WHERE IT BEGAN

​The partnership traces back to relationships first built in Bloomington, Indiana.

Drs. Vanessa Martinez Kercher and Armin Marquez had offices next to one another at the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington. This led to many conversations about navigating academia as early-stage researchers, along with discussions about how sport can help teach life skills.

Dr. Marquez and Kyle Kercher also developed their relationship through recreational soccer in Bloomington. Their conversations before and after games helped build a friendship that later grew into professional collaboration. 

A NEW OPPORTUNITY

In 2024, Dr. Marquez accepted a faculty position at Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

His move created an opportunity to connect Hoosier Sport’s work at Indiana University with Dr. Marquez’s network at Northumbria University. The partnership brought together shared interests in sport, research, student learning, and community impact.

Hoosier Sport contributes experience in sport-based interventions, program implementation, and children’s physical activity settings in the United States. Dr. Marquez and his colleagues bring expertise related to consumer behavior, interscholastic sport in England, and sport for development.

FROM CONVERSATION TO COLLABORATION

The collaboration began to take shape when Dr. Marquez contacted Kyle about a joint UK-USA research grant opportunity.

From there, the teams began developing an idea for a sport-based youth development measurement framework. The goal was to turn the idea of the “power of sport” into a practical and measurable tool that researchers and practitioners could use.

As the conversations continued, the partnership grew into ideas for study abroad, virtual exchange, collaborative research, grant projects, and undergraduate research training. The wider Hoosier Sport team also helped move these early ideas forward through planning, coordination, research, and communication.​

WHY THE PARTNERSHIP WORKS

​The partnership brings together different experiences, ideas, and strengths.

Hoosier Sport brings:

• Sport-based youth development
• Children’s physical activity research
• Curriculum design
• Student leadership
• Community-engaged programming
• Research implementation

Northumbria brings:

• An international perspective
• Expertise in Global Sport Business & Management​
• Knowledge of sport and communities in England
• Research expertise
• Connections with faculty, students, and local organizations
• Opportunities for cross-cultural learning

​Together, the teams are creating a partnership that connects research, education, community engagement, and sport.

FROM PARTNERSHIP TO ACTION

The England visit marked the first time the Hoosier Sport and Northumbria teams could bring the partnership together in one place.
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What had previously been discussed through calls, documents, and planning sessions became face-to-face conversations, shared presentations, and time to build the next stage of Hoosier Sport Global together.

Explore the England Visit