Top football researcher appointed at the University of Southern Denmark

The Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics at the University of Southern Denmark has appointed Chris Carling as Assistant Professor – one of the world’s leading experts in football research and performance optimization.

Chris brings more than 30 years of international experience in high-performance services in elite sport and academia.

He joins SDU from a former position as Head of Performance and Research at the French Football Federation. Chris has previously worked in various roles in football clubs including Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique de Marseille, and Lille OSC, and contributed to the development of the first elite player tracking system in football – later known as Prozone. He has also supported research programs at the French Rugby Federation and worked in coach and athlete education at France’s National Institute of Sport.

- This is a major coup for us. Chris Carling brings a unique combination of hands-on experience from some of the world’s leading football environments and a strong research profile. It is a significant boost to our department, says Professor Jens Troelsen, Head of the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics.

Chris will help build and lead new research activities at the intersection of sports science, talent development and performance analysis. He will also contribute to strengthening SDU’s collaborations with Danish and international clubs, federations and universities.

Chris has published 150 scientific articles as well as several books and chapters on sports science and sports medicine. Alongside his research, he has taught on UEFA and national coaching education programmes and has been responsible for PhD supervision and the development of elite university-level programmes in both France and the United Kingdom. He holds a PhD in sports science and has recently completed a Mini-MBA in Sporting Directorship.

- We are proud to attract an expert like Chris Carling. He brings a rare combination of strong academic expertise and practical experience from the very top of international elite sport, and that balance aligns perfectly with the purpose of Football Labs, says Claus Thomsen, Director of Divisionsforeningen.

- The recruitment reflects both the University of Southern Denmark’s international standing and the positive development currently seen in Danish club football. With Chris on board, we strengthen the opportunity for close, ongoing and highly qualified dialogue with the clubs and for creating more application-oriented research in elite football at the highest level. The ambition is to provide Danish clubs with new knowledge that can be translated into a real competitive advantage, he continues.

- I am delighted to be joining SDU and the strong academic environment here. I look forward to collaborating with colleagues, coaches and researchers to develop the future knowledge of performance in football – for the benefit of players, coaches and the research community, says Chris.

Chris Carling commenced his position at the University of Southern Denmark as a member of the Sport and Health Sciences research group in February 2026.