Role
Dr. Rhys Morris is a Senior Lecturer and Fellow of the HEA in the Department of Sport Science, as well as the Course Leader for the MSc in Strength & Conditioning. With a strong focus on sports performance, Dr. Morris specialises in football, boxing, and athletic youth development. He teaches various modules focused on strength and conditioning, bringing real-world experiences to the forefront to ensure the course equips students and coaches with the essential academic and practical skills needed for successful careers as Strength & Conditioning Coaches or Personal Trainers. Dr Morris’s research interests focus on sports performance, with a specialisation in football, boxing, and athletic youth development.
Career overview
After earning a BSc (Hons) in Sport & Exercise Science and an MSc in Strength & Conditioning from Coventry University, Dr. Morris began his career as Head of Performance in academy football. In 2019, he was awarded a PhD from Leeds Beckett University, titled "The Effect of Maturation on Strength, Speed, and Power in Elite Youth Soccer Players."
In 2018, Dr Morris joined Coventry University and underwent his FHEA, which he completed in 2022. Dr Morris was the course leader for the BSc (H) Sports Coaching course and contributed to the delivery of several undergraduate and postgraduate sport science courses. Dr Morris joined the Department of Sport Science at Nottingham Trent University in 2025. Alongside his academic career, Dr Morris collaborates with numerous local sporting organisations, providing students with valuable practical and placement opportunities.
Research areas
Dr. Morris is a member of the Exercise & Health Research Group within the Sport, Health & Performance Enhancement (SHAPE) Research Centre. His research primarily focuses on sports performance, with a particular emphasis on athletic development in youth athletes and boxing performance. He has collaborated with professional football clubs and elite boxers to develop evidence-based strategies that enhance performance.
He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, contributed to books and academic readings, and presented his research at internationally renowned scientific conferences.
External activity
Dr Morris has a strong interest in combat sports, particularly boxing, and currently serves as the Strength & Conditioning coach for a stable of professional boxers. In addition, Dr Morris is the Head of Strength & Conditioning for AFC Telford United, a non-league football club.
Publications
Emmonds, S., Morris, R., Murray, E., Robinson, C., Turner, L., & Jones, B. (2017). The influence of age and maturity status on the maximum and explosive characteristics of youth female soccer players. Science and Medicine in Football, 1(3), [page numbers needed].
Till, K., Morris, R., Stokes, K., Trewartha, G., Twist, C., Dobbin, N., & Jones, B. (2018). The validity of an isometric midthigh pull dynamometer in male youth athletes. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 32(2), 490-493.
Morris, R., Emmonds, S., Jones, B., Myers, T., Clarke, N., Lake, J., Ellis, M., Singleton, D., Roe, G., & Till, K. (2018). Seasonal changes in physical qualities of elite youth soccer players according to maturity status: Comparisons with age-matched controls. Science and Medicine in Football, 2(4), [page numbers needed].
Morris, R., Emmonds, S., Jones, B., Myers, T., Clarke, N., Lake, J., & Till, K. (2018). Isometric mid-thigh pull characteristics in elite youth soccer players: Comparisons by age and maturity offset. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, [volume and issue needed].
Till, K., Morris, R., Emmonds, S., Jones, B., & Cobley, S. (2018). Enhancing the evaluation and interpretation of fitness testing data within youth athletes. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 40(5), 24-33.
Noon, M., Ellis, M., Eyre, E., Morris, R., Clarke, N., Penny, R., Mundy, P., & Myers, T. (2020). The influence of age of recruitment, anthropometric and physical characteristics on the development pathway of English Academy football players. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, [volume/issue/pages needed].
Wdowski, M., Clarke, N., Eyre, E., Morris, R., Noon, M., Eustace, S., Hankey, J., Raymond, L., & Richardson, D. (2020). The effect of fatigue on first stance phase kinetics during acceleration sprint running in professional football players. Science and Medicine in Football, (In-Press).
Tallis, J., Clarke, N., Morris, R., Richardson, D., Ellis, M., Eyre, E., & Noon, M. (2021). The prevalence and practices of caffeine use as an ergogenic aid in English professional soccer. Biology of Sport, 38(4), 525-534.
Morris, R., Myers, T., Emmonds, S., et al. (2021). Does resisted sled towing improve the physical qualities of elite youth soccer players of differing maturity status? Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise, https://doi.org/10.1007/s42978-020-00087w.
Tamilio, R. A., Clarke, N. D., Duncan, M. J., Morris, R., Grgic, J., & Tallis, J. (2021). Can 3 mg·kg−1 of caffeine be used as an effective nutritional supplement to enhance the effects of resistance training in rugby union players? Nutrients, 13(10), 3367. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13103367.
Duncan, M., Eyre, E. L., Noon, M., Morris, R., Thake, D., & Clarke, N. (2021). Fundamental movement skills and perceived competence, but not fitness, are the key factors associated with technical skill performance in boys who play grassroots soccer. Science and Medicine in Football.
Duncan, M. J., Richardson, D., Morris, R., Eyre, E., & Clarke, N. D. (2021). Test–retest reliability of soccer dribbling tests in children. Journal of Motor Learning and Development, 9(3), 526-532.
Kite, R. J., Noon, M. R., Morris, R., Mundy, P., & 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.
Duncan, M. J., Eyre, E. L., Noon, M. R., Morris, R., Thake, C. D., Clarke, N. D., & Cunningham, A. J. (2022). Actual and perceived motor competence mediate the relationship between physical fitness and technical skill performance in young soccer players. European Journal of Sport Science, 22(8), 1196-1203.
Tamilio, R. A., Clarke, N. D., Duncan, M. J., Morris, R., & Tallis, J. (2022). How repeatable is the ergogenic effect of caffeine? Limited reproducibility of acute caffeine (3 mg·kg−1) ingestion on muscular strength, power, and muscular endurance. Nutrients, 14(20), 4416. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14204416.
Lyons Donegan, M., Eustace, S., Morris, R., Penny, R., & Tallis, J. (2022). The effects of soccer-specific exercise on countermovement jump performance in elite youth soccer players. Children, 9(12), 1861. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9121861.
Eustace, S. J., Morris, R., Tallis, J., Page, R. M., & Greig, M. (2022). The influence of angle-specific torque of the knee flexors and extensors on the angle-specific dynamic control ratio in professional female soccer players. Journal of Sports Sciences, 1-8.
Ellis, M., Myers, T., Taylor, R., Morris, R., & Akubat, I. (2022). The dose-response relationship between training load measures and changes in force-time components during a countermovement jump in male academy soccer players. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. [Is this now published?]
Tallis, J., Morris, R., Duncan, M. J., Eyre, E. L. J., & Guimaraes-Ferreira, L. (2023). Agreement between force platform and smartphone application-derived measures of vertical jump height in youth grassroots soccer players. Sports, 11(6), 117. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports11060117.
Kite, R. J., Noon, M. R., Morris, R., Mundy, P., & Clarke, N. D. (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 Sports, 12(3), 69–83. https://doi.org/10.54392/ijpefs2337.
Martins, R., Eyre, E., Crotti, M., Morris, R., Pattison, W., & Duncan, M. (2024). Child soccer players’ perceptions of strength and conditioning training: A multimethod approach using write, draw, show and tell. Pediatric Exercise Science. https://doi.org/10.1123/pes.2023-0102.
Kite, R. J., Noon, M. R., Morris, R., Mundy, P., & 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.
Tallis, J., Richardson, D., Shelley, S. P., Clarke, N., Morris, R. O., Noon, M., Duncan, M. J., & Eyre, E. L. J. (2024). Shuttle Time for Seniors: The impact of 8-week structured badminton training on markers of healthy aging and evaluation of lived experiences—A quasi-experimental study. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 32(5), 606-623. https://doi.org/10.1123/japa.2023-0279. PMID: 38710485.