Niels Boysen Feddersen

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2025). The Inability to Detect Change in Sport Organisations. Sport, Education and Society. ISSN 1357-3322. doi: 10.1080/13573322.2025.2550561. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Researching change remains a critical area of interest. In sport studies, we often deny or overlook emergent and subtle change, and instead focus on planned change initiated and to some degree controlled by a skilled change maker. However, this approach leaves significant challenges in explaining how organisations change in unpredicted ways. Beginning from the question: “what influences our inability to detect subtle and incremental change-as-it-happens in organisational life?” this paper seeks to add a novel theoretical contribution to the ways we understand subtle and unplanned change in sport organisations. To do so, this study uses a multi-method ethnographic study of a change process in Danish rowing to theorise why some changes are overlooked before the accumulation of many small adaptations seem like an abrupt transformation. The findings trace the development of Women’s Open Class Rowing to show three aspects that influence our inability to account for change: (1) diversions from change, (2) the interplay between the size and duration of change, and (3) resistance to change. Connecting these three influences to existing research focusing on deliberate change strategies makes it possible to attend to members’ concurrent stories of how an organisation remains the same and changes. In this study, this is exemplified by how a coherent narrative and focus on lightweight rowing created a sense of status quo and diverted change away from ongoing adaptations to open-class rowing in Denmark. Also, acknowledging that change may be happening and that we might be unable to account for it due to these three features can help develop critical coping strategies for members of organisations when facing planned or unpredicted change. For all members, recognising that people may be unable to detect some types of changes can help to cope with unpredictable emergent change and to members self-organising due to such unplanned changes.

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Champ, Francesca & Littlewood, Martin A. (2025). The Sport Psychology Canvas: Designing, Adapting, and Documenting Sport Psychology Provisions in Men’s Football Academies in England. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. ISSN 1041-3200. 37(5), p. 507–528. doi: 10.1080/10413200.2024.2446206. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen & Wedege, Pia (2025). Distancing and discrediting among persons with an acquired spinal cord injury. Social Science and Medicine. ISSN 0277-9536. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118376. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study examines how individuals with acquired spinal cord injury maintain, contest, and dissolve boundaries within their peer community, with a particular focus on the roles of distancing and discrediting others. Carrying out a 26-month ethnography generated data from participant observation, interviews, social media, crowdfunding initiatives, news stories, government policies, reports, and related research. Drawing on theories of symbolic boundaries and stigmas, we theorised how the comparative context influences how individuals can be included or excluded from peer groups. We found that the ways non-disabled relate to people with a spinal cord injury influence the ways symbolic boundaries are negotiated among peers with a spinal cord injury. Wheelchair users are often perceived as helpless and those who can walk are invisible to most common passersby and thereby not recognised as persons with disability. These perceptions influence internal definitions within the group of people with spinal cord injuries. Consequently, they engage in processes of distancing or discrediting to negotiate group membership, what constitutes a “real injury”, and in some cases, exclude people from their group. This is a highly sensitive subject; however, denying the presence of such processes could limit opportunities for action when people are excluded.

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2025). Making mistakes in ethnography. Ethnography. ISSN 1466-1381. doi: 10.1177/14661381251319166. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Starting from the question: “how do mistakes arise in ethnography and how do they influence research trajectories?” this article makes a methodological and practical contribution to the literature on ethnography. I draw on three ethnographic studies spanning 2014 to 2020 carried out in sport organisations. Here, I consider mistakes charged revelatory moments to unpack three interwoven aspects of mistakes will be discussed a) wishful thinking, b) the influence of social relationships, and c) reflexivity. I make the case that mistakes will likely arise from extended participant observation periods. These mistakes can activate attention for similar mistakes in the future and thus limit attention to other unforeseen challenges. Further, I argue that no amount of planning, reading, preparation, and reflexivity can make researchers immune to mistakes when venturing into complex real-world settings and researching with people. Instead, they can lead to a deeper appreciation of the research context.

• Henriksen, Kristoffer; Book, Robert; Storm, Louise Kamuk; Linnér, Lukas; Sæther, Stig Arve & Lundqvist, Erik [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2024). Editorial: SJSEP Welcomes Conceptual Papers. Scandinavian Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology (SJSEP). 6, p. 42–45. doi: 10.7146/sjsep.v6i.149032. Full text in Research Archive
• Bjørnstad, Martine; Tam, Alexia; McDougall, Michael & Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2024). Relationships influencing organisational culture in men's elite football clubs in Norway. Psychology of Sport And Exercise. ISSN 1469-0292. 72. doi: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2024.102604. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper examines the relationships within and outside organisations that have the leverage to influence culture in the context of men’s elite football clubs in Norway. Participants from three clubs held positions as Performance Director (n=2), sport psychology practitioner (n = 3), and physiotherapist (n = 2) and participated in semi-structured interviews focusing on the relationships, tensions, and dynamic organisational forces in their respective clubs. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we developed two overarching themes showing (1) Organisational cultures in time frames and (2) Relationships among stakeholders influencing organisational culture. Developing these themes indicated that an organisational culture is not only a point of arrival, but also a point of departure for future activities. Hence, those charged with organisational culture work must maintain awareness of the influence of a club’s history and how it influences dynamic tensions with stakeholders within and outside clubs. It is also critical that cultural practitioners are mindful of players’ and staffs’ individual journeys, which influence how they self-organise into fluid and temporary subgroups. The findings can sharpen our understanding of working with culture in elite football by emphasising other sources of culture besides leaders’ attempts at controlling or steering it in their preferred way. Using the findings provided in this study can help practitioners recognise organisational tensions or slippage towards cultural problems before they lead to traumatic organisational crises.

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Champ, Francesca; Sæther, Stig Arve & Littlewood, Martin A. (2023). How Psychologists in Men's English Football Academies Evaluate Their Working Context and Adopt an Appropriate Professional Practice Framework. The Sport Psychologist. ISSN 0888-4781. 37(3), p. 170–178. doi: 10.1123/tsp.2022-0154. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study examined how psychologists working in men’s English football academies evaluate their working context when choosing a professional practice framework for guiding applied psychology provisions. Sixteen psychologists—six women and 10 men—participated in two semistructured interviews. A stepwise inductive–deductive approach in the analysis was used. The authors found that 13 of the psychologists adopted humanistic psychology as their guiding framework. In exploring the reasoning, three categories were developed: (a) motives for choosing a humanistic approach, (b) challenges when applying a humanistic approach, and (c) perpetuating stigma and restrictive assumptions regarding sport psychology. The study shows that humanistic psychology might be an effective approach to countering some dehumanizing features in the current English academy context (e.g., an overreliance on metrics). However, the Premier League, the Football Association, and other governing football organizations should notice the drawbacks of how psychologists sometimes must collude with the current system to establish psychology in the academy before later expanding provisions.

• Guttelvik, Siri & Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2023). A Single-Case Study of Experience of Disordered Eating Influenced by a Track and Field Talent Development Environment. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action. ISSN 2152-0704. doi: 10.1080/21520704.2023.2170509. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The study provides an interpretation of a young woman’s experience of being in a track and field environment in relation to the early stages of disordered eating and anxiety symptoms. The study shows the process of an intake interview with a potential client and the subsequent interpretation of the stories told. We designed the study as a single-case study and conducted one narrative interview with an 18-year-old woman. The findings were analyzed using narrative analysis and communicated using creative nonfiction. Anna’s story shows how she experiences being labeled as a “talent” in her sport and how she struggles with living up to the values and goals of others in the sports environment. Based on the narrative, we chose to interpret Anna’s experience using existential psychology; focusing on authenticity and loneliness, which seemed to exacerbate comorbid anxiety symptoms. The implication of our findings is that support in dealing with body issues and performance should involve guidance on how young athletes make choices and consciously consider their personal development. And sport psychologist can use the current study to guide how they interpret an intake interview.

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2023). Introducing Empowered Consent to Deal With the Current Challenges in Applied Sport Psychology. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology (JCSP). ISSN 1932-9261. p. 1–14. doi: 10.1123/jcsp.2022-0060. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  There has been a paucity of literature discussing how to address consent procedures as part of ethics, practitioner development, and best practice in applied sport psychology. Several researchers have addressed ethical challenges (e.g., out-of-session contact, overidentification, time, and space). However, none have substantially considered the sport-specific issues related to consent, which sits at the heart of best practice. The scarcity of discussing consent is limiting sport psychology’s potential to establish itself as a more recognized profession. This article highlights some contextual issues that challenge the idea and efficacy of informed consent. It proposes adapting consent procedures in the collaboration between sport psychology practitioners and clients to better address the current contextual challenges in applied sport psychology. In doing so, the current paper introduces Empowered Consent, which is specifically designed to empower athletes and address challenges related to choosing interventions, contractual obligations, visibility in the environment, and staff trying to gain insights into confidential information. The author offers a model to enhance applied practice for those collaborating with athletes and other clients in sport.

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen; McDougall, Michael & Downey, John (2023). Organisational culture in sports: Perspectives, traps, and entry points for cultural practitioners. In Borrie, Andy; Chandler, Charlotte; Hooton, Andy; Miles, Andy & Watson, Paula (Ed.), The Applied Sport and Exercise Practitioner. Routledge. ISSN 9781003290049. p. 96–109. doi: 10.4324/9781003290049-10. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Culture is a key concept that can provide deep insight into how people work and live together in groups. Applied to organisations, it offers a means of studying the textures of organisational life and of working out what is socially significant and why. Most commonly, though, this capacity to elevate awareness of the implicit understandings that make things mean what they do for organisational members has often taken a back seat to a focus on the instrumental and assumed practical applications that connect culture with desirable organisational outcomes. Here, ‘organisational culture’ is primarily treated as a way to resolve fundamental problems that organisations deal with (including those in sport and exercise settings), such as how to improve performance, develop talent, navigate change, and enhance member well-being. Consequently, in the last decade, interest has surged in organisational culture, with several sport researchers recognising that expertise in this area is an essential component of the modern sports practitioners’ arsenal1 (e.g., Cruickshank & Collins, 2012; Feddersen, Morris, Storm et al., 2021; Fletcher & Arnold, 2011; Henriksen, 2015; McDougall et al., 2020b; Wagstaff & Burton-Wylie, 2018).

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen & Ryom, Knud (2022). Examining the Field of Applied Sport Psychology in Denmark. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action. ISSN 2152-0704. doi: 10.1080/21520704.2022.2129890. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  We examined sport psychology services in Denmark (e.g., educational and professional backgrounds) using a survey to gather data from 78 sport psychology practitioners. Descriptive statistics were used to generate an overview. The findings highlight the importance of considering accreditation because there are serveral different practitioner backgrounds. Most had a background in sport science (n = 32) or psychology (n = 15), corresponding with ISSP and FEPSAC guidelines. Yet, the remaining respondents (n = 31) covered several backgrounds (e.g., business coaching, occupational therapy). Also, educational institutions should focus on readying practitioners to work with children and adolescents, since 70% of clients were younger than 21 years old.

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Champ, Francesca; Sæther, Stig Arve & Littlewood, Martin A. (2022). Confidentiality and surveillance challenges for psychologists working in men’s football academies in England. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. ISSN 1041-3200. p. 1–22. doi: 10.1080/10413200.2022.2134506. Full text in Research Archive
• Sæther, Stig Arve; Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Andresen, Eirik Emil & Bjørndal, Christian T. (2022). Balancing sport and academic development: Perceptions of football players and coaches in two types of Norwegian school-based dual career development environments. International journal of sports science & coaching. ISSN 1747-9541. 17(6), p. 1270–1282. doi: 10.1177/17479541221111462. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Sports-friendly and elite sport schools seek to support pupils by providing balanced support which is intended to facilitate success both in sport and in academic work. This study investigates how ambitious football players in Norway experience the advantages and challenges of undertaking a ‘dual career’ as student-athletes. Eight players and five coaches (two club coaches and three school coaches) in total were interviewed from two sports-friendly schools and two elite sports schools, and the data were analysed using thematic analysis. In the Elite Sport Programmes, the close integration of the school and club settings enabled coaches and student-athletes to plan and manage the overall workload and development of the student-athletes more easily. In contrast, players in the less structured Sports-Friendly Programmes experienced more concerns related to workload coordination but were also given more responsibility for their own decision making. This helped to facilitate better self-determination among the student-athletes but also increased their risk of overuse injuries. Our results indicate how different dual career development environments offer varying benefits, risks and developmental opportunities for student-athletes.

• Haukli, Jon Stian; Larsen, Carsten Hvid; Feddersen, Niels Boysen & Sæther, Stig Arve (2021). The athlete talent development environment in the best ranked football academy in Norwegian football: The case of the U16 team in Stabæk football club. Current Issues in Sport Science. 6(008). doi: 10.36950/2021ciss008. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  We used the holistic ecological approach to examine the talent development of Stabæk football club. Specifically, the male under-16 team. The environment was categorised as successful based on their history of developing senior elite players and being the highest ranked football academy in Norway. The study design was an explorative, integrative, and qualitative study considering an extreme case. Data collection included interviews, observations, and document analysis. The results showed that the environment shared features with other successful environments and deviated on other features. Our findings were consistent with research highlighting the importance of long-term development focus, supportive training groups, and support from the wider environment. However, we also found that the contrary to former research, success was not underpinned by a coherent organisational culture. Instead, there were several examples of ambiguity (e.g., between espoused values and actual behaviours). There was also a lack of integration of efforts, no support for developing psychosocial skills, lack of diversification, and a lack of proximal role models. Instead the club practiced early recruitment and specialisation, employed failure-focused coaching, and kept youth players away from role models. Our findings show that the club environment could be described as a successful, and yet, success does not necessarily equal all previously suggested successful features.

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2021). The Emergence and Perpetuation of a Destructive Culture in a British Olympic Sport. In Cavalliero, Francesca (Eds.), Creative Nonfiction in Sport and Exercise Research. Routledge. ISSN 9781003038900. p. 119–128. doi: 10.4324/9781003038900-11. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen & Phelan, Simon Edward (2021). The Gradual Normalization of Behaviors Which Might Challenge Ethical and Professional Standards in Two British Elite Sports Organizations. Journal of Sport Management. ISSN 0888-4773. 36(5), p. 409–419. doi: 10.1123/jsm.2021-0077. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  We examined how two elite British sports organizations began accepting behaviors that might challenge ethical and professional standards. The data for the current paper came from two separate ethnographic studies. We used Alvesson and Einola’s Functional Stupidity to analyze the data for processes of a lack of reflexivity, lack of justification, and a lack of substantial reasoning presented in three vignettes for each case organization. We then carried out a cross-case analysis and showed that periods of significant change are high risk for the spread of unethical and unprofessional behaviors. The common rationales for accepting such behaviors were (a) you have not spent time in the trenches, (b) it has always been like this, (c) policing space, (d) I am just doing my job, and (e) giving opportunities to those close to me. Our findings suggest a sense of banality to wrongdoing where normal people slipped into ethical problem areas.

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Morris, Robert; Ronkainen, Noora; Sæther, Stig Arve; Littlewood, Martin A. & Richardson, David (2021). A Qualitative Meta-Study of a Decade of the Holistic Ecological Approach to Talent Development. Scandinavian Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology (SJSEP). 3, p. 24–39. doi: 10.7146/sjsep.v3i.128317. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Holistic-Ecological Approach (HEA) was introduced in 2010, and it is now important to provide a critical review after a decade of research elaborating on the framework. The purpose of this study was to critically assess the methodological and theoretical trends in research using the HEA in the study of athletic talent development environments (ATDE). We used a qualitative meta-study to review twelve studies published from 2010 to the first quarter of 2021. Our meta-theory analysis found that future studies should consider the use of Bronfenbrenner’s work on development and address previous critiques on its use since it can limit the potential of the HEA re-search. In the meta-methods, we found that all studies used multiple and varied data collection strategies (e.g., interviews, observations, organisational documents). We also found a high degree of transparency and rigour exemplified by using multiple validity strategies. Method weaknesses were an underrepresentation of neutral or negative cases. The meta-data analysis showed that most ATDEs were classified as successful or unsuccessful ahead of data collection, suggesting potential confirmation bias. We also found that all ATDEs had competing findings, which suggests a need for exploring negative or ambiguous findings. Future research could benefit from clarifying the use of underlying theoretical assumptions; contrasting findings with neutral cases, outliers, and negative cases to clarify the definition of successful ATDEs; and expanding on the methodological approach.

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Morris, Robert; Storm, Louise; Littlewood, Martin A. & Richardson, David J (2020). A Longitudinal Study of Power Relations in a British Olympic Sport Organization. Journal of Sport Management. ISSN 0888-4773. 35(4), p. 312–324. doi: 10.1123/JSM.2020-0119. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The purpose was to examine the power relations during a change of culture in an Olympic sports organization in the United Kingdom. The authors conducted a 16-month longitudinal study combining action research and grounded theory. The data collection included ethnography and a focus group discussion (n = 10) with athletes, coaches, parents, and the national governing body. The authors supplemented these with 26 interviews with stakeholders, and we analyzed the data using grounded theory. The core concept found was that power relations were further divided into systemic power and informational power. Systemic power (e.g., formal authority to reward or punish) denotes how the national governing bodies sought to implement change from the top-down and impose new strategies on the organization. The informational power (e.g., tacit feeling of oneness and belonging) represented how individuals and subunits mobilized coalitions to support or obstruct the sports organization’s agenda. Olympic sports organizations should consider the influence of power when undertaking a change of culture.

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• Solvang, Per Koren; Tangen, Suzanna; Dahl-Øen, Sindre; Grøthe, Guro; Skrede, Mone Celin & Digranes, Anja Jøndal [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2026). https://ingen-paa-sidelinja.podbean.com/e/episode-9-de-beste-tips-til-kolleger/. doi: https:/ingen-paa-sidelinja.podbean.com/e/episode-9-de-beste-tips-til-kolleger/. Full text in Research Archive
• Grøthe, Guro; Berg, Synne; Johansen, Sander Moen & Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2026). Episode 8: Flere spørsmål som gjør en forskjell. doi: https:/ingen-paa-sidelinja.podbean.com/e/episode-8-flere-sp%C3%B8rsmal-som-gj%C3%B8r-en-forskjell/. Full text in Research Archive
• Grøthe, Guro; Berg, Synne; Johansen, Sander Moen & Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2026). Episode 7: Spørsmål som gjør en forskjell. doi: https:/ingen-paa-sidelinja.podbean.com/e/episode-7-sp%C3%B8rsmal-som-gj%C3%B8r-en-forskjell/. Full text in Research Archive
• Tangen, Suzanna; Berg, Synne; Johansen, Sander Moen & Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2026). Episode 6: Kroppsøvingslærere har en enorm påvirkningskraft. doi: https:/ingen-paa-sidelinja.podbean.com/e/episode-6-kropps%C3%B8vingsl%C3%A6rere-har-en-enorm-pavirkningskraft/. Full text in Research Archive
• Skrede, Mone Celin; Berg, Synne; Johansen, Sander Moen & Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2026). Episode 5: La eleven være et menneske. doi: https:/ingen-paa-sidelinja.podbean.com/e/episode-5-la-eleven-v%C3%A6re-et-menneske/. Full text in Research Archive
• Solvang, Per Koren; Berg, Synne; Johansen, Sander Moen & Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2026). Episode 4: Funksjonshemming i samfunnet. doi: https:/ingen-paa-sidelinja.podbean.com/e/episode-4-funksjonshemming-i-samfunnet/. Full text in Research Archive
• Dahl-Øen, Sindre; Berg, Synne; Johansen, Sander Moen & Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2026). Episode 3: Barn med funksjonshemming og deres foreldre. doi: https:/ingen-paa-sidelinja.podbean.com/e/episode-3-barn-med-funksjonshemming-og-deres-foreldre/. Full text in Research Archive
• Digranes, Anja Jøndal; Berg, Synne; Johansen, Sander Moen & Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2026). Episode 2: Å være lærer for elever med funksjonshemming. doi: https:/ingen-paa-sidelinja.podbean.com/e/a-v%C3%A6re-l%C3%A6rer-for-elever-med-funksjonshemming/. Full text in Research Archive
• Jansen, Sofie; Berg, Synne; Johansen, Sander Moen & Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2026). Episode 1: En lærer kan endre alt. doi: https:/ingen-paa-sidelinja.podbean.com/e/en-l%C3%A6rer-kan-endre-alt/. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2026). En «co-production»-tilnærming til utvikling av et nettbasert videreutdanningsemne i inkluderende kroppsøving. doi: https:/www.nih.no/om/aktuelt/hva-skjer/kurs-og-konferanser/program/parallellesesjoner-kroppsoving--og-idrettsfagkonfe.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  BAKGRUNN Det kan være krevende å fremme inkludering av elever med funksjonshemming og mange rapporterer at de blir ekskludert fra jevnaldrende uten funksjonshemming i kroppsøving (Holland et al., 2023). Videre viser Apelmo (2019, 2022) at kroppsøvingslærere opplever at de mangler utdanning, kunnskap og erfaring i å undervise elever med funksjonshemming, både i grunnutdanningen og i senere profesjonsutvikling. Formålet med prosjektet var derfor å utvikle et videreutdanningsemne innen inkluderende kroppsøving for elever med funksjonshemming. METODE Vi brukte en «co-production»-tilnærming med workshops som den primære tilgang til erfaringsutveksling (se Bell and Pahl, 2018). Involverte aktører var personer med funksjonshemming samt fagpersoner innen kroppsøving, idrettsfag og inkluderende fysisk aktivitet. Første fase besto av en kartlegging av behov og ønsker knyttet til læringsressurser, innhold, vanlige utfordringer og mulige løsninger. Andre fase har vært å utvikle læringsressursene i fellesskap. Den avsluttende fasen var å pilotere læringsressursene for å få tilbakemeldinger om justeringer og mangler. RESULTAT Resultatet er et heldigitalt videreutdanningsemne som gir grunnleggende kunnskap om planlegging, gjennomføring og løpende justering av inkluderende kroppsøving. Tilnærmingen er basert på voksenpedagogikk og tar utgangspunkt i deltakernes egen praksis, utfordringer og behov. Sammen utviklede vi et narrativt pedagogisk format basert på tre læringsressurser: (1) dokumentarfilm, som i økende grad tas i bruk i høyere utdanning (Noetel et al., 2021). Filmklippene benyttes til å formidle praktiske ferdigheter og forskningsbasert kunnskap. (2) En podkast med korte lydoppsummeringer av sentrale begreper eller ferdigheter. Podkaster er enkle å distribuere til studenter og fremmer studenters læring (Carson & Sobolewski, 2022). Og (3) en lærebok skrevet av fagpersoner i en populærvitenskapelig stil rettet mot et bredt publikum. KONKLUSJON Vi diskuterer hvordan slike læringsressurser kan bidra til faglig trygghet for å planlegge og gjennomføre inkluderende kroppsøving. Videre vurderer vi hvordan en «co-production»-tilnærming kan rette oppmerksomhet mot og motarbeide dominerende former for ulikhet innen kroppsøving.

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2026). The Influence of the Commodification of Quest Narratives on Stigma. doi: https:/jyx.jyu.fi/jyx/Record/jyx_123456789_113440. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Research suggests that appropriation of witness accounts from marginalised people can solidify stigma as a form of social control by using sanitised stories to build organisational “brand” rather than address broader societal issues (Tyler & Slater, 2018). Consequently, I examine how the commodification of quest narratives influences stigmatisation of people with an acquired brain or spinal cord injury. I draw 28-month ethnography of an NGO using sport and leisure activities as the main driver of rehabilitation, with specific attention to an anti-stigma campaign of creating social media videos of patients’ rehabilitation journeys. Observing the instructions given by NGO employees during filming showed that patients were coached to provide “inspirational” stories. Later, most stories were edited to fit a quest narrative, as conceptualised by Arthur Frank (2013). Videos were used for NGO branding as the key to achieve a new quest. Marketing this brand to philanthropists and crowdfunding helped grow the NGO’s funding from €389’000 in 2016 to €1’976’450 in 2023. Most of which was spent on more administrative staff and growing participant numbers without an investment in qualified health workers to enhance programme quality. For patients, providing filmed quest stories functioned as a form of social capital solidifying their position in the group thus compelling new patients to share similar stories to achieve comparable recognition. I will discuss how commodifying quest highlights stigma as social control. And how brand management can solidify power structures enforced by health policy aiming to transfer responsibility for rehabilitation from the government to self-realising individuals.

• Bucher, Jonas; Erikstad, Bjørnar & Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2026). Nytt utdanningstilbud om elever med funksjonsnedsettelser: – Kan bidra til større deltakelse utenfor skolen. [Internet]. Utdanningsnytt. doi: https:/www.utdanningsnytt.no/funksjonsnedsettelser-inkludering-kroppsoving/vil-lofte-kompetansen-om-elever-med-funksjonsnedsettelser-frykt-for-a-gjore-feil/498102. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Et nytt etterutdanningsemne skal gi lærere konkrete strategier for å inkludere elever med funksjonsnedsettelser i kroppsøving. Påmeldingen er langt høyere enn ventet.

• Erikstein-Midtbø, Gjermund; Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Nilsen, Espen & Hauser, Maria Adriana (2026). Hvordan kan fysisk aktivitet hjelpe innsatte i fengsel? [Internet]. www.nih.no. doi: https:/www.nih.no/om/aktuelt/nyheter/2026/hvordan-kan-fysisk-aktivitet-hjelpe-innsatte-i-fen.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  92 prosent av innsatte i norske fengsel har symptom på psykiske lidelser. Fysisk aktivitet kan styrke tiltak som skal få folk vekk fra kriminalitet og rus. For Espen Nilsen var trening hans redningsplanke ut av rus og fengsel.

• Svardal, Yngve Garen; Heisholt, Erik; Sarset, Arnstein; Erikstad, Bjørnar & Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2026). Når temaet er inkludering, er det fort gjort å bli flink, rund og ufarlig: Slik skal de flere gymlærere til å ta et nettstudie. [Internet]. KOM24. doi: https:/www.kom24.no/arnstein-sarset-bjornar-erikstad-erik-heisholt/nar-temaet-er-inkludering-er-det-fort-gjort-a-bli-flink-rund-og-ufarlig/921792. Full text in Research Archive
• Heisholt, Erik; Sarset, Arnstein; Aalborg, Terese; Erikstad, Bjørnar & Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2026). Supernordic bak «Hey teacher!» for NIH og Stiftelsen VI. [Internet]. https://www.kreativtforum.no/. doi: https:/www.kreativtforum.no/arbeider/supernordic-bak-hey-teacher-for-nih-og-stiftelsen-vi. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen & Svarstad, Jørgen (2026). Skulle forske på sosial inkludering, ble vurdert av muskel- og ryggeksperter. [Journal]. Khrono. doi: https:/www.khrono.no/skulle-forske-pa-sosial-inkludering-ble-vurdert-av-muskel-og-ryggeksperter/1058531. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2026). Elever med funksjonsnedsettelse må inkluderes i kroppsøving. doi: https:/www.utdanningsnytt.no/funksjonsnedsettelser-inkludering-kroppsoving/elever-med-funksjonsnedsettelse-ma-ikke-ende-pa-benken/485298. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Debatt: Når elever som vil delta i fysisk aktivitet, blir sittende på benken, er det et tegn på at skolen ikke er rigget for alle.

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen & Erikstad, Bjørnar (2026). Utestengt fra gymmen – Ytring. doi: https:/www.nrk.no/ytring/utestengt-fra-gymmen-1.17828761. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Team Pølsa viser oss at alle kan være med når de får sjansen. Men på skolen blir elever sittende på benken.

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Engdahl-Høgåsen, Linn & Tangen, Suzanna (2026). Vi er ikke rigga for å få frem nye stjerner som Jesper Saltvik Pedersen - Norges idrettshøgskole. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Mange para-utøvere er ensomme i idretten og mangler et reelt felleskap. Forholdene ligger ikke til rette for å skape flere viktige forbilder som Jesper Saltvik Pedersen i Paralympics i årene fremover.

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2025). How a 'sport psychology canvas' can help psychologists and backroom teams. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  How a 'sport psychology canvas' can help psychologists and backroom teams It’s a situation that will strike a chord with many practitoners. You start working with a team, hear all the right noises before joining, only to discover on day one that your handover notes are essentially a blank piece of paper The turnover of staff in elite sport, together with the tendency to focus on short-term goals and over-complicate the structure of backroom departments, means sport psychologists are often playing catch up when they start a new role Whilst it’s an issue that often rears its head, solutions tend to be in short supply: enter The Sport Psychology Canvas In his latest Mind Room piece, Jonathan Harding speaks to Niels Feddersen, lead author of 'Sport Psychology Canvas: Designing, adapting, and documenting Sport Psychology provisions in men’s football academies in England' They discuss how the tool might help with issues ranging from coordinating the ever-expanding number of backroom team roles, to controlling the spread - and possible dilution - of sport psychology terminology

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2025). The Performance Psychcast (Episode 56): The Sport Psychology Canvas. [Internet]. Spotify. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Episode 56 Greg Parry and I were very fortunate to be speaking with Dr Niels Feddersen. Niels Feddersen is an Associate Professor at the Department of Teacher Education and Outdoor Studies at NIH. His background includes an MSc in sports psychology and sociology from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) and a Ph.D. in organizational psychology in sports organizations from Liverpool John Moores University (Liverpool, UK). Niels has examined how organizational culture changes over time by focusing on subtle power relations. He has also outlined how destructive cultures develop in elite sports organizations and how individuals who break rules and norms can be reintegrated. This is in addition to many other research areas. In this podcast we discuss Niels, Francesca and Martin’s recent research - The Sport Psychology Canvas: Designing, Adapting, and Documenting Sport Psychology Provisions in Men’s Football Academies in England. Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Champ, Francesca & Littlewood, Martin A. (2025).The Sport Psychology Canvas: Designing, Adapting, and Documenting Sport Psychology Provisions in Men’s Football Academies in England.
Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. ISSN 1041-3200. doi: 10.1080/10413200.2024.2446206.

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2025). Desiring Bodies. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Many of us fumble our way towards meaningful connections. On this path, all kinds of hierarchies develop as people work out who is in and who is out (Lamont & Molnár, 2002). Of course, many evaluations of others happen almost automatically as people try to figure out their place. I draw on a 26-month ethnography exploring the lives of persons with an acquired neurological injury (i.e., brain or spinal cord). Focusing on ‘bodies’ helps pay attention to life told through a changed body. Accordingly, ‘desiring bodies’ combines an analysis of bodies desired in contemporary culture and how marginalised bodies enact their desires for meaningful connections (Frank, 2013). Data was generated during rehabilitation camps, adapted physical activities, mundane moments, and the community’s online representations. Observing random encounters with non-disabled people helped develop knowledge about bodies desired in contemporary culture. People with invisible injuries were mostly interpreted as non-disabled by passersby and desired members of ‘normalcy.’ Nonetheless, when their injury became apparent, it often led to unease and distancing. Thus, they were forced to cross a symbolic boundary to be interpreted as disabled. Prejudice and unease from society and friends meant that many felt disconnected and undesired. Hence, rehabilitation camps and adapted physical activity served as a forum for developing connections with people who understood their situation, thus serving the desire for meaning. Acquiring an injury can expel people from past connections and compel them to seek new ones. Adapted physical activities seem to be a forum for feeling desired by others.

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2025). A Sense of Place in Ethnography in Sport, Exercise, and Health. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  There is a rich literature exploring peoples’ behaviours, meanings, and perceptions as they navigate their contexts and cultures. However, the reciprocal relationships among people and the places they inhabit are often overlooked. Accordingly, this study asks: ‘How can we use ethnography to explore how people and places shape each other?’ To address this, I draw from two ethnographic studies. The first study was a single-site project lasting from 2015 to 2018 and set in a Danish rowing club. The second study was a multi-site project from 2021 to 2024 exploring rehabilitation of neurological injuries in Norway and Spain. In study 1, the place was familiar, and life on the lake shore and in the boathouse played a critical part in life among the rowers. History was represented by framed pictures of young slender men who had won a World Championship gold medal or Olympic medal (no women pictured). These photographs reinforced deeply held assumptions of Denmark as a lightweight rowing nation, which created resistance to open-class and women’s open-class rowing. The second study happened in many different locations and places were usually seen for the first time. New places afforded exploration, shared discovery, and, at times, anxiety. Comparing the two studies shows how single-site studies can alert us to the ways history provides a narrative arc to a field site by exemplifying deeply held assumptions among the people inhabiting the place. Multi-sited studies, on the other hand, can alert us to the ways casual encounters and passersby react to newcomers.

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2025). Dominating Bodies. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Frank (2013) argued that there is a reluctance to discuss domination among people with disability. Further, Shakespeare (2014) suggested that hierarchies and domination are latent topics that require careful and empathic attention. Beginning with the question: ‘How do people with acquired spinal cord injury maintain, contest, and dissolve boundaries within their peer community and wider society?’ this presentation addresses the sensitive topic of domination. I draw on a 26-month ethnography on rehabilitation and adapted physical activity for persons with an acquired spinal cord injury. Data was generated from participant observation, interviews, social media, crowdfunding initiatives, news stories, government policies, reports, and related research. Drawing on theories of symbolic boundaries and stigmas, I theorised how the comparative context influences how individuals can be included or excluded from peer groups. Findings show that the ways non-disabled people relate to people with a spinal cord injury influence how symbolic boundaries are negotiated among peers with a spinal cord injury. Wheelchair users are often perceived as helpless and those who can walk are invisible to most common passersby and thereby not recognised as persons with disability. These perceptions influence internal definitions within the group of people with spinal cord injuries. Consequently, they engage in processes of distancing or discrediting to negotiate group membership, what constitutes a “real injury”, and in some cases, exclude people from their group. This is a highly sensitive subject; however, denying the presence of such processes could limit opportunities for action when people are excluded.

• Jackson, Pete & Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2024). Organisational culture and power relationships in sport. [Radio]. Spotify. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Book, Robert; Darpatova-Hruzewicz, Donka; Trainor, Lisa & Middleton, Thierry (2024). Exploring our Limits to Advance Qualitative Methods in Sport, Exercise and Health Research. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2024). The Inability to Detect Change in Sport Organisations. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Researching change remains a critical area of interest. In sport studies, we often deny or overlook emergent and subtle change, and instead focus on ‘planned change’ initiated and to some degree ‘controlled’ by a skilled change maker. However, this approach leaves significant challenges in explaining how organisations change in unpredicted ways. Beginning from the question: “what influences our inability to detect subtle and incremental change-as-it-happens in organisational life?” this paper seeks to add a novel theoretical contribution to the ways we understand subtle and unplanned change in sport organisations. To do so, this study uses a multi-method ethnographic study of a change process in Danish rowing to theorise why some changes are overlooked before the accumulation of many small adaptations seem like an abrupt transformation. The findings trace the development of Women’s Open Class Rowing to show three aspects that influence our inability to account for change: (1) diversions from change, (2) the interplay between the size and duration of change, and (3) resistance to change. Also, connecting these three influences to existing research focusing on deliberate change strategies makes it possible to attend to members’ concurrent stories of how an organisation remains the same and changes. In this study, how a coherent narrative and focus on lightweight rowing created a sense of status quo and diverted change away from ongoing adaptations to open-class rowing in Denmark. Also, acknowledging that change may be happening and that we might be unable to account for it due to these three features can help develop critical coping strategies for members of organisations when facing planned or unpredicted change. For all members, recognising that people may be unable to detect some types of changes can help to cope with unpredictable emergent change and to members self-organising due to such unplanned changes.

• Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Wedege, Pia & Ryom, Knud (2024). Translating Active Rehabilitation from Acquired Spinal Cord Injuries to Acquired Brain Injuries. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Woll, Lars; Rosvold, Malene & Mehus, Ingar (2022). Idrettslabben - Episode 2: Motivasjon. [Radio]. Spotify. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2022). GameChanger Podcast #116: Psykologi i fodboldens konkurrencemiljøer. [Radio]. Spotify. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Champ, Francesca; Sæther, Stig Arve & Littlewood, Martin A. (2022). Confidentiality and Surveillance in Psychology Provisions in Men’s Football Academies in England. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Woll, Lars & Rosvold, Malene (2022). Idrettslabben - Introduksjon til Idrettspsykologi. [Radio]. Spotify. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2022). GameChanger podcast #112: Kultur i talentudviklingsmiljøer - en samtale med Niels Feddersen. [Radio]. Spotify. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2022). Using Self-Portraits to Explore the Fluctuations of a Female Olympic Rower’s Identity. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Champ, Francesca; Sæther, Stig Arve & Littlewood, Martin A. (2022). Challenges and Solutions to Humanistic Psychology Delivery with Male U7-U16 Football Players in Professional English Academies. Full text in Research Archive
• Sæther, Stig Arve & Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2022). Pressede trenere prøver å få idrettspsykologer til å sladre. [Journal]. Gemini.no. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2022). Forskning i Forandring. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen & Halsted, Laurence (2021). Supporting athlete careers and retirement from the vantage point of smaller national governing bodies. In Campbell, Natalie; Brady, Abby & Tincknell-Smith, Alison (Ed.), Developing and Supporting Athlete Wellbeing: Persen first, Athlete Second. Routledge. ISSN 9780367254612. p. 197–210. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2021). Meaningful Sport Series podcast: Nature-based Activities as an Intervention for Well-Being - Dr Niels Feddersen (Pt2). [Radio]. Spotify. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2021). The Sport Psych Show - A Holistic Ecological Approach to Talent Development. [Radio]. Spotify. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2021). Meaningful Sport Series podcast: Understanding Organisational Cultures in Elite Sport - Dr Niels Feddersen (Pt1). [Radio]. Spotify. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2022). Fri på Vandet: Forskning i et Frirum for Personer med Angst, Depression og Stress (Delrapport, 13.06.2022). Surf og SUP Danmark og Institut for Sosiologi og Statsvitenskap, NTNU. Full text in Research Archive
• Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2019). Examining Organisational Culture Change in a UK Talent Development Programme. Liverpool John Moores University. Full text in Research Archive

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