BSc Sport & Exercise Management - CAO Code DN430

This programme focuses on the principles of development, management, organisation and administration of the sport and exercise industry at the local and international level. Included is a structured work placement within the sports industry. The BSc Sport & Exercise Management programme is delivered on a full-time basis over 3 years.

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Sport Management Team

Core Staff

• (opens in a new window)Professor Eleni Theodoraki
• (opens in a new window)Associate Professor James Matthews
• (opens in a new window)Dr Seamus Kelly
• (opens in a new window)Dr Ross Neville
• (opens in a new window)Dr Joel Rookwood
• (opens in a new window)Dr Tom Fabian
• (opens in a new window)Dr Andre Andrijiw
• Mr Ruben Collins

Ruben is the Programme Administrator for the BSc Sport & Exercise Management undergraduate programme and the MSc Sport Management graduate programme. Ruben works with students and academics on all aspects of the programmes from admissions to graduation.

• Ms Louise O'Brien

Louise is the Sport Work Placement Coordinator for the BSc Sport and Exercise Management programme where she works with students, academics and work placement partners.  Louise's background is primarily in financial services end to end marketing, business and consumer, in domestic and overseas markets. 

Associated Staff

Ken Robinson

Ken is CEO of DCU Sport. He holds an MBA from Dublin City University, an MSc in Sport Science from St Mary’s University, a BA (Hons) in Business Management from the Irish Management Institute, a Diploma in Business Studies and a National Certificate in Fitness, Level 1 & 2.  He was General Manager of ESB SportsCo and in 2004 was appointed CEO of DCU Sport in Dublin City University.

Under his tenure, DCU Sport has been awarded national sports centre of the year at the EIQA awards three times. Ken is also a past President of ILAM Ireland (now Ireland Active), the Institute of Leisure Managers and was recognised with Life membership of ILAM in 2012 for service to the industry. He played and now coaches Gaelic Football and has worked with several senior and development teams.

A qualified ISO auditor with experience in gaining the Q-Mark in SportsCo and DCU and as part of the leisure industry working group seconded to develop the Operation Standards standard for sports and leisure facilities in 1998. From 2003 until 2011 he was Chairman of the FAI Clubs Licensing Committee as part of the UEFA Quality standard for football clubs throughout Europe. Ken is currently completing a doctorate degree in elite sport performance.

Dr Míde Ní Shúilleabháin

Míde is a sustainability consultant, specialising in sports sustainability, community engagement and sustainable sports facilities management. She is sustainability adviser to the GAA‘s Green Club Programme, the country’s first grassroots sports sustainability initiative, which is designed to support sustainability awareness and engagement in GAA clubs and grounds across the island. She is also a steering committee member of the Erasmus+-funded Achieving Circularity in Cities through Sustainability in Sports (ACCESS) project, in partnership with the Football Association of Wales, the Danish FA and FC Porto and coordinated by the Association of Cities and Regions for Sustainable Resource Management (ACR+) and the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa. 

Míde previously worked as Sustainability & Systems Officer in Croke Park stadium, where she was Chair of the stadium’s Environmental, Sustainability and Safety Management Group and, as safety officer and member of the stadium’s award-winning facilities team, part of the operations team responsible for planning and managing sports events in the stadium. Míde also served on the GAA’s National Health & Safety Committee (NHSC), a body advising the GAA on the safe management of sports clubs, grounds and events across the country. With committee colleagues, she developed and delivered training courses for and to volunteer stewards and club and county safety officers. 

Prior to joining the Croke Park Operations Team, Míde was a lecturer in International Relations in Dublin City University’s School of Law & Government, specialising in European Politics. She has previously worked as a political adviser in the European Parliament in Brussels, in the areas of International Development, Foreign Affairs and Transport & Tourism. 

Dr Giampiero Tarantino

Giampiero holds a PhD in Inclusive Physical Activity and Education from UCD’s School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science. Giampiero obtained a BSc in Sports Science and Performance in 2014 followed by an MSc (Hons) in Sports Science and Education in 2016 at the University of Pisa, Italy. After working as a PE teacher in Italian middle and secondary schools for three years, Giampiero received a scholarship for his PhD by the Irish Research Council under the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship scheme, which he started in September 2018 at UCD and completed in September 2022. His PhD research focuses on the inclusion of children with disabilities in physical activity and education.

Alongside his activity as a researcher, Giampiero is also an Occasional Lecturer within the School. He is the lecturer on the ‘Research Methods for Sport’ module on the BSc in Sport & Exercise Management, and a recurrent lecturer on modules in the subject areas of Public Health, like ‘Knowledge Synthesis, Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis’ and ‘Dietetics Professional Practice 2’. He also holds a position as an Adjunct Lecturer at the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities, Trinity College Dublin, where he teaches ‘Health Body Systems’ on a highly novel programme.

Giampiero is involved in the EDI committee, the CHAS Disability Working Group, and he is also the current chair of the Postgraduate Research Student Committee within the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science.

Giampiero is also a former rugby coach and strength and conditioning coach. He obtained his qualifications from the Italian Rugby Federation, and between 2010 – 2018, he was appointed as head coach and S&C coach in junior and senior rugby teams in Italy.

Cian Nelson

Cian is the League of Ireland Club Development Manager with the Football Association of Ireland. Cian has over 16 years’ experience working in the sports industry across the areas of Communications, Marketing, Events and Sports Development.

Cian is a graduate of the BSc Sport & Exercise Management course as well as holding an MSc in Project Management from the UCD Smurfit Business School.

He began working in the FAI as project lead for their Ticketing Department as well as a period working in their International Department. Cian has been involved in key events such as the UEFA Europa League Final in Dublin in 2011, and the UEFA EURO 2012 Finals in Poland and Ukraine.

He has also worked with the Camogie Association initially as their Operations Co-ordinator and then as their Communications Manager, overseeing key events such as All-Ireland Finals, All-Stars Tours and various other national events.

Cian returned to the FAI in 2021 to take up a new role as Club Development Manager for the League of Ireland where he assists clubs to develop their strategic plans to reach their full potential.

Ruth Mullally

Ruth is Managing Director of her own HR Psychology Consultancy business where she has worked across the globe for international organisations spending time in the USA, UK, Poland, Denmark, Belgium, Spain and Peru. She works as an Organisational Psychologist specialising in strategic HR projects, organisation design, assessment, development, coaching, training, talent management, strategic workforce planning and change management.

Ruth co-founded the Coaching Psychology Group in 2008 which promotes learning and research in the field. She has also held executive committee roles on the Division of Work and Organisational Psychology. Ruth holds a Masters in Social & Organisational Psychology (UCD), is an associate fellow of the Psychological Society of Ireland and a member of the CIPD. She has also presented at a number of national and international conferences with international publications.

Ruth is passionate about learning and has been working in UCD in the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science as a guest lecturer since 2014. She lectures on the MSc in Occupational Safety and Health, the Masters in Public Health and the MSc in Sports Management. She has also lectured in Trinity College Dublin, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin Business School and Royal College of Physicians. Outside work Ruth is a keen supporter of all sports and plays competitive tennis.

Other Contributors

We also have a number of expert guest contributors from across the sports industry, both nationally and internationally. This includes Chief Executive Officers, Performance Directors, Sports Marketeers and experts in Sports Law and Event Management. The involvement of these key influential stakeholders exposes our students to the sports field beyond UCD and Ireland, establishing a close link between theory and practice on all of our coursework. This ultimately ensures that our Sport Management students are prepared with the skills to enter and work in the Sports sector post-graduation.