Niels Boysen Feddersen

Norwegian version of this page Department of Teacher Education and Outdoor Studies

Associate Professor

Email: nielsbf@nih.no
Phone: +4723262410

Press photo

Research

Qualitative research methods, ethnography, observation studies, action research, intervention studies

Teaching

Physical activity and mental health

Short biography

Niels Boysen Feddersen is an Associate Professor at the Department of Teacher Education and Outdoor Studies at NIH. His background includes an MSc in sports psychology and sociology from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) and a Ph.D. in organizational psychology in sports organizations from Liverpool John Moores University (Liverpool, UK). Before joining NIH, Niels worked as a postdoc at the Department of Sociology and Political Science at NTNU in Trondheim.

Teaching is a central area of interest where Niels uses creative and student-engaging approaches to enhance the learning outcomes. Examples of this include the use of reverse mentoring, where a group of students acts as mentors for Niels, to better tailor the teaching to the target audience. Additionally, Niels often employs a focus group approach as a starting point for discussion.

Today, Niels conducts research in three main areas:

(1) A sociological-psychological approach to the rehabilitation of neurological injuries, such as spinal cord injuries and head injuries. The primary focus here is how active rehabilitation is adapted to the healthcare system and injury demographics. Additionally, there is a focus on how users, mentors, and healthcare personnel experience rehabilitation activities. This research is conducted in collaboration with rehabilitation organizations and researchers in Norway, Sweden, Poland, Denmark, and Iceland.

(2) Organizational culture in sports organizations. Niels has examined how organizational culture changes over time by focusing on subtle power relations. He has also outlined how destructive cultures develop in elite sports organizations and how individuals who break rules and norms can be reintegrated. This research has included collaboration with sports federations in the UK, Denmark, and Norway.

(3) Adaptation of psychological support in elite sports environments. Currently, the focus is on how psychologists adapt their practical work to the context of elite sports. Recent research has been carried out in collaboration with football academies in the Premier League, Championship, and League 1, as well as men's football clubs in the Norwegian Eliteserien.

LinkedIn: Niels Feddersen | LinkedIn

Twitter: Niels Feddersen (@niels_moving)

Bjørnstad, Martine; Tam, Alexia; McDougall, Michael & Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2024). Relationships influencing organisational culture in men's elite football clubs in Norway. Psychology of Sport And Exercise. ISSN 1469-0292. 72. doi: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2024.102604. Show summary
This paper examines the relationships within and outside organisations that have the leverage to influence culture in the context of men’s elite football clubs in Norway. Participants from three clubs held positions as Performance Director (n=2), sport psychology practitioner (n = 3), and physiotherapist (n = 2) and participated in semi-structured interviews focusing on the relationships, tensions, and dynamic organisational forces in their respective clubs. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we developed two overarching themes showing (1) Organisational cultures in time frames and (2) Relationships among stakeholders influencing organisational culture. Developing these themes indicated that an organisational culture is not only a point of arrival, but also a point of departure for future activities. Hence, those charged with organisational culture work must maintain awareness of the influence of a club’s history and how it influences dynamic tensions with stakeholders within and outside clubs. It is also critical that cultural practitioners are mindful of players’ and staffs’ individual journeys, which influence how they self-organise into fluid and temporary subgroups. The findings can sharpen our understanding of working with culture in elite football by emphasising other sources of culture besides leaders’ attempts at controlling or steering it in their preferred way. Using the findings provided in this study can help practitioners recognise organisational tensions or slippage towards cultural problems before they lead to traumatic organisational crises.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Champ, Francesca; Sæther, Stig Arve & Littlewood, Martin A. (2023). How Psychologists in Men's English Football Academies Evaluate Their Working Context and Adopt an Appropriate Professional Practice Framework. The Sport Psychologist. ISSN 0888-4781. 37(3), p. 170–178. doi: 10.1123/tsp.2022-0154.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2023). Introducing Empowered Consent to Deal With the Current Challenges in Applied Sport Psychology. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology (JCSP). ISSN 1932-9261. p. 1–14. doi: 10.1123/jcsp.2022-0060.
Guttelvik, Siri & Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2023). A Single-Case Study of Experience of Disordered Eating Influenced by a Track and Field Talent Development Environment. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action. ISSN 2152-0704. doi: 10.1080/21520704.2023.2170509. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
The study provides an interpretation of a young woman’s experience of being in a track and field environment in relation to the early stages of disordered eating and anxiety symptoms. The study shows the process of an intake interview with a potential client and the subsequent interpretation of the stories told. We designed the study as a single-case study and conducted one narrative interview with an 18-year-old woman. The findings were analyzed using narrative analysis and communicated using creative nonfiction. Anna’s story shows how she experiences being labeled as a “talent” in her sport and how she struggles with living up to the values and goals of others in the sports environment. Based on the narrative, we chose to interpret Anna’s experience using existential psychology; focusing on authenticity and loneliness, which seemed to exacerbate comorbid anxiety symptoms. The implication of our findings is that support in dealing with body issues and performance should involve guidance on how young athletes make choices and consciously consider their personal development. And sport psychologist can use the current study to guide how they interpret an intake interview.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Champ, Francesca; Sæther, Stig Arve & Littlewood, Martin A. (2022). Confidentiality and surveillance challenges for psychologists working in men’s football academies in England. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. ISSN 1041-3200. p. 1–22. doi: 10.1080/10413200.2022.2134506. Full text in Research Archive
Feddersen, Niels Boysen & Ryom, Knud (2022). Examining the Field of Applied Sport Psychology in Denmark. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action. ISSN 2152-0704. doi: 10.1080/21520704.2022.2129890. Full text in Research Archive
Sæther, Stig Arve; Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Andresen, Eirik Emil & Bjørndal, Christian T. (2022). Balancing sport and academic development: Perceptions of football players and coaches in two types of Norwegian school-based dual career development environments. International journal of sports science & coaching. ISSN 1747-9541. 17(6), p. 1270–1282. doi: 10.1177/17479541221111462. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Sports-friendly and elite sport schools seek to support pupils by providing balanced support which is intended to facilitate success both in sport and in academic work. This study investigates how ambitious football players in Norway experience the advantages and challenges of undertaking a ‘dual career’ as student-athletes. Eight players and five coaches (two club coaches and three school coaches) in total were interviewed from two sports-friendly schools and two elite sports schools, and the data were analysed using thematic analysis. In the Elite Sport Programmes, the close integration of the school and club settings enabled coaches and student-athletes to plan and manage the overall workload and development of the student-athletes more easily. In contrast, players in the less structured Sports-Friendly Programmes experienced more concerns related to workload coordination but were also given more responsibility for their own decision making. This helped to facilitate better self-determination among the student-athletes but also increased their risk of overuse injuries. Our results indicate how different dual career development environments offer varying benefits, risks and developmental opportunities for student-athletes.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2021). The Emergence and Perpetuation of a Destructive Culture in a British Olympic Sport. In Cavalliero, Francesca (Eds.), Creative Nonfiction in Sport and Exercise Research. Routledge. ISSN 9781003038900. p. 119–128. doi: 10.4324/9781003038900-11.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen & Phelan, Simon Edward (2021). The Gradual Normalization of Behaviors Which Might Challenge Ethical and Professional Standards in Two British Elite Sports Organizations. Journal of Sport Management. ISSN 0888-4773. 36(5), p. 409–419. doi: 10.1123/jsm.2021-0077.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Morris, Robert; Ronkainen, Noora; Sæther, Stig Arve; Littlewood, Martin A. & Richardson, David (2021). A Qualitative Meta-Study of a Decade of the Holistic Ecological Approach to Talent Development. Scandinavian Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology (SJSEP). ISSN 2596-741X. 3, p. 24–39. doi: 10.7146/sjsep.v3i.128317. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
The Holistic-Ecological Approach (HEA) was introduced in 2010, and it is now important to provide a critical review after a decade of research elaborating on the framework. The purpose of this study was to critically assess the methodological and theoretical trends in research using the HEA in the study of athletic talent development environments (ATDE). We used a qualitative meta-study to review twelve studies published from 2010 to the first quarter of 2021. Our meta-theory analysis found that future studies should consider the use of Bronfenbrenner’s work on development and address previous critiques on its use since it can limit the potential of the HEA re-search. In the meta-methods, we found that all studies used multiple and varied data collection strategies (e.g., interviews, observations, organisational documents). We also found a high degree of transparency and rigour exemplified by using multiple validity strategies. Method weaknesses were an underrepresentation of neutral or negative cases. The meta-data analysis showed that most ATDEs were classified as successful or unsuccessful ahead of data collection, suggesting potential confirmation bias. We also found that all ATDEs had competing findings, which suggests a need for exploring negative or ambiguous findings. Future research could benefit from clarifying the use of underlying theoretical assumptions; contrasting findings with neutral cases, outliers, and negative cases to clarify the definition of successful ATDEs; and expanding on the methodological approach.
Haukli, Jon Stian; Hvid Larsen, Carsten; Feddersen, Niels Boysen & Sæther, Stig Arve (2021). The athlete talent development environment in the best ranked football academy in Norwegian football: The case of the U16 team in Stabæk football club. Current Issues in Sport Science. ISSN 2414-6641. 6(008). doi: 10.36950/2021ciss008. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
We used the holistic ecological approach to examine the talent development of Stabæk football club. Specifically, the male under-16 team. The environment was categorised as successful based on their history of developing senior elite players and being the highest ranked football academy in Norway. The study design was an explorative, integrative, and qualitative study considering an extreme case. Data collection included interviews, observations, and document analysis. The results showed that the environment shared features with other successful environments and deviated on other features. Our findings were consistent with research highlighting the importance of long-term development focus, supportive training groups, and support from the wider environment. However, we also found that the contrary to former research, success was not underpinned by a coherent organisational culture. Instead, there were several examples of ambiguity (e.g., between espoused values and actual behaviours). There was also a lack of integration of efforts, no support for developing psychosocial skills, lack of diversification, and a lack of proximal role models. Instead the club practiced early recruitment and specialisation, employed failure-focused coaching, and kept youth players away from role models. Our findings show that the club environment could be described as a successful, and yet, success does not necessarily equal all previously suggested successful features.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Morris, Robert; Storm, Louise; Littlewood, Martin A. & Richardson, David J (2020). A Longitudinal Study of Power Relations in a British Olympic Sport Organization. Journal of Sport Management. ISSN 0888-4773. 35(4), p. 312–324. doi: 10.1123/JSM.2020-0119. Full text in Research Archive

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Jackson, Pete & Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2024). Organisational culture and power relationships in sport. [Radio]. Spotify.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen; McDougall, Michael & Downey, John (2023). Organisational culture in sports: Perspectives, traps, and entry points for cultural practitioners. In Borrie, Andy; Chandler, Charlotte; Hooton, Andy; Miles, Andy & Watson, Paula (Ed.), The Applied Sport and Exercise Practitioner. Routledge. ISSN 9781003290049. p. 96–109. doi: 10.4324/9781003290049-10. Show summary
Culture is a key concept that can provide deep insight into how people work and live together in groups. Applied to organisations, it offers a means of studying the textures of organisational life and of working out what is socially significant and why. Most commonly, though, this capacity to elevate awareness of the implicit understandings that make things mean what they do for organisational members has often taken a back seat to a focus on the instrumental and assumed practical applications that connect culture with desirable organisational outcomes. Here, ‘organisational culture’ is primarily treated as a way to resolve fundamental problems that organisations deal with (including those in sport and exercise settings), such as how to improve performance, develop talent, navigate change, and enhance member well-being. Consequently, in the last decade, interest has surged in organisational culture, with several sport researchers recognising that expertise in this area is an essential component of the modern sports practitioners’ arsenal1 (e.g., Cruickshank & Collins, 2012; Feddersen, Morris, Storm et al., 2021; Fletcher & Arnold, 2011; Henriksen, 2015; McDougall et al., 2020b; Wagstaff & Burton-Wylie, 2018).
Sæther, Stig Arve & Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2022). Pressede trenere prøver å få idrettspsykologer til å sladre. [Business/trade/industry journal]. Gemini.no.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2022). Forskning i Forandring.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2022). GameChanger podcast #112: Kultur i talentudviklingsmiljøer - en samtale med Niels Feddersen. [Radio]. Spotify.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2022). GameChanger Podcast #116: Psykologi i fodboldens konkurrencemiljøer. [Radio]. Spotify.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Woll, Lars; Rosvold, Malene & Mehus, Ingar (2022). Idrettslabben - Episode 2: Motivasjon. [Radio]. Spotify.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Woll, Lars & Rosvold, Malene (2022). Idrettslabben - Introduksjon til Idrettspsykologi. [Radio]. Spotify.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2022). Using Self-Portraits to Explore the Fluctuations of a Female Olympic Rower’s Identity.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Champ, Francesca; Sæther, Stig Arve & Littlewood, Martin A. (2022). Confidentiality and Surveillance in Psychology Provisions in Men’s Football Academies in England.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen; Champ, Francesca; Sæther, Stig Arve & Littlewood, Martin A. (2022). Challenges and Solutions to Humanistic Psychology Delivery with Male U7-U16 Football Players in Professional English Academies.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2021). Meaningful Sport Series podcast: Nature-based Activities as an Intervention for Well-Being - Dr Niels Feddersen (Pt2). [Radio]. Spotify.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2021). Meaningful Sport Series podcast: Understanding Organisational Cultures in Elite Sport - Dr Niels Feddersen (Pt1). [Radio]. Spotify.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2021). The Sport Psych Show - A Holistic Ecological Approach to Talent Development. [Radio]. Spotify.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen & Halsted, Laurence (2021). Supporting athlete careers and retirement from the vantage point of smaller national governing bodies. In Campbell, Natalie; Brady, Abby & Tincknell-Smith, Alison (Ed.), Developing and Supporting Athlete Wellbeing: Persen first, Athlete Second. Routledge. ISSN 978-0-367-25461-2. p. 197–210.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2022). Fri på Vandet: Forskning i et Frirum for Personer med Angst, Depression og Stress (Delrapport, 13.06.2022). Surf og SUP Danmark og Institut for Sosiologi og Statsvitenskap, NTNU.
Feddersen, Niels Boysen (2019). Examining Organisational Culture Change in a UK Talent Development Programme. Liverpool John Moores University.

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Published Oct. 17, 2023 1:12 PM - Last modified Dec. 13, 2023 2:35 PM