Dr Christopher Yiannaki

He has expertise in coaching, talent development, football and futsal having worked in elite environments for over 15 years. Chris has several publications in these areas and works with external football clubs and governing bodies around these topics.  He is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy and supervises postgraduate learners working in elite sporting environments.   

Working on the Professional Doctorate and Masters courses, Chris helps to supervise numerous candidates from around the world in their postgraduate research journeys. Doctoral candidates stem from elite sporting environments and seek to use the course as a way of making a positive applied impact within their specific environment, whilst also seeking to progress their personal careers. These combined scholarly and practical objectives align with Chris’s background working to harmoniously connect academia and elite sports. Embarking on his own Doctoral journey in 2015, Chris graduated in 2021 with a thesis titled “Could futsal hold the key to developing the next generation of youth soccer players”? Continuing this research, Chris has developed a special interest in futsal and its connection with football, with further scholarly activity in this field resulting in numerous peer-reviewed publications and planned high-impact future projects here.

Practically, Chris’s career has allowed him to work as a coach in professional football club academies for over fifteen years (Bolton Wanders FC and Preston North End FC). During this time, Chris has developed a strong network around the UK and beyond in coaching and talent development.

Additionally, Chris has worked as a coach educator for The FA since 2011 supporting the development of an outstanding coaching workforce in both football and futsal. Alongside this Chris’s practical involvement has worked considerably in the education sector initially delivering Further Education courses in 2008 before moving into Higher Education in 2010 at Myerscough College. Occupying this role for eleven years, Chris was Course Leader for our BSc Football Coaching and Performance undergraduate degree program. In 2021, Chris moved here in his current role in the School of Sport and Health Sciences.