I played rugby for twenty-two years. At senior level, I played for Loughborough Colleges and English Universities while I was a physical education student in England. After graduation, I played with Irish club Ballymena and was 1st XV Captain 1980-1981. I also taught rugby courses and coached rugby teams for some thirty-five years in England, Ireland, The Netherlands, Japan, Australia and Canada. This included young players of all ages and abilities, as well as top teams and international players. Career-wise, I started out my working life as a secondary school teacher, but after three years moved into higher education as a lecturer in physical education, specialising in sport psychology. I completed a Masters degree and Ph.D. in psychology which led to university positions in The Netherlands and, later, a professorship in Japan. Currently, I am an adjunct professor with the School of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. I have published numerous manuscripts in psychology and sport and exercise psychology journals and have written several books: Exercise Dependence (with Lindner & Blaydon 2007); Rethinking Aggression and Violence in Sport (2005); Counselling Athletes: Applying Reversal Theory (2001); Motivation and Emotion in Sport (1997); Understanding Soccer Hooliganism (1994).
