Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 12, 2026

Chris Boyle

Professor Christopher Boyle is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and professor of Psychology and Inclusion (education) at the University of Adelaide. He has previously been an association football referee who refereed in the Australian A-League and the Scottish Premier League. Boyle is a qualified psychologist working in the UK and in Australia. He has written extensively on subjects in psychology and inclusive education. He is a respected academic and has authored over 150 publications on these topics.

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Jun 12, 2026
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Professor Chris Boyle
Born(1972-08-11)11 August 1972
Other nameChristopher Boyle
CitizenshipBritish Australian
Alma materUniversity of Dundee
University of Glasgow
University of Strathclyde
Open University
Known forEducational psychology
Labelling
Special and inclusive education
Beliefs in Santa Claus
Scientific career
FieldsPsychology, education, special education, inclusive education
InstitutionsUniversity of Adelaide
Chris Boyle
Chris Boyle as a Scottish referee
Full name Christopher Boyle
Born (1972-08-11) 11 August 1972
Glasgow, Scotland
Domestic
Years League Role
1999–2009 Scottish Football League / Scottish Premier League Referee
2010–2011 A-League Referee

Professor Christopher Boyle (born 11 August 1972 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and professor of Psychology and Inclusion (education) at the University of Adelaide.1 He has previously been an association football referee who refereed in the Australian A-League2 and the Scottish Premier League.3 Boyle is a qualified psychologist working in the UK and in Australia.4 He has written extensively on subjects in psychology and inclusive education.5 He is a respected academic and has authored over 150 publications on these topics.6

He edited the Australian Psychological Society's journal The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist7 between 2012 and 2017.

Early life and education

Refereeing career

Boyle has officiated matches in the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League, making him one of the most experienced referees in the A-League. He made headlines in his debut match of his A-League career when he officiated the game between Melbourne Victory and North Queensland Fury at AAMI Park. During the game, he awarded three penalties (two to Melbourne, and one to North Queensland), and handed out two red cards to North Queensland players Chris Grossman and Eric Akoto.8

Academic career

He has a wide and varied career and has lectured on professional training programmes for educational psychologists at the University of Dundee, Monash University, and the University of Exeter. He has also lectured in subject areas of child development and psychology, inclusive and special education with the Open University, Charles Sturt University, and the University of New England, Australia. He completed his PhD in psychology and education at the University of Dundee.

Media coverage

Boyle's academic work regularly receives media attention,9 and he is often asked to contribute to articles and TV and radio programmes around the world.

Published books

References

References

External links