Rich Kite

Dr Rich Kite

  • Lecturer in Strength and Conditioning
UN SDGs:
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Biography

Dr Rich Kite is a dedicated Strength & Conditioning lecturer with over a decade of industry experience working in professional football, olympic weightlifting, amongst other sports. His previous roles include Academy Lead Strength & Conditioning Coach at Coventry City F.C, Senior Strength & Conditioning Coach at Project MVP, and a Talent Pathway Coach at British Weight Lifting.

Rich is also a researcher specialising in talent identification, selection, and development in youth and academy sport. His work examines how physical, psychological, technical, and contextual factors interact to shape athlete pathways, with a particular focus on the decision-making processes of coaches and organisations. He has published widely on topics including maturation and performance testing, bio-banding, athlete transitions, and the role of subjective versus objective assessments in player selection. Drawing on cross-sport studies in soccer, Australian Rules football, and table tennis, his research bridges applied sport science, coaching practice, and athlete development policy, offering critical insights into how talent is recognised, nurtured, and sometimes overlooked within high-performance environments...

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Research

With a passion for youth development, Rich has focused his research on talent development, talent identification and talent identification in sport.

Additional research focuses lie in plyometric training and athlete warm-up procedures.

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person's work contributes towards the following SDGs:

Good health and well-being

"Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages"

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Quality education

"Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all"

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Gender equality

"Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls"

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Journal Articles

  • Kite, R., O'Brien, H. and Vickers, E., 2025. A Systematic Review of Talent Identification Practices Within Table Tennis. Journal of Applied Sports Sciences, 9 (2).
  • Kite, R. and Callaway, A., 2025. How Many Familiarization Sessions Does the Isometric Squat Test Require for Stable Results? Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
  • Kite, R., Johnston, K. and Baker, J., 2025. What Do We Know About Player Selection in Academy Soccer? A Narrative Review. Journal of Expertise, 8 (2-3), 150-178.
  • Kite, R.J. and Parris, Z., 2025. Athletes’ transitions from part-time to full-time performance programmes: Athletes’ and coaches’ perceptions. International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, 20 (4), 1409-1419.
  • Kite, R. and Benstead-Banthorpe, J., 2025. Understanding Plyometrics: A Coach's Guide. Professional Strength and Conditioning Journal, 73 (1), 20-32.
  • Kite, R., Ashford, M., Noon, M., Morris, R. and Clarke, N., 2024. Talking a Good Game: Identifying the Discrepancies in Football Coaches' Beliefs and Actions in Player Selection. Journal of Expertise, 6(4) & 7(1), 352-368.
  • Kite, R.J., Noon, M.R., Morris, R., Mundy, P. and Clarke, N.D., 2024. Observations of Player (de)Selection Within a Professional UK Soccer Academy. Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise, 6 (1), 71-80.
  • Kite, R., Noon, M., Morris, R., Mundy, P. and Clarke, N., 2023. Investigating Player Selection within UK Academy Soccer: The Application of Objective and Subjective Assessments in Detecting Talent. International Journal of Physical Education, Fitness and Sport, 12 (3), 69-83.
  • Thurlow, F.G., Kite, R.J. and Cumming, S.P., 2022. Revisiting youth player development in Australian Rules Football: Is there a place for bio-banding? International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, 17 (3), 637-646.
  • Kite, R.J., Noon, M.R., Morris, R., Mundy, P. and Clarke, N.D., 2022. British Soccer Academy Personnel Perceive Psychological and Technical/Tactical Attributes as the Most Important Contributors to Development. Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise, 4 (1), 37-48.
  • Kite, R., Buscombe, R. and Bourne, N., 2020. Talent detection: do jumping performances correlate with maturation levels, and what are the differences within maturation groupings? Professional Strength and Conditioning Journal, 58, 9-13.

Conferences

  • Kite, R., 2025. Athlete Transition from Part-time to Full-time Performance Programmes: Athletes' and Coaches' Perceptions. In: UKSCA Conference 12-14 September 2025 East Midlands Conference Centre.

Internet Publications

PhD Students

  • Megan Chesters, MRes, (In progress)

Profile of Teaching PG

  • Practical Strength and Conditioning
  • Periodisation and Programme Design

Qualifications

  • Level.2 in Talent Identification (The FA, 2022)
  • PhD in Observations of youth player selection in football (Coventry University, 2022)
  • MRes in Sports Science (University of East London, 2019)
  • BSc (Hons) in Strength and Conditioning Science (St Mary's University, 2014)
  • Level.2 in Weightlifting Coach (British Weight Lifting, 2013)

Memberships

  • BASES, Accredited and Chartered Member,
  • UK Strength & Conditioning Association, Accredited Member,