The purpose of this page is to inform participants about the project and receive consent to use their data (only from the answers they have given in this questionnaire) so to adhere to ethical practices.
Participant Information Sheet
Research Project Title:
Attitudes towards the morality of the takeover of Newcastle United FC by Saudi Arabia
Invitation paragraph
You are being invited to take part in a research project. Before you decide whether or not to participate, it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. Ask us if there is anything that is not clear or if you would like more information. Take time to decide whether or not you wish to take part. Thank you for reading this.
What is the project’s purpose?
This project is part of a university undergraduate dissertation for the purpose of educational qualification. The aim of the study is to examine differences in attitudes towards the Saudi Arabia takeover of the Newcastle United FC, an example of ‘sportswashing’, which is countries with poor human rights records using sport to better their image. It will compare both Newcastle United fans and non-Newcastle United fans, as well as general football fans and non-football fans. This duration of this project spans over the academical year 2021/22.
Why have I been chosen?
You as a possible participant have been selected due to identifying with one of these groups – Newcastle United fan; fan of a different football club; or non-football fan. We have reached out to you through the use of online forums. This is the method which will be used in order to recruit other (approximately) 200 participants.
Do I have to take part?
It is up to you to decide whether or not to take part. If you do decide to take part, you will be given this information sheet to keep (and be asked to sign a consent related question at the beginning of the questionnaire) and you can still withdraw at any time* without any negative consequences. You do not have to give a reason. If you wish to withdraw from the research, please contact ljackson4@sheffield.ac.uk.
*Please note that if data has already been collected and anonymised, then withdrawing will involve only the withdrawal from any on-going or future data collection. Any data already collected and anonymised cannot be removed from the study. Data will be anonymised as soon as it is collected.
What will happen to me if I take part? What do I have to do?
To participate in this research, all that is required is to fill out an online questionnaire. The questionnaire should be completed in approximately 30 minutes. This process is all done online so no travelling will be required.
The information participants will give will be related to the new Saudi Arabia ownership of Newcastle United FC. It will also ask questions about participants’ perspectives of what is moral. This information is important to the study as it aims to distinguish differences in attitudes towards the things mentioned above. All questions will be closed questions; therefore, answers will be yes or no, or multiple choice. This means that there will be little to no writing required.
What is expected of you is to fill out the questionnaire with your honest answers.
If you do not have access to a device (mobile, tablet or computer) then you will not be able to participate in this study.
What are the possible disadvantages and risks of taking part?
This research follows the topic of morality. This means participants will be required to answer questions relating to their own moral viewpoints.
If participants feel discomfort about this, or any other aspect of the study, they will be able to withdraw from the study at any time. To do so email ljackson4@sheffield.ac.uk.
If there are any unexpected risks or discomfort identified during the research, this will be brought to the participants attention immediately.
What are the possible benefits of taking part?
Whilst there are no immediate benefits for those participating in this project, it is hoped that this research will contribute to literature surrounding ‘sportswashing’ and morality.
Will my taking part in this project be kept confidential?
All the information that we collect about you during the course of the research will be kept strictly confidential and will only be accessible to members of the research team. As soon as your data is collected it will be anonymised and unidentifiable. You will not be able to be identified in any reports or publications unless you have given your explicit consent for this. If you agree to us sharing the information you provide with other researchers (e.g. by making it available in a data archive) then your personal details will not be included unless you explicitly request this.
What is the legal basis for processing my personal data?
Personal data which could be used to identify participants will not be stored. Therefore, this study is anonymous.
What will happen to the data collected, and the results of the research project?
Once the data is collected, the only people to have access to it will be the primary researcher (undergraduate university student) and their dissertation supervisor. All data will be anonymous upon collection. It is likely that the results of the research will not be published. However, if results are published, it will be accessible with an online search of the title of the project.
Data will be stored in an anonymised form for the duration of the project (ending in May 2022).
Due to the nature of this research it is very likely that other researchers may find the data collected to be useful in answering future research questions if the data is published. We will ask for your explicit consent for your data to be shared in this way.
Who is organising and funding the research?
The researcher is an undergraduate university student at the University of Sheffield. The dissertation supervisor is a staff member at the University of Sheffield.
This research is not funded.
Who is the Data Controller?
The University of Sheffield will act as the Data Controller for this study. This means that the university is responsible for looking after your information and using it properly.
Who has ethically reviewed the project?
This project has been ethically approved via the University of Sheffield’s Ethics Review Procedure, as administered by the Sociology department
What if something goes wrong and I wish to complain about the research?
If you wish to raise a complaint about the research please contact the supervisor: mark.tomlinson@sheffield.ac.uk. Should you feel that your complaint was not handled to your satisfaction, please contact the Head of Department: nathan.hughes@sheffield.ac.uk who will then escalate the complaint through the appropriate channels.
If the complaint relates to how the participants’ personal data has been handled, information about how to raise a complaint can be found in the University’s Privacy Notice: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/govern/data-protection/privacy/general.
Contact for further information
Contact information for further information:
Name: Louie Jackson
Email: ljackson4@sheffield.ac.uk
Phone number: +447421 733181
Address: 529 Crookesmoor Road
Sheffield
South Yorkshire
S10 1BJ
Name: Mark Tomlinson
Email: mark.tomlinson@sheffield.ac.uk
Address: University of Sheffield Elmfield Building
Northumberland Road
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TU
All participants will be provided with a copy of the information sheet if they would like one.
Finally, thank you for participating in this project.
1. Do you consent to the use of your data in this project? (only the answers you provide in this questionnaire)
(If 'NO' please do not complete the questionnaire)