Vacancy | PhD Studentship: Leveraging UEFA EURO 2028 for community development in the North East of England | Northumbria University. Application due January 23, 2026

Mega-sporting events generate complex legacies that extend beyond immediate economic impacts to encompass social, environmental, and community development outcomes (Madden, 2025). The UEFA EURO tournament’s multi-city hosting model presents distinct opportunities for leveraging such events at regional scales, yet research examining legacy planning and realisation across different hosting cycles remains limited (Preuss, 2019). As St James’ Park becomes the only venue to host matches in both EURO 1996 and 2028, the North East offers a unique longitudinal case for examining how legacy discourse evolves and how communities experience event hosting over time.

Recent local initiatives, including the North East Combined Authority’s Region of Sport strategy, signal growing recognition of sport’s potential as a vehicle for positive change across economic development, health and wellbeing, and quality of life. However, critical questions remain about how grassroots organisations and communities can meaningfully leverage mega-events, and whether stated legacy objectives translate into tangible community benefits (Falla et al., 2022; Kemp, 2025). This project will address three research objectives:

1. 1. Track and critically analyse the evolution of legacy discourse between EURO 1996 and 2028, examining how stakeholders communicate legacy objectives and how community members perceive the value of hosting these events in the North East, drawing on socio-ecological frameworks to understand multi-level impacts;
   2. Evaluate the community development outcomes of hosting EURO 2028 in the North East through cost-benefit analysis and outcome mapping, examining effectiveness against stated legacy objectives around participation, infrastructure, and community wellbeing;
   3. Explore grassroots football clubs’ strategies for leveraging EURO 2028 to enhance football engagement and participation, examining barriers and enablers through community development and sport-for-development frameworks.

The project will implement a longitudinal mixed-methods approach (literature reviews, netnographies, content analysis, interviews, focus groups, surveys) to investigate EURO 2028’s impact on the North East of England.

The prospective student will be supervised by Dr. Armin Marquez and Dr. Mikhail Batuev. Armin’s research interests span marketing, consumer behaviour, and sport for development. He has examined technology adoption, pricing strategies, and other factors influencing sport event attendance. His sport-for-development focus stems from experience as a former athlete across Venezuela, England, and the US, and current roles as researcher, teacher, and coach. Mikhail’s research examines youth sports evolution, mega-sport events, and media framing of sporting events, with particular expertise in event legacy and socio-cultural impacts.

The student will also benefit from membership in the Sport, Spaces, Places & People (https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/research-areas/sport-exercise-and-rehabilitation/sport-spaces-places-and-people/) interdisciplinary research group, providing opportunities to engage with broader academic networks and methodological expertise across the School of Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation (https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/our-schools/school-of-sport-exercise-and-rehabilitation/).

This Competition Funded PhD Project offers an exceptional opportunity to develop research skills through a high-impact study with potential for multiple publications and international collaboration, leveraging established partnerships with institutions in Spain as that nation prepares to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Eligibility Requirements

• Academic excellence i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities with preference for 1st class honours); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
• Appropriate IELTS score, if required.
• Applicants cannot apply if they are already a PhD holder or if currently engaged in Doctoral study at Northumbria or elsewhere.
• Must be able to commit to campus-based full-time or part-time study. To be classed as a Home student, candidates must:
• Be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or
  • have settled status, or
  • have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
  • have indefinite leave to remain or enter. If a candidate does not meet the criteria above, they would be classed as an International student.

Applicants will need to be in the UK and fully enrolled before stipend payments can commence and be aware of the following additional costs that may be incurred, as these are not covered by the studentship.

• • Immigration Health Surcharge https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application
  • If you need to apply for a Student Visa to enter the UK, please refer to https://www.gov.uk/student-visa. It is important that you read this information carefully as it is your responsibility to ensure that you hold the correct funds required for your visa application, otherwise your visa may be refused.
  • Costs associated with English Language requirements which may be required for students not having completed a first degree in English, will not be paid by the University.
  • International applicants (including EU) need to have their own valid immigration permissions to live and study in the UK if they wish to study on a part-time basis as Northumbria University does not sponsor part-time Student Visas.

For further details on how to apply see https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-degrees/how-to-apply/

In your application, please include a research proposal of approximately 1,000 words and the advert reference, RDF26/HW/SER/MARQUEZ

Deadline for applications: 23 January 2026

Start date of course: 1st October 2026

Academic Enquiries

This project is supervised by Dr. Armin Marquez. For informal queries, please contact armin.marquez@northumbria.ac.uk. For all other enquiries relating to eligibility or application process please use the email form at the bottom of this page to contact Admissions.