About

I am a Lecturer in Performance Analysis and I teach primarily on the BSc Performance Analysis and Coaching Science and MSc Applied Sport and Exercise Science programmes.

I am a performance analyst with a mixed background stemming across the elite professional sports world and the British Olympic and Paralympic system including a number of national organisations such as; England rugby, British tennis, GB Canoe Slalom, GB Cycling, GB Sailing, GB Para-Swimming, England Handball, GB Goalball, Port Vale FC and the PSA (squash). I have been extremely lucky to have travelled to a number of home and international competitions across the world within a wide selection of these roles and experiences.

In addition, the nature of my previous role within applied sport also provided the opportunity to be involved and gain insight into a number of smaller projects such as those with the FA, FIFA, UEFA, and UK Sport.

I completed a PhD at Middlesex University in conjunction with the English Institute of Sport focusing on the use and integration of performance analysis and feedback within the Olympic and Paralympic environments.

Teaching responsibilities

I module lead and teach the following modules as part of the Performance Analysis and Coaching Science and MSc Sport and Exercise Science programmes:

• Introduction to Performance Analysis (level 4)
• Applied Notational Analysis (level 5)
• Advanced Performance Analysis (level 6)
• Programming and Data Visualisation (level 7)
• Applied Performance Analysis (level 7)

I also have supervision involvement for a number of undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Research interests

I am interested in all aspects of performance analysis but I have a keen interest in the following areas:

• Use of performance analysis and feedback within applied settings
• Machine learning and its applications in sport
• Relative age effect
• Performance profiling

Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science - University of Chester
• MSc Sports Science (Performance Analysis pathway) - University of Chester
• PhD Performance Analysis – Middlesex University, thesis title 'The use of performance analysis in Olympic and Paralympic sport: The perspectives of coaches and analysts'

Recent conferences

• Pote, L., Keenan, J., Cresswell, A.M., & Nicholls, S. (2022). An analysis of specific batting demands in the women’s “The Hundred” competition: A preliminary investigation. Research paper presented at the 2022 Annual Cricket Research and Practice Conference, Johannesburg, South Africa, July
• James, N., Nicholls, S., & Wells, J. (2019). Performance analysis within the coaching process: A study of Olympic and Paralympic sport. Keynote presentation at the 8 ISPAS workshop, Budapest, Hungary, September
• Nicholls, S., James, N., Bryant, E., & Wells, J. (2018). Elite coaches’ engagement with performance analysis within Olympic sport. Research paper presented at the 12 World Congress of Performance Analysis of Sport, Opatija, Croatia, September
• Nicholls, S., & James, N. (2016). The Use of Performance Analysis and Feedback within the Elite Olympic Sports Environment. Research paper presented at the 11 World Congress of Performance Analysis of Sport, Alicante, Spain, November
• Nicholls, S., Milligan, M., & Worsfold, P. (2016). Home Advantage within the Six Nations (2000-2015) Research paper presented at the ISPAS workshop, Carlow, Ireland, March
• Nicholls, S., & James, N. (2016). Predicting the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup. Research paper presented at the ISPAS workshop, Carlow, Ireland, March

Recent publications

• Nelson, L., James, N., Nicholls, S., Parmar, N., & Groom, R. (2023). The importance of appearing trustworthy in the workplace: Performance analysts' perspective. Sport, Education and Society
• Pote, L., Nicholls, S., King, G., & Christie, C. (2023). Anthropometric and morphological characteristics of elite male cricket bowlers and batters over time: A systematic review. International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, 18(5)
• McEwan, K., Pote, L., Nicholls, S., Radloff, S., & Christie, C. (2023). The role of pre-match covariate on the outcome of One Day International (ODI) cricket matches. South African Journal of Sports Medicine, 35(1)
• Nicholls, S., Keenan, J., Cresswell, AM., & Pote, L. (2023). An analysis of specific batting demands in the women’s “The Hundred” competition. South African Journal of Sports Medicine, 35(1)
• Nicholls, S.B., Pote, L., Thomson, E., & Theis, N. (2023). The change in Test cricket performance following the introduction of T20 cricket: Implications for tactical strategy. Sports Innovation Journal, 4(1), 1-16
• Nicholls, S.B., James, N., Wells, J., and Parmar, N. (2022). Performance analysis practice within Olympic and Paralympic sports - A comparison of coach and analyst experiences. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 22(3), 343-351
• Kojman, Y., Beeching, K., Gomez, M.A., Parmar, N., & Nicholls, S.B. (2022). The role of debriefing in enhancing learning and development in professional boxing. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 22(2), 250-260
• Nicholls, S.B., James, N., Bryant, E., & Wells, J. (2019). The implementation of performance analysis and feedback within Olympic sport: The performance analyst’s perspective. International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, 14(1), 63-71
• Nicholls, S.B., James, N., Bryant, E., & Wells, J. (2018). Elite coaches’ use and engagement with performance analysis within Olympic and Paralympic sport. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 18(5), 764-779
• Nicholls, S.B., & Worsfold, P.R. (2016). The Observational Analysis of Elite Coaches within Youth Soccer: The Importance of Performance Analysis. International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, 11(6), 825-831