England Rugby Communications Lead Appointed Honorary Lecturer in Sports Communications

St Mary’s University, London has announced the appointment of Tim Percival as an Honorary Lecturer in Sports Communications.

Tim is the current Communications Lead for the England Rugby team. He has held senior communications and marketing roles across professional sport with Northampton Saints and the British & Irish Lions.

Drawing on two decades of experience, Tim recently published his first book, On the Record and On the Ball: How Elite Coaches Master the Media (Fairfield, 2025). The book has been nominated for a Sports Book of the Year Award and has received considerable attention across the sporting world. This has establishing Tim as one of the most assured and authoritative voices in sports media relations.

Addressing postgraduate students on the Sports Journalism programme, Course Lead Dr Daragh Minogue said that the students will benefit hugely from Tim’s experience and is looking forward to collaborating with him in the coming years.

Speaking on his appointment, Tim said, “I'm hugely honoured to be joining St Mary's as an honorary lecturer. My hope is that I can give students a little bit of insight into what the world of sports journalism and communications actually looks like beyond the textbook. Most importantly, I want to help students feel better prepared to step into the industry and make their own mark.”

In their first session with Tim, the students discussed the communication strategies of several coaches in football and rugby including Jurgen Klopp, Eddie Jones, and Ange Postecoglou.