Researchers, athletes, player associations and experts gathered in Dublin for two days of discussions on health and safety, performance, wellbeing and the role of evidence in improving athletes' lives.
World Players Institute (WPI) successfully concluded its inaugural conference, Where Research Takes the Field, held on 27–28 October at LinkedIn's Dublin headquarters. Bringing together participants from 22 countries, the event created opportunities to exchange knowledge, strengthen collaboration and explore how research can better respond to the challenges facing athletes across global sport.
Opening the conference, World Players Executive Director Walter Palmer highlighted the importance of bridging the gap between academic research and athletes' experiences. "That's what this conference sets out to do, to connect the knowledge and to help close the gap between the realities of athletes' working lives and the evidence that can inform how we respond to it," Palmer said.
Across two days, keynote presentations, panels and discussions addressed a wide range of topics, including health and safety, mental health, gender equality, athlete performance, career transitions and labour rights. Participants explored how evidence and lived experience can inform better decisions and practices across different sports and countries.
For Palmer, the value of these exchanges lies in ensuring that research reaches beyond academic settings and contributes to tangible improvements. "We can make sure that the questions you study are the questions that athletes are living. And we can make sure that what you find finds its way maybe into a collective agreement, into a medical protocol or a policy," he added.
Sidney Hinds, from the Major League Soccer Players Association (MLSPA), reinforced the importance of translating research into practical solutions. "Recognizing that the research itself may not solve the problem, but it's how you take that research and translate it into policies, protocols, or things that you might ask for in collective bargaining," Hinds explained.
From an academic perspective, Professor Sophia Nimphius of Edith Cowan University emphasised the importance of ensuring that research reflects athletes' needs and experiences. "There's no game without the players. And really research means nothing without the players' thoughts, ideas, and the impact that research has on them," she said.
WPI 2026 marked an important step towards building stronger collaboration between researchers, player associations and athletes, creating opportunities to exchange knowledge and co-design research that responds to athletes' needs and contributes to meaningful change across sport.
As the connections and conversations initiated in Dublin continue to develop, World Players Institute looks ahead to its next edition. Stay tuned for more updates!
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