Richard Parrish is Professor of Sports Law and Associate Head of the School of Law, Criminology and Policing at Edge Hill University. He is the Director of the Centre for Sports Law Research and between 2016-19 he was awarded Jean Monnet Chair of EU Sports Law and Policy by the European Commission. Professor Parrish has held senior advisory positions for the EU institutions, House of Lords and national governments and he has authored some of the most influential sports law and policy studies commissioned by the EU. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), his work on developing an EU sport diplomacy strategy was judged in the highest category (giving rise to 'outstanding reach and significance').