Dylan Blain
Background
Dr Dylan Blain is Head of School for Sport and Healthy living at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) where he provides overall strategic leadership for a portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across multiple campuses in South-West Wales. This leadership role oversees programmes including BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Science, BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Therapy, BSc (Hons) Sport, Health and Physical Education, BSc (Hons) Nutrition, Physical Activity & Health, and MSc Sport & Exercise Nutrition.
Dr Blain completed his PhD and undergraduate degree in Sport & Exercise Science at the University of Bath. He is a qualified secondary school Physical Education teacher with extensive experience of teaching in schools. He is a UEFA A Licence football coach and has worked at professional and semi-professional clubs. Academically, Dr Blain’s work focuses on promoting positive motivational trajectories via engaging programmes in sport and exercise contexts. He is also a CASES Chartered Sport & Exercise Scientist.
Specialist Subjects
- Motivation & Behaviour Change in Physical Activity
- Psychological factors influencing engagement in sport/exercise
- Designing interventions to support lifelong activity habits
- Physical Education & Physical Literacy
- Curriculum design for PE in schools
- Development of physical literacy across age groups
- Blended & Remote Learning in PE
- Youth Sport Development
- Coaching and curriculum models for children and adolescents
Professional and/or Research Experience
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (Health). Relationship among pupil motivation, physical literacy, physical activity and health-related well-being - University of Bath
- Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) - Physical Education - UWTSD
- Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) / Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) – Secondary Physical Education. - University of Wales Institute Cardiff
- BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Science - University of Bath.
- FAW/UEFA ‘A’ & Elite Youth A Licence (Combined Course)
Languages Spoken
Professional Membership or Roles
Academic Teaching
External Recognition or Rewards
CASES Chartered Sport & Exercise Scientist
UEFA A Licence and Elite Youth A Licence
Link to Orcid Profile
Professional Publications
- Blain, D., Standage, M. & Curran, T. (2022). Physical education in a post-COVID world: A blended-gamified approach. European Physical Education Review, 28(3), 757–776.
- Lang, J.J., Zhang, K., Agostinis-Sobrinho, C. Blain, D., et al. (2023). Top 10 International Priorities for Physical Fitness Research and Surveillance Among Children and Adolescents: A Twin-Panel Delphi Study. Sports Medicine, 53, 549–564.
- Blain, D., Curran, T. & Standage, M. (2020). Psychological and behavioural correlates of early adolescents' physical literacy. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education. 40(1), 157-165.
- Blain, D. & Bellamy, M. (2018). School Gym and physical activity. In Draper, N. & Stratton, G. (Eds.). Physical Activity: A multidisciplinary approach. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
- Goodyear, V.A., Blain, D., Quarmby, T. & Wainwright, N. (2016). Dylan: the use of 'mobile' 'apps' within a tactical inquiry approach. In Casey, A., Goodyear, V. A. & Armour, K. M. Digital Technologies and Learning in Physical Education: Pedagogical Cases.
- Regular appearances on S4C Sgorio as pundit and commentator.
- Blain, D, Curran, T & Standage, M (2026), Towards a Systematic Development of School-Based Physical Literacy Interventions: A Case Study. In Routledge Handbook of Physical Literacy. 1st edn, Taylor and Francis/ Balkema, London, pp. 316-335. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032703466-34