David Hassan

A native of Feeny, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland and a former pupil of St Columb's College, Derry, Hassan obtained a first class Bachelor of Arts degree in 1997, a Master of Science degree in 1998 and the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 2001.[3] His thesis, examining the relationship between sport and nationalism in Ireland, was supervised by the political scientist Professor Alan Bairner and drawn from research work he conducted during the late 1990s when sport in Northern Ireland was heavily infiltrated by political influences.[4]

Hassan has published 14 books and over 165 other research outputs, including 90+ peer reviewed articles in a number of journals and book chapters. He has also advised a number of universities worldwide on their research strategies.[5]

Hassan's research in the field of motorsport included a study on the viability of a round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) being staged in Ireland, which was realised in 2007.[6]

Hassan is Academic Editor of "Sport in Society", a sports academic journal.[7] In 2008 he was also appointed Series Editor of Foundations in Sport Management, by the academic publishers Routledge.[8] During this same year he was invited to become an International Scholar with the International Football Institute, and gave a lecture at Oxford University during the Summer Olympic Games of 2012.[9] His views on sport governance have included observations on the efficacy of the sporting model employed by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).[10] He was appointed in 2015 to a 12-person strategic task force – Towards 150 – by the then President of the GAA, Aoghan O Farreil.

His role in promoting links between Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was supported by members of the Northern Ireland Assembly.[11] In 2007, Hassan was appointed to the Irish Football Association's (IFA) 'Football for All' Executive Advisory panel.[12]

He is also Founding Co-Director of the Special Olympics Regional Research Collaborating Centre for Europe-Eurasia based at Ulster. The facility was officially opened by Special Olympics Europe Eurasia CEO Mary Davis in April 2011 at the university's Jordanstown campus.[13] He is a member of the editorial board of a number of academic journals including Telesna Kultura. He is also a member of the European Federation of Adapted Physical Activity and delivered an address at its conference in May 2012 in the Republic of Ireland.[14]

Hassan remains one of the few players to have represented his native county, Derry, at senior inter-county level in both Gaelic football and hurling. Earlier he won Ulster championship medals with Derry in 1990 at minor (U-18) level and again in 1993 at U-21 level (both Gaelic football). He was part of the Derry senior squad which lost the Ulster Championship final to Cavan in 1997 and the National Football League Division 1 final to Offaly in 1998. He played both Gaelic football and hurling for his club St. Mary's GAC, Banagher, having begun his career in 1988 before retiring in 2010. Previously, in 2002, he was a coach with the Donegal senior football team that qualified for the quarter finals of that year's All-Ireland senior football championships, losing to Dublin following a replay. The following year, 2003, he was made assistant manager of the University of Ulster Jordanstown's Sigerson cup team which reached the semi-finals of the tournament.[15]

In association football, Hassan was a member of the Cliftonville FC squad that won the Irish League championship during the 1997/98 season. He also represented Northern Ireland universities in the British Home nation championships on two occasions (association football) including as part of the victorious side of 2001.

Hassan has been a commentator on sports research in the international media. Hassan has appeared in sports programmes for BBC radio and television, including the radio documentary 'Does the Cap Fit?', and the Dubai Sports TV 'Motorstar 2011'.[16] He has spoken publicly on a range of issues relating to Irish sport, including on GAA governance and management.[17]

In 2006, Hassan was awarded a Distinguished Research Fellowship by the University of Ulster.[18] He was shortlisted in the 2009 Irish McNamee Awards in the Best GAA History Publication category for his editing work with Donal McAnallen and Roddy Hegarty in The Evolution of the GAA Pobal, Club, Contae agus Tir (Ulster Historical Foundation: Belfast ISBN 978-1903688830).[19]

In 2013, the FIA World Motor Sport Council appointed Hassan as a industry representative to the federation's Strategic Task Force. Previously, in 2009, he was honoured by the President of Ireland Mary McAleese at a reception to mark his academic research on the GAA.

1. Hassan, D. (2018) Managing Sport Business: An Introduction (2nd Edition) (Routledge, London). (Published 15 March 2018: ISBN 1138291382).
2. Acton, C. and Hassan, D. (2017) Sport and Contested Identities (Routledge, London).
3. McElligott, R. and Hassan, D. (2016) A Social and Cultural History of Sport in Ireland (Routledge, London). (Published 31 May 2016: ISBN 113810129X). 164 pages
4. Hassan, D. and Mitra, S. (2014) The Olympic Games: Meeting New Global Challenges (Routledge, London). (Published 30 May 2014; ISBN 978-0-415-74176-7). 190 pages.
5. Hassan, D., McConkey, R. and Dowling, S. (2014) Sport, Coaching and Intellectual Disability (Routledge, London). (Published 31 January 2014; ISBN 978-0415735773). 232 pages.
6. Hassan, D. (2013) Ethnicity and Race in Association Football: Case Study analyses in Europe, Africa and the USA (Routledge, London). (Published 4 November 2013; ISBN 978-0415725224). 168 pages.
7. Ben Sulayem, M., O’Connor, S. and Hassan, D. (2013) Sport Management in the Middle East: A Case Study Analysis (Routledge, London). (Published 3 April 2013; ISBN 978-0415677301). 209 pages.[20]
8. Hassan, D. and Lusted, J. (2012) Managing Sport: Social and Cultural Perspectives. (Routledge: London). (Published 22 October 2012; ISBN 978-0415572163). 344 pages.
9. Hassan, D. and Brown, S. (2012) Sport and the Community (Routledge: London). (Published 1 October 2012; ISBN 978-0415571654). 160 pages.
10. Hassan, D. (2011) The History of World Motor Sport (Routledge: London). (Published 12 July 2011; ISBN 978-0-415-67788-2). 144 pages.
11. Trenberth, L. and Hassan, D. (2011) Managing Sport Business: An Introduction (Routledge: London). (Published 2 September 2011: ISBN 978-0415570299).496 pages.
12. Hassan, D. and Hamil, S. (2010) Who Owns Football? Models of Football Governance and Management in International Sport: The Governance and Management of the Club Game Worldwide (Routledge: London). (Published 17 November 2010: Â ISBN 978-0415445702). 184 pages.
13. McAnallen, D. Hassan, D. and Hegarty, R. (2009) The Evolution of the GAA Pobal, Club, Contae agus Tir (Ulster Historical Foundation: Belfast). (Published 30 November 2009: ISBN 978-1903688830). 334 pages.
14. Darby, P. and Hassan, D. (2008) Emigrant Players: Sport and the Irish Diaspora (Routledge: London). (Published 25 June 2008; ISBN 978-0415464918). 232 pages