Derek O’Riordan works across high-performance sport, coach development, and higher education, with experience spanning research, policy, and practice. He teaches at the University of Stirling and contributes to strategic work in the UK high-performance and sporting systems, with a particular interest in leadership, coach learning, and the complex realities of performance environments. His work often brings together critical scholarship and applied practice, exploring how coaching knowledge, policy, and decision-making are shaped through culture, relationships, and lived experience.
Sport Coaching, Coach Education Policy, Talent Development, Athlete Curriculum, Skill Acquisition, Decision Making
Article
A cautionary tale of policy development and enactment in sport coach education: counting the cost
O’Riordan D & Dempsey N (2025) A cautionary tale of policy development and enactment in sport coach education: counting the cost. Sports Coaching Review. https://doi.org/10.1080/21640629.2025.2558447
Conference Paper (unpublished)
Coach Education & Development as Complex Interventions: Implementation of Evidence-guided Practice
Kirkland A & O'Riordan D (2023) Coach Education & Development as Complex Interventions: Implementation of Evidence-guided Practice. Cluster for Research into Coaching Symposium, Liverpool John Moores, 12.06.2023-12.06.2023.
SPSU9DC Developing Sport Coaching
SPSP073 Planning for Sport Coaching
