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About SPARC

The Sports Performance And Rehabilitation Conference (SPARC) is University College Birmingham's annual academic and networking event offering insight into elite sports, performance, and rehabilitation.

Now in it's 6th year, SPARC is a single day in-person event hosted in Birmingham, featuring talks from experts in their fields as well as interviews. 

Meet the team

The annual SPARC conference is organised by faculty from the Department of Sport and Nutrition at University College Birmingham.

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Dr Fiona Higgs

Chairperson & Programme Coordinator

Fiona is a Lecturer in Sports Therapy, with module lead responsibilities in Exercise Science and Exercise Instruction for the BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy programme at University College Birmingham. Fiona received her PhD from the Department of Sport and Exercise Science at Aberystwyth University in 2014. Her research interests currently focus on the influence of fluctuating hormonal profiles throughout the menstrual cycle on performance and injury risk in female athletes. She is passionate about the translation of evidence into practice.

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Leila Edwards

Logistics Coordinator

Leila is a member of the Events Management teaching team at University College Birmingham. Leila is currently a Final Year Manager of the BA (Hons) Events Management programme where she leads on a number of modules relating to event strategy and project management. Leila has nearly 20 years of industry experience in the fields of Hospitality, Tourism and Events and has worked for a variety of public and private sector organisations in the UK. Prior to working at University College Birmingham, she was an events co-ordinator at Severn Trent Services International; as well as the Walt Disney Company.

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Mark Hyland

Logistical Coordinator

Mark graduated in 2001 from Middlesex University with a BSc (Hons) in Sports Rehabilitation and Injury Prevention and spent the next 20 years utilising his skills as a Royal Air Force Physical (RAF) Training Instructor specialising in Exercise Rehabilitation. This also allowed him to work with various British Armed Forces sports teams, including Football, Athletics and Judo. He also led projects in human performance, Physical Education and course design. He spent his last 5 years delivering courses at the RAF School of Physical Training. Before joining University College Birmingham, he worked as Player Care Manager at Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, utilising his skills in off-pitch care for all Academy age groups.

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Dr Andrew Chappell

Publicity & Marketing Coordinator

Andrew is a lecturer in Nutrition with a specialism in sports performance. He teaches across a range of degrees related to health and sport including the Food & Nutrition BSc (Hons).  Andrew received his PhD in 2015 from the University of Aberdeen where he specialised in the effect of dietary fibre on the colonic microbiota. His research primarily focuses on dietary supplements and performance, and dietary habits of bodybuilding populations. Andrew is also works with athletes as a performance nutritionist specialising in strength, power and physique athletes.

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Daisy Knight

Speaker Coordinator

Daisy studied at University College Birmingham and graduated with first-class honours in Sports Therapy. Her current role as a Graduate Teaching Assistant allows her to oversee the S&C and sports therapy treatments of the PGMOL and PFA players. Daisy’s current research interest is the gold standard approach to meniscus rehabilitation post-surgery.

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Richard Behan

Logistics Coordinator

Richard is the Deputy Head of the Department for Hospitality and Tourism. He is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy and teaches across a range of degrees related to Tourism, Aviation and Travel. He is a committee member for the Institute of Travel and Tourism Education and Training Committee. His interests include disruptive innovation in tourism, managing human factors in aviation, development of health and wellness tourism, regulation of social media and the impact of terrorism on tourism flow patterns.

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Kacper Bolon

Treasurer & Marketing Coordinator

Kacper is an Associate Lecturer in Sports Therapy at University College Birmingham, where they teach across a range of modules on the Sports Therapy programme. With hands-on experience working with rugby, football, MMA athletes, and contributions to major events like the 2022 Commonwealth Games, his expertise lies in athlete rehabilitation and injury management. Drawing on personal injury experiences, Kacper focuses on evidence-based recovery strategies to optimise performance. He is also the Treasurer and Marketing Coordinator for SPARC, supporting the conference’s growth and outreach.

Get in touch

Need to speak to someone? Visit Contact to message the team.

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