Dr Georgia Allen-Baker

Assistant Professor

School: Sport Exercise and Rehabilitation

Georgia is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation at Northumbria University. She holds a BSc in Applied Sport and Exercise Sciences and an MSc in Sport and Behaviour Psychology from Northumbria. She completed her PhD at Brunel University in Sport Psychology and Education following two years in NHS roles focused on behaviour change and health promotion.

Georgia’s research centres on the psychological and social dimensions of sport and physical activity, with a particular focus on how children and young people experience these environments. Her recent work explores how early childhood engagement in sport and exercise influences wellbeing, motivation, and long-term physical activity behaviours as well as focusing the intersectional nature of inequality in early years sport and physical activity. She is particularly interested in how environments, coaching practices, inequality and wider social factors shape children’s experiences and development in sport.

Georgia’s interdisciplinary approach bridges sport psychology, education, and public health, contributing to more inclusive and supportive sport and exercise settings. She is also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), reflecting her sustained commitment to excellence in teaching and learning in higher education.

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Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Gendered perspectives of yoga in the Key Stage 1 classroom: Qualitative content analysis indicates contrasting views of teachers and pupils, Wilkin, K., Thornton, C., Allen-Baker, G. 24 Feb 2026, In: PLoS One
Teacher-Led Yoga/Mindfulness in the Key Stage 1 Classroom. Survey of Educators Across North-East England, Wilkin, K., Thornton, C., Allen-Baker, G. 1 Feb 2026, In: Early Childhood Education Journal
Barriers to using yoga and mindfulness in the Key Stage 1 classroom: perspectives of educators working in faith and non-faith state schools across North East England, Wilkin, K., Thornton, C., Allen, G. 31 Dec 2025, In: Cogent Education
Correction: Teacher-Led Yoga/Mindfulness in the Key Stage 1 Classroom. Survey of Educators Across North-East England (Early Childhood Education Journal, (2025), 10.1007/s10643-025-01903-0), Wilkin, K., Thornton, C., Allen-Baker, G. 7 Jul 2025, In: Early Childhood Education Journal
Families, Pre-School Sport, and Physical Activity: Critical Perspectives, Allen-Baker, G., Velija, P. 8 Aug 2025
In pursuit of the ideal body: Exploring the nutritional considerations made by gymnastics coaches, Riman, J., Peart, D., Keane, K., Hicks, K., Allen-Baker, G. 10 Dec 2025, In: Sport, Education and Society
Introduction, Allen-Baker, G., Velija, P. 8 Aug 2025, Families, Pre-School Sport, and Physical Activity, London, Taylor & Francis
Marketing pre-school sport and physical activity, Allen-Baker, G., Velija, P. 8 Aug 2025, Families, Pre-School Sport, and Physical Activity Critical Perspectives, London, United Kingdom, Routledge
Swimming from birth, Allen-Baker, G. 8 Aug 2025, Families, Pre-School Sport, and Physical Activity: Critical Perspectives, London, United Kingdom, Routledge
Understanding the Use of Superstitious Rituals in Sports People, Morris, B., Thornton, C., Neave, N., Allen, G. 17 Sep 2025, In: Journal of Sports Sciences

Professional Activity

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Examination: PhD Examination 2025
Oral presentation: ‘You're in your house, you're doing something online and it kind of feels very samey’: Physical activity with early years children during Covid-19 and beyond 2022
Invited talk: Using Sport to Teach Life Skills to Adolescent Students 2015