I’m a performance and development specialist working at the intersection of sport, psychology, and career transition.
I completed a BSc in Sport Science and Health in 2013, where I conducted award-winning research on coaches’ attitudes to mental health in athletes. That work shaped the direction of my career and led me to pursue doctoral research in DCU.
I completed my PhD in 2019 following five years designing, delivering, and evaluating a life skills and career adaptability intervention for Olympic and Paralympic athletes, coaches, and support staff with the Sport Ireland Institute. My work focused on helping high performers navigate pressure, transition, identity change, and life beyond performance, not just how to perform better, but how to adapt well when circumstances change. Now, I work for Rugby Players Ireland as a Personal Development Manager for Leinster Rugby’s Senior and Academy Men’s squad.
“Emma Burrows made an outstanding contribution to our panel discussion on UCD’s place in the story of Irish rugby. Her thoughtful, player-centred insights on player welfare and the evolving professional game were engaging and genuinely thought-provoking, adding depth and value to the conversation and resonated strongly with our audience.”
Sharon Nolan & Sheila Morris, UCD Foundation
Alongside my academic and applied work, I have extensive experience in coaching and coach development. I have served on the Board and as Director of Coaching for American Football Ireland, where I mentored over 100 active coaches and developed coach education programmes in partnership with Sport Ireland Coaching. I also served as Assistant Head Coach of the South Dublin Panthers, competing in the premier division of American Football in Ireland, and Assistant Coach with the Irish Wolfhounds Flag team, Ireland’s international representatives.
In addition to working in elite sport, I support youth athletes and their parents to balance education, sport, and wellbeing. This often involves working closely with schools and education providers to ensure athletes are supported as whole people; academically, psychologically, and athletically.
Across all of my work, my focus is the same: helping people build sustainable performance, strong identity foundations, and the skills to adapt when pressure, change, or transition arrives.
What It’s Like to Work Together
“My first interaction with Coach B from a sporting perspective was to sit down and plan my return to contact sport following a knee injury. From that first meeting I knew that I would be challenged, encouraged, and held accountable. Coach B made it clear to me from the outset that sport wasn’t just what you do on the field for 60 minutes on gameday, but a combination of innumerable tiny victories and achievements that all fed into one goal. Her knowledge, guidance, and support made it simple to identify these tasks and to lay them out in front me in a way that broke down a seemingly insurmountable goal into easily processable chunks. Without Coach B’s help I can say with absolute certainty that my return to sport would not have been as straightforward, and indeed may not have happened at all.”
I work with:
- Athletes (youth to elite)
- Coaches and support staff
- Parents navigating sport–education balance
- Organisations seeking sustainable, human-centred performance support
If you’re looking for practical, evidence-based support that takes performance, wellbeing, and identity seriously, I’d love to talk.
Get in touch to discuss one-to-one support, workshops, or consultancy.
Dr Emma Burrows 