2025 Athlete Development Research Symposium

CALL FOR PAPERS

Date: May 4, 2026
Time: 11 – 5 pm
Where: NASCAR R&D CENTER - 7010 W Winds Blvd NW, Concord, NC 28027, United States

We are excited to announce the 8th annual PAADS Athlete Development Research Symposium, which will be held on Monday, May 4, 2026, from 11-4 pm in Concord, North Carolina, in conjunction with the 20th Athlete Development Summit.

The Athlete Development Research Symposium will highlight innovative, practical, and timely interdisciplinary research on athlete development. Bridging academic and professional practice, the Research Symposium will allow for a robust and enlightening exchange of ideas, strategies, and tools. The Research Symposium is held immediately before the Athlete Development Summit, an annual conference that attracts leaders in athlete development from major sports organizations around the world, including athlete development specialists from the NFL, NBA, NRL, MLS, ATP, WTA, MLB, NASCAR, LPGA, NHLPA,  Premier League, and Rugby League Cares. The Athlete Development Summit provides athlete development specialists with a forum for connecting with representatives of a wide variety of organizations in the profession and sharing best practices and innovations in the field of athlete development.

The PAADS Athlete Development Research Symposium is held a day before the start of the Summit and provides attendees with an opportunity to gain valuable scientific insights from the various academic disciplines that research athlete development. Furthermore, the Research Summit allows scholars to share their findings and exchange ideas with other researchers, as well as industry professionals in the athlete development space. Researchers are invited to stay for the Summit (May 5-6), where there will be several opportunities, both structured and organic, for researchers and industry professionals to network and exchange ideas. Professionals are often eager to learn more about how they can use research and evidenced-based methods to show the value of their work to their front office staff and other stakeholders at their organizations.

Abstract Topics

Athlete development draws from several academic disciplines and professional fields, including psychology, medicine, economics, sports management and marketing, social work, media and communications, health behavior, and sports science. We invite proposals for individual research papers, poster/exhibit sessions, and/ or panel discussions addressing broad aspects of athlete development.

Topics may include (but are not limited to):

ATHLETE PERFORMANCE DEVELOPMENT

(Athlete sport success, athleticism, and health and safety)

  • Nutrition, Healthy Eating and Disordered Eating

  • Health, Injury, and Recovery

  • Personal Safety and Risk Factors

  • Substance Use and Abuse

  • Mental Skills for Athletic Performance

  • Character and Leadership Development

  • Predictors of Success in Sport

  • Coaching and Athlete Development: Participation and Performance

  • Sport Psychology and Athlete Performance

  • Mental and Emotional Health

  • Skill Acquisition and Expertise

  • Media Use, Education, and Literacy

  • Athlete Identity

  • Support Services for Athletes

  • Social Justice, Activism, and Sports

  • Race, Gender, Identity, Culture, and Sports

ATHLETE personal DEVELOPMENT

(Athlete well-being, quality of life, and success away from sport)

Athlete well-being in life

  • Financial Education and Literacy

  • Professionalism

  • Career Development

  • Transitions In and Out of Sport

  • Character and Leadership Development

  • Mental and Emotional Health

  • Media Use, Education, and Literacy

  • Athlete Identity

  • Support Services for Athletes

  • Social Justice, Activism, and Sports

  • Race, Gender, Identity, Culture, and Sports

Submission Guidelines and Formatting:

  • The PAADS Athlete Development Research Symposium considers abstracts of completed empirical or conceptual research on a variety of topics in athlete development as aforementioned.

  • To be considered for a presentation of a refereed paper, poster session, or 50-minute panel, authors must submit a 500-700-word abstract.

    Abstracts should include the following information:

    • a presentation title
    • the type of session (25-minute presentation, 50-minute panel, poster session)
    • the name(s), title(s), and affiliation(s) of each author(s)
    • a description of the importance of the study
    • an appropriate methodology
    • a summary of results
    • conclusions and implications

  • Research papers are designed to address theoretical, methodological, and/ or pedagogical focus in athlete development. Accepted research papers will be assigned to a panel based on common themes, topics, and/or areas of interest. Poster/exhibit sessions should highlight research and projects in progress or the early consideration stage and will be shared through author conversations with attendees. Panel proposals should address a particular topic/theme in athlete development with each panelist’s paper discussing some aspect of the theme.

    All abstracts must be submitted by Monday, December 1, 2025, at 5:00 pm ET, and decisions will be announced on Friday, February 27, 2026.

  • Abstracts will undergo a double-blind review process using the following criteria:

    1. Clarity of study aims

    2. Significance to the field of athlete development

    3. Appropriate methodology and analysis of data

    4. Discussion and implications of findings

  • Please send all abstract submissions to Dr. Chris McLeod at mcleod.c@ufl.edu.

    Thank you in advance for your interest in the PAADS Athlete Development Research Symposium.

    Click Here to Register for the ADS

    For more information about the Summit or Research Symposium, please visit www.PAADS.org

SUBMIT NOW

Conference Registration

Authors from selected abstracts may also be offered the opportunity to be invited to talk about their research in one of the PAADS podcast series and/or be featured in the newsletter and spotlight that are released monthly to PAADS members.

At least one author of each accepted presentation, panel, and poster must register to attend the Research Symposium before April 10, 2026, or the presentation will be removed from the Symposium program. 

To support authors of accepted 25-minute presentations and/or 50-minute panels in their ability to attend BOTH the Research Symposium and PAADS Athlete Development Summit, they will be able to register at a discount for $285 (worth a value of $950). Authors of accepted poster presentations will be able to attend the Research Symposium at no cost but will not receive a discount to attend the Summit.

Sign Up and Receive PAADS News, Resources and More!