK, NH racing is the most male-dominated form of racing; at the time of writing, 100 males hold a professional jockey licence, compared to just 4 females. In this article we draw on figurational sociology, specifically t…
Figurational Research in Sport, Leisure and Health
Introduction to figurational research in sport, leisure and health
This chapter introduces the reader to the key concepts of figurational sociology and how these are applied throughout Figurational Research in Sport, Leisure and Health. After presenting a brief biography of Elias, we then locate Elias’s key concepts in relation to five sociological dualisms: macro-micro sociology; objectivity-subjectivity; structure and agency; past and present; and nature and nurture. We discuss how these concepts are applied t…
Women’s Experiences in the Mixed Martial Arts: A Quest for Excitement
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), like the majority of relatively violent sports, has mainly been organized around the capabilities of the male body. However various indices suggest that women’s engagement with MMA is growing. The purpose of this paper is to offer an analysis of women’s involvement in MMA using a figurational sociological approach. In doing so, we draw on interview data with “elite” female mixed martial artists to explore the extent to w…
Exclusionary power in sports organisations: The merger between the Women's Cricket Association and the England and Wales Cricket Board
This paper contributes to existing literature on gender equity within sporting organisations, focusing on the merger between the Women's Cricket Association (WCA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board in 1998. At the time of the merger those involved in the WCA debated whether the merger would be positive for the future of the women's game. In this paper we discuss the impact of the merger on the women's role in the governance of their sport th…
It made me feel powerful’: Women’s gendered embodiment and physical empowerment in the martial arts
This paper presents data collected from 11 females and explores their gendered and embodied experiences of the martial arts. Our research suggests that through their involvement in the martial arts, women develop physical strength, which leads to individual physical empowerment. Furthermore, the women note their involvement in the martial arts increases their confidence to defend themselves and challenge their gendered embodiment. However, despit…
The interaction of factors which influence secondary student physical education teachers’ knowledge and development as teachers
The purpose of this study was to look at the influence of and interrelationships between concerns and socialization on the development of student physical education (PE) teachers’ knowledge for teaching and their development as teachers. Six secondary student PE teachers completed a journal on a monthly basis throughout the course of a one-year initial teacher education course. These student teachers and their mentors were interviewed in school t…
Their Bottoms Are the Wrong Shape” Female Jockeys and the Theory of Established Outsider Relations
This paper adopts Elias’ theory of established and outsider relations (Elias and Scotson, 1994) to argue that women riders are “outsiders” within the racing figuration. The paper draws on data collected from eight semi-structured interviews with experienced female jockeys. It is suggested by the authors that female jockeys remain outsiders within the racing figuration in the UK. In particular, female jockeys are largely resigned to their inferior…
GCSE physical education and the embodiment of gender
Research within the area of the sociology of physical education (PE) recognises that it is a subject which reinforces dominant ideologies about gender. The gendered nature of PE appears to continue into General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examinable PE, as the proportion of boys being examined in GCSE PE compared to girls is nearly 2:1. Given the recent drive and initiatives such as the Girl Active scheme, run jointly by Norwich Uni…
Does knowing stuff like PSHE and citizenship make me a better teacher: Student teachers in the teacher training figuration
One of the key elements of figurational sociology is the emphasis on understanding complex networks of interdependencies in which people are involved. The focal point of this paper is the process of initial teacher training (ITT) and the relationships of which student teachers are part during their ITT course. The paper does not look at what student teachers ought to think; rather, it is an exploration of why student teachers may think the way th…
Women’s Experiences in the Mixed Martial Arts: A Quest for Excitement
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), like the majority of relatively violent sports, has mainly been organized around the capabilities of the male body. However various indices suggest that women’s engagement with MMA is growing. The purpose of this paper is to offer an analysis of women’s involvement in MMA using a figurational sociological approach. In doing so, we draw on interview data with “elite” female mixed martial artists to explore the extent to w…
The interaction of factors which influence secondary student physical education teachers’ knowledge and development as teachers
The purpose of this study was to look at the influence of and interrelationships between concerns and socialization on the development of student physical education (PE) teachers’ knowledge for teaching and their development as teachers. Six secondary student PE teachers completed a journal on a monthly basis throughout the course of a one-year initial teacher education course. These student teachers and their mentors were interviewed in school t…
It made me feel powerful’: Women’s gendered embodiment and physical empowerment in the martial arts
This paper presents data collected from 11 females and explores their gendered and embodied experiences of the martial arts. Our research suggests that through their involvement in the martial arts, women develop physical strength, which leads to individual physical empowerment. Furthermore, the women note their involvement in the martial arts increases their confidence to defend themselves and challenge their gendered embodiment. However, despit…
GCSE physical education and the embodiment of gender
Research within the area of the sociology of physical education (PE) recognises that it is a subject which reinforces dominant ideologies about gender. The gendered nature of PE appears to continue into General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examinable PE, as the proportion of boys being examined in GCSE PE compared to girls is nearly 2:1. Given the recent drive and initiatives such as the Girl Active scheme, run jointly by Norwich Uni…
Their Bottoms Are the Wrong Shape” Female Jockeys and the Theory of Established Outsider Relations
This paper adopts Elias’ theory of established and outsider relations (Elias and Scotson, 1994) to argue that women riders are “outsiders” within the racing figuration. The paper draws on data collected from eight semi-structured interviews with experienced female jockeys. It is suggested by the authors that female jockeys remain outsiders within the racing figuration in the UK. In particular, female jockeys are largely resigned to their inferior…
Does knowing stuff like PSHE and citizenship make me a better teacher: Student teachers in the teacher training figuration
One of the key elements of figurational sociology is the emphasis on understanding complex networks of interdependencies in which people are involved. The focal point of this paper is the process of initial teacher training (ITT) and the relationships of which student teachers are part during their ITT course. The paper does not look at what student teachers ought to think; rather, it is an exploration of why student teachers may think the way th…
We just thought everyone else is going so we might as well’: Middle-class parenting and franchised baby/toddler swimming
In this paper, we examine the continual and rapid growth of privatised baby/toddler swimming franchises (birth to 4 years) as part of a wider trend and market growth of baby/toddler sports, for example, Rugby Tots, Baby Ballet, and Little Kickers (football). Throughout the paper, we apply Bourdieu’s concepts of capital and habitus to understand parents’ motivations for taking their baby/toddler to organised swimming classes. These sporting activi…
Men fall like boiled eggs. Women fall like raw eggs.’ Civilised female bodies and gender relations in British National Hunt racing
This purpose of this article is to contribute to the existing research on the gendered nature of equestrian sports by discussing how power relations continue to position females on the margins of National Hunt (NH) racing. In the UK, NH racing is the most male-dominated form of racing; at the time of writing, 100 males hold a professional jockey licence, compared to just 4 females. In this article we draw on figurational sociology, specifically t…
Parents perceptions of online physical activity and leisure with early years children during Covid-19 and beyond
Prior to Covid-19, businesses offering enrichment activities for pre-school aged children were saturating the early years (0–5 years) market. However, the pandemic caused sudden changes to family routines with regular leisure activities cancelled. Using Lareau’s theory of concerted cultivation as a framework, we explored how physical activity (PA) was managed by parents of pre-school children and how routines changed during the pandemic. A UK nat…
Print Media Narratives of Bullying and Harassment at the Football Association: A Case Study of Eniola Aluko
In this article we draw on critical theory to discuss how power frames the media 'narratives' of Eniola Aluko, a Black, female footballer who accused an established (White) football coach of bullying, harassment, and racial comments. We critically discuss data analyzed from 80 print media articles from three British newspapers (with circulation figures ranging from 1.4 million to 135,000 a day), from August 6, 2017 to October 19, 2017. In our fin…
Exclusionary power in sports organisations: The merger between the Women's Cricket Association and the England and Wales Cricket Board
This paper contributes to existing literature on gender equity within sporting organisations, focusing on the merger between the Women's Cricket Association (WCA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board in 1998. At the time of the merger those involved in the WCA debated whether the merger would be positive for the future of the women's game. In this paper we discuss the impact of the merger on the women's role in the governance of their sport th…
The Hundred: A sociological analysis of gender relations and the (semi-) professionalisation of women's cricket in England
In this article, we adopt a critical sociological perspective to understanding gender relations and cricket, through the lens of The Hundred - a new, short-form tournament, described by the England and Wales Cricket Board as being part of its long-term commitment to making cricket a gender-equal sport. The Hundred is the first sporting tournament in the world which, from the outset, featured fully aligned competitions for both men's and women's t…
Every day we'd have an arranged activity, so she'd have football, swimming, dance, gymnastics: A sociological analysis of parenting and sports-based enrichment activities for the under-fives
In this article we provide a sociological analysis of parental choice in pre-school sports and physical activity, as a form of concerted cultivation, to understand the uptake of sports-based physical activity (PA) enrichment activities in England. Despite a growth in the under-five pre-school enrichment market, little is known about why parents pay for their under-five child(ren) to participate in sport and/or PA enrichment or how this relates to…
That's where you start to think like, does anyone actually listen to or watch women's sport?' Gender Regimes and Students Experiences on Higher Education Sport Courses
In this article we apply theoretical tools from the work of Elias and Connell to critically discuss the ways in which gender relations on Higher Education sport courses are manifested and experienced by students. Drawing on data from an analysis of curriculum, as well as interviews, surveys and workshops with students across a range of sport courses at one university, we explore curriculum design and the ways in which knowledge is presented which…
Hearing their voice’: The experiences of physical education with pupils diagnosed with severe learning disabilities
The number of children educated within maintained Special Educational Needs (SEN) Schools, known as special schools, in England has continued to rise since 2006, yet the ‘pupil voice’ of children and young people with severe learning difficulties and those attending special schools remains limited in current research. Drawing on Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony (see Jones, 2006), this study aimed to provide an under-represented group with th…
Women's Empowerment
This entry discusses women's empowerment, a concept commonly used in academic and nonacademic contexts. Four themes are discussed: conceptualizing and problematizing what is meant by the term “women's empowerment,” outlining differing components in understanding women's empowerment, reviewing the challenges in measuring women's empowerment, and summarizing ongoing debates and issues when discussing women's empowerment
Does knowing stuff like PSHE and citizenship make me a better teacher: Student teachers in the teacher training figuration
One of the key elements of figurational sociology is the emphasis on understanding complex networks of interdependencies in which people are involved. The focal point of this paper is the process of initial teacher training (ITT) and the relationships of which student teachers are part during their ITT course. The paper does not look at what student teachers ought to think; rather, it is an exploration of why student teachers may think the way th…
GCSE physical education and the embodiment of gender
Research within the area of the sociology of physical education (PE) recognises that it is a subject which reinforces dominant ideologies about gender. The gendered nature of PE appears to continue into General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examinable PE, as the proportion of boys being examined in GCSE PE compared to girls is nearly 2:1. Given the recent drive and initiatives such as the Girl Active scheme, run jointly by Norwich Uni…
Their Bottoms Are the Wrong Shape” Female Jockeys and the Theory of Established Outsider Relations
This paper adopts Elias’ theory of established and outsider relations (Elias and Scotson, 1994) to argue that women riders are “outsiders” within the racing figuration. The paper draws on data collected from eight semi-structured interviews with experienced female jockeys. It is suggested by the authors that female jockeys remain outsiders within the racing figuration in the UK. In particular, female jockeys are largely resigned to their inferior…
The interaction of factors which influence secondary student physical education teachers’ knowledge and development as teachers
The purpose of this study was to look at the influence of and interrelationships between concerns and socialization on the development of student physical education (PE) teachers’ knowledge for teaching and their development as teachers. Six secondary student PE teachers completed a journal on a monthly basis throughout the course of a one-year initial teacher education course. These student teachers and their mentors were interviewed in school t…
It made me feel powerful’: Women’s gendered embodiment and physical empowerment in the martial arts
This paper presents data collected from 11 females and explores their gendered and embodied experiences of the martial arts. Our research suggests that through their involvement in the martial arts, women develop physical strength, which leads to individual physical empowerment. Furthermore, the women note their involvement in the martial arts increases their confidence to defend themselves and challenge their gendered embodiment. However, despit…
Women’s Experiences in the Mixed Martial Arts: A Quest for Excitement
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), like the majority of relatively violent sports, has mainly been organized around the capabilities of the male body. However various indices suggest that women’s engagement with MMA is growing. The purpose of this paper is to offer an analysis of women’s involvement in MMA using a figurational sociological approach. In doing so, we draw on interview data with “elite” female mixed martial artists to explore the extent to w…
Exclusionary power in sports organisations: The merger between the Women's Cricket Association and the England and Wales Cricket Board
This paper contributes to existing literature on gender equity within sporting organisations, focusing on the merger between the Women's Cricket Association (WCA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board in 1998. At the time of the merger those involved in the WCA debated whether the merger would be positive for the future of the women's game. In this paper we discuss the impact of the merger on the women's role in the governance of their sport th…
Figurational Research in Sport, Leisure and Health
Introduction to figurational research in sport, leisure and health
This chapter introduces the reader to the key concepts of figurational sociology and how these are applied throughout Figurational Research in Sport, Leisure and Health. After presenting a brief biography of Elias, we then locate Elias’s key concepts in relation to five sociological dualisms: macro-micro sociology; objectivity-subjectivity; structure and agency; past and present; and nature and nurture. We discuss how these concepts are applied t…
Men fall like boiled eggs. Women fall like raw eggs.’ Civilised female bodies and gender relations in British National Hunt racing
This purpose of this article is to contribute to the existing research on the gendered nature of equestrian sports by discussing how power relations continue to position females on the margins of National Hunt (NH) racing. In the UK, NH racing is the most male-dominated form of racing; at the time of writing, 100 males hold a professional jockey licence, compared to just 4 females. In this article we draw on figurational sociology, specifically t…
Covid-19, Exercise and bodily self-control
This article is part of the discussion section "Sport and COVID-19" of Volume 1, Number 1, of Sports Sociology (SD)
We just thought everyone else is going so we might as well’: Middle-class parenting and franchised baby/toddler swimming
In this paper, we examine the continual and rapid growth of privatised baby/toddler swimming franchises (birth to 4 years) as part of a wider trend and market growth of baby/toddler sports, for example, Rugby Tots, Baby Ballet, and Little Kickers (football). Throughout the paper, we apply Bourdieu’s concepts of capital and habitus to understand parents’ motivations for taking their baby/toddler to organised swimming classes. These sporting activi…
Women's Empowerment
This entry discusses women's empowerment, a concept commonly used in academic and nonacademic contexts. Four themes are discussed: conceptualizing and problematizing what is meant by the term “women's empowerment,” outlining differing components in understanding women's empowerment, reviewing the challenges in measuring women's empowerment, and summarizing ongoing debates and issues when discussing women's empowerment
Print Media Narratives of Bullying and Harassment at the Football Association: A Case Study of Eniola Aluko
In this article we draw on critical theory to discuss how power frames the media 'narratives' of Eniola Aluko, a Black, female footballer who accused an established (White) football coach of bullying, harassment, and racial comments. We critically discuss data analyzed from 80 print media articles from three British newspapers (with circulation figures ranging from 1.4 million to 135,000 a day), from August 6, 2017 to October 19, 2017. In our fin…
Hearing their voice’: The experiences of physical education with pupils diagnosed with severe learning disabilities
The number of children educated within maintained Special Educational Needs (SEN) Schools, known as special schools, in England has continued to rise since 2006, yet the ‘pupil voice’ of children and young people with severe learning difficulties and those attending special schools remains limited in current research. Drawing on Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony (see Jones, 2006), this study aimed to provide an under-represented group with th…
Parents perceptions of online physical activity and leisure with early years children during Covid-19 and beyond
Prior to Covid-19, businesses offering enrichment activities for pre-school aged children were saturating the early years (0–5 years) market. However, the pandemic caused sudden changes to family routines with regular leisure activities cancelled. Using Lareau’s theory of concerted cultivation as a framework, we explored how physical activity (PA) was managed by parents of pre-school children and how routines changed during the pandemic. A UK nat…
That's where you start to think like, does anyone actually listen to or watch women's sport?' Gender Regimes and Students Experiences on Higher Education Sport Courses
In this article we apply theoretical tools from the work of Elias and Connell to critically discuss the ways in which gender relations on Higher Education sport courses are manifested and experienced by students. Drawing on data from an analysis of curriculum, as well as interviews, surveys and workshops with students across a range of sport courses at one university, we explore curriculum design and the ways in which knowledge is presented which…
A systematic review of figurational sociology within physical education research
The Hundred: A sociological analysis of gender relations and the (semi-) professionalisation of women's cricket in England
In this article, we adopt a critical sociological perspective to understanding gender relations and cricket, through the lens of The Hundred - a new, short-form tournament, described by the England and Wales Cricket Board as being part of its long-term commitment to making cricket a gender-equal sport. The Hundred is the first sporting tournament in the world which, from the outset, featured fully aligned competitions for both men's and women's t…
Every day we'd have an arranged activity, so she'd have football, swimming, dance, gymnastics: A sociological analysis of parenting and sports-based enrichment activities for the under-fives
In this article we provide a sociological analysis of parental choice in pre-school sports and physical activity, as a form of concerted cultivation, to understand the uptake of sports-based physical activity (PA) enrichment activities in England. Despite a growth in the under-five pre-school enrichment market, little is known about why parents pay for their under-five child(ren) to participate in sport and/or PA enrichment or how this relates to…
The efficacy of coaches’ delivery of teaching personal and social responsibility in a youth sports club
Background This study was framed upon a Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) innovation at an Alpine ski racing youth sports club. Our purpose was to explore four coaches’ perspectives on the integration of TPSR into their coaching practice. Specifically, we integrated TPSR with an existing ski training programme, over 10 continuous weeks in Winter 2023, at an Australian commercial mountain resort. Author 1, who works at the resort …
Soccer, society and motherhood: Mothers, daughters and tackling gender norms
‘ I think I could see the turning point … people just came for good cricket ’: The Women's Big Bash League, The Hundred and female cricketers’ experiences of professionalisation
In this article, we discuss elite female cricketers’ experiences of playing during a period of rapid organisational and commercial change. As the first article to centre research specifically on the women who are playing cricket through this period, we draw on the wider lens of research on gender and professionalisation to document how elite female cricketers experience the global game. Utilising semi-structured, online interviews with elite fema…
Psychology (16 works) · Sociology (15 works) · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts (13 works) · Sports, Gender, and Society (12 works) · Gender Studies (11 works) · Political science (10 works) · Law (7 works) · Gender Studies (6 works) · Pedagogy (6 works) · Developmental psychology (5 works)