About
Research
Email: stuart.carrington@stmarys.ac.uk
Biography
As Associate Head of School for Coaching and Performance Analysis, I oversee the following degrees:
- BSc Sports Coaching Science
- FdSC Physical Education and Sports Coaching
- BA Physical Education, Sport, and Youth Development
- FdSC Chelsea Football Club Foundation Coaching and Development
- BSc Chelsea Football Club Foundation and Development
- BSc Sports Performance, Analysis, and Talent Identification
- MSc Performance Football Coaching.
My role is wide reaching, including the writing, validation, and revalidation of degrees, contributing to recruitment and retention of students, and marketing. I also lecture on the BSc Sports Coaching Science degree and contribute to the research output of the University.
My main area of research is sports officials, in particular the development of psychological skills training to aid wellbeing and performance. My PhD is focused on the application of rational-emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) with sports officials.
Previous roles
I have been at St Mary's since 2019, having worked at a college of further education for over a decade previously, where I was Course Manager.
I have also worked as football coach for Tottenham Hotspur FC and Arsenal FC, and have coached football in the UK, France, Italy, and Australia.
Hobbies outside work
I enjoy keeping fit and watching sports. I am also a practising football referee. I also enjoy reading, with a particular interest in sports, psychology, history, and films.
Qualifications and accreditations
I hold an MSc in Applied Sport Psychology and a BSc in Sports and Exercise Science. I have a PGCE in post-compulsory education and am currently writing my PhD thesis.
I hold numerous coaching certificates as well as the Primary Certificate in Rational-Emotive Behaviour Therapy.
Research
Research profile
My main areas of expertise are sports coaching, sports officials, and REBT.
To date, I have published the following research:
- Carrington, S. C., Turner, M. J., North, J. S., & Brady, A. (2025). Development, validation, and reliability of the Irrational Beliefs Scale for Sports Officials (IBSSO). Frontiers in Psychology, 16, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1571447
- Carrington, S. C., North, J. S., & Brady, A. (2022). Utilising experiential knowledge of elite match officials: Recommendations to improve practice design for football referees. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 53, 242-266.
- Turner, M. J., Carrington, S., & Miller, A. (2019). Psychological distress across sport participation groups: The mediating effects of secondary irrational beliefs on the relationship between primary irrational beliefs and symptoms of anxiety, anger, and depression. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 13, 17-40.
Books
- Carrington, S. C. (2019). Blowing the Whistle: The Psychology of Football Refereeing. Dark River.