Dr David Hendry

Assistant Professor

School: Sport Exercise and Rehabilitation

Dr David T Hendry joined the Sport coaching team in September, 2018 after completing his PhD and MSc in the Motor Skills Laboratory at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. In addition to his scholarly interests David has extensive practical experience in coaching and has worked with a number of high profile organizations including; Glasgow Rangers F.C., the Scottish Football Association, Major League Soccer and UBC men’s soccer. David completed his undergraduate degree in Sport & Exercise Science from Edinburgh Napier University.

Campus Address

Northumberland Building
Northumbria University
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8ST

Email David

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

My research interests are related to the psychology of expert perforamnce and athlete devlopment in sport. I am interested in exploring the perecptual-motor-cognitive factors associated with expert decision making in sport, as well as investigating how non-congtive factors such as practice, motivation and grit contribute to the development of sports expertise.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
“Doing creative things at the right times”: Football academy practitioners’ conceptions of creativity and its development, de Sá Fardilha, F., Hendry, D., Allen, J. 1 Feb 2026, In: Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology
Grit subcomponents are differentially associated with practice trajectories underlying expertise development, Cocic, D., DeCouto, B., Fawver, B., Cowan, R., Hendry, D., Williams, A., Bilalic, M. 29 Oct 2025, In: Scientific Reports
How Small Differences Grow over Time – The Snowball Effect of Grit on Practice in Sport, Cocic, D., Larkin, P., Hendry, D., Williams, A., O’Connor, D., Bilalic, M. 29 Jul 2025, In: International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology
Gritting One’s Way to Success – Grit Explains Skill in Elite Youth Soccer Players Beyond (Deliberate) Practice, Larkin, P., Cocic, D., Hendry, D., Williams, A., O’Connor, D., Bilalic, M. 1 Jan 2023, In: Psychology of Sport and Exercise
A scoping review on developmental activities of girls and women's sports, Peters, C., Hendry, D., Hodges, N. 23 Sep 2022, In: Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
Developmental activities and perceptions of challenge for National and Varsity women soccer players in Canada, Hendry, D., Williams, A., Ford, P., Hodges, N. 1 Jul 2019, In: Psychology of Sport and Exercise
Optimal Development of Youth Athletes Toward Elite Athletic Performance: How to Coach Their Motivation, Plan Exercise Training, and Pace the Race, Menting, S., Hendry, D., Schiphof-Godart, L., Elferink-Gemser, M., Hettinga, F. 20 Aug 2019, In: Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
Pathways to Expert Performance in Soccer, Hendry, D., Hodges, N. Mar 2019, In: Journal of Expertise
Tracking and comparing self-determined motivation in elite youth soccer: Influence of developmental activities, age, and skill, Hendry, D., Williams, A., Crocker, P., Hodges, N. 5 Mar 2019, In: Frontiers in Psychology
Coach ratings of skills and their relations to practice, play and successful transitions from youth-elite to adult-professional status in soccer, Hendry, D., Williams, A., Hodges, N. 2 Sep 2018, In: Journal of Sports Sciences

PGR Supervision

Caroline Ames Motivation and Psychological Needs in Female Youth Football: An Investigation Across the Development Pathway Start Date: 01/10/2025
Leila Benyahia ??Competing with the boys: The technical, tactical and physical demands of same and mixed sex competition in elite youth U12 and U14 girls’ football Start Date: 01/10/2023