50 years of Sport Science

Five decades ago, Liverpool Polytechnic made the decision that the combination of its own academic excellence and the city’s sporting history provided the perfect opportunity to launch the world’s first degree in sports science.

Dr Vaughan Lancaster Thomas was joined in this quest by PhD graduate Tom Reilly and Frank Sanderson. A sports science lab was created and in September 1975, the first 22 students enrolled on the world’s first sports science degree. It was a revolutionary programme, which included input from scientists and engineers from across the existing Polytechnic programmes – these included biomechanics, pharmacy, genetics, chemistry, biomedical sciences and data sciences, as well as pure sports and performance science.

In 2025, we operate teaching, research, engagement and professional agendas across a range of domains that include cellular, molecular and clinical fields, through to an understanding of more behavioural, personal, community and humanistic existence; from early years through to later years and from health and nutrition through to elite sport performance environment.

The hub of our School today is based in the Tom Reilly Building. Professor Tom Reilly Tom gained his masters, his doctorate, his readership and became the UK’s first Professor of Sports Science in 1988 at Liverpool John Moores University. He remained loyal to the institution and during his career, he was the Director of School whilst simultaneously the Director of the Graduate School and founding Director of the Research Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences. A keen and enthusiastic advocate for his discipline, he became one of the world’s leading academics in the field of sports science influencing policy and practice across the world. Under Tom’s pioneering leadership and with a dedicated team of researchers and a growing undergraduate community, sports science at the Polytechnic and then Liverpool John Moores University became one of the highest ranked research departments in the UK. Hear from our Director of School how all this all began with ‘a conversation in the stands at Goodison’.