BA (Hons) Football Studies (Full Time)

Gain a valuable perspective on Solent's successful Football Studies degree course.

Course overview

Southampton Solent University is one of the country’s leading centres for the academic study of football. The University has been providing training for the professional football industry, and undergraduate programmes for those seeking to enter it, for a number of years. During this time the University has developed extensive links with many of the game’s key stakeholders including; the Football Association, the Premier League, the League Managers Association, the Institute of Football Management and Administration, the Professional Footballers’ Association and many professional clubs. Our academic staff have excellent links within football. They have helped national teams prepare for World Cup Finals, have attended Parliament to discuss aspects of football with the Government, are regularly consulted by the professional industry, and run an academy in Africa.

 The BA (Hons) Football Studies degree offers students a wide and varied range of opportunities during their three years of study. A focus is placed on both the practical and theoretical skills needed for developing future football professionals. These include all of the relevant coaching qualifications delivered by our own UEFA ‘A’ Licence Coach Educators, delivered alongside units in psychology, sociology, health and fitness, football development and research. The course also offers excellent work placement opportunities with professional clubs and organisations, and the opportunity to tap into the University’s extensive network of contacts in the game. When you finish this highly enjoyable and stimulating course you will be in the best possible position to secure a career in football.

Since 2003, BA (Hons) Football Studies and Football Studies with Business students have secured work-based learning opportunities, internships and full-time employment with a number of clubs and associations, which include: Premier League, Fulham FC, Tottenham Hotspur FC, Birmingham City FC, Newcastle United FC, West Ham Utd FC, Brighton & Hove Albion FC, Crystal Palace FC, Portsmouth FC, Reading FC, Southampton FC, AFC Bournemouth, Brentford FC, Aldershot Town FC, Northampton Town FC, Forest Green Rovers FC, Glentoran FC, Rhyl FC, Klepp Elite FC (Norway), FC Spartak Moscow, Lithuanian Football Federation, Latvian Football Federation, Major League Soccer, Sharjah FC (Dubai), among others.

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Industrial focus

The course offers excellent work placement opportunities with professional clubs and organisations, and the opportunity to tap into the University’s extensive network of contacts in the game. You will have the opportunity to meet some of football’s most significant figures at regular guest lectures.

Course content

Year 1

Six core units:

• Industry Practice and Research
• Principles of Coaching Football
• Football Principles and Practice
• Football and Society
• Fitness for Sport
• Principles of Sport Development.

Year 2

Five core units and one option unit:

• Coaching for Football
• Sociology of Football
• Sports Psychology
• Research Methods for Sport
• Football Development.

Options:

• Diet and Nutrition
• Advanced Training Principles
• Outdoor recreation
• Sport and the Law
• Event organisation
• Sports massage
• Sport Policy
• Extreme Sports
• Languages
• Curriculum Plus units.

Year 3

Three core units and two option units:

• Project (Double weighted)
• Globalisation of Football
• Contemporary Sports Issues.

Options:

• Sport Tourism
• Management and Delivery of Physical Activity Schemes (Exercise Referral)
• Sport Development
• Applied Sports Psychology
• Sports Conditioning
• Sport and the Law
• Outdoor Recreation
• Event Organisation
• Sociology of Extreme and Lifestyle Sports
• Football Management
• Physical Education
• Curriculum Plus units
• Languages.

Why choose this course?

• An accredited centre for Football coaching with 1st4Sport and the FA
• Students are taught by UEFA ‘A’ Licence Coach Educators and national Futsal Tutors.
• Strong links with MLS Soccer Camps in the USA, where many are employed as coaches.
• Home to the Lawrie McMenemy Centre for Football Research, one of the country’s leading research and consultancy centres for the professional industry.

Assessment

A variety of assessment methods are used including coursework, group presentations, fieldwork, practical, written examinations and DVD production.

Key career skills

Presentation, communication, teamwork and research. 

Projects/work experience

Internship and work based learning programmes are available with a range of professional clubs and organisations including Reading FC, Portsmouth FC, Southampton FC and Aldershot Town FC.

Graduate profile

Dominic Haynes, Academy Coach AFC Bournemouth

"When I applied to the Football Studies degree I had two targets to reach by graduation; complete my UEFA B coaching licence and have a job at an Academy or Centre of Excellence. I have accomplished both of these goals with time to spare thanks, in no small part, to the Football Studies degree and its staff.

“My role with AFC Bournemouth came as a direct result of the Course Leader Clwyd Jones' enthusiasm in getting me involved and his contacts in the football industry. The credibility, opportunity, and knowledge that the degree provides have undoubtedly aided my development as a coach and enriched my CV. As a result, I am supremely confident that my career will go from strength to strength.

“Southampton Solent University and the LMCFR have inspired, educated and enthused me to continue a career in what is an extremely competitive industry and for that I am tremendously grateful.”