The LMCFR May 2016 news round-up

Watford football development role for graduate

Football studies and business graduate Richard Bulling has secured a role as football development officer at Watford FC. Richard becomes the third Solent graduate to secure employment with the Premier League club. Working for the Club's Community Sport and Education Trust, Richard will implement and evaluate the football development plan and produce and manage a balanced programme of activities for all ages and abilities.  Discussing how his degree prepared him for the role, Richard commented: "Southampton Solent University and the football studies with business course has without doubt given me the knowledge and experience to gain entry into the football industry. The fantastic support from all the staff plus the opportunities to go and work at professional football clubs whilst studying has benefited me massively. If anyone is looking to study and work within football, I would highly recommend Southampton Solent University and the football courses they have available." 

Graduate reflects on time in Southampton

Football studies and business graduate Sandeep Chohan has written an emotive piece reflecting on the time she spent in Southampton studying for her degree. Sandeep, who now works for Chelsea FC's ticketing department, wrote the piece as part of a blog for Kick It Out, an organisation that the University have strong links with. To read her blog visit: http://www.kickitout.org/fansfordiversity/why-i-support/

Graduate tackling important issues at Arsenal

Football studies graduate Jack Ironside is using football as a tool to address some serious issues in his role as community development officer for Arsenal. Specifically, Jack is engaged in programmes tacking issues related to social inclusion and torture survival. Discussing the programmes, Jack commented: "My work revolves around delivering programmes which, on the face of them, are football sessions, but what we are really concerned about is the participants' well-being and their lives off the pitch. We prioritise social outcomes over sports outcomes". When discussing how his degree prepared him to work in these areas, Jack said: "The course at Solent provided me with a strong insight into a range of football areas from history and sociology to psychology and business.  New roles are constantly being developed in the game and studying at the University enabled me to learn more about the industry".

FA role for graduate

Football studies graduate Garry Halsey has secured a new role as elite delivery coordinator for the Football Association based at the National Football Centre at St Georges Park. Garry, who was previously employed by Wiltshire FA following his studies, will be responsible for providing a range of support functions to the country's elite coach educators. Discussing his degree, Garry commented: "My time at Solent gave me various opportunities to gain internships in the professional game and these experiences have helped me to secure my new role at St Georges Park. Every experience I had at Solent was valuable.

Centre members present research in Denmark

Centre director Dr Richard Elliott and centre member Mark Turner travelled to Copenhagen in Denmark last week to present their research at the European Association for Sociology of Sport's annual conference. Joining fellow sociologists from across Europe, Richard presented the results of his latest study into recruiting mechanisms in Norwegian football, whilst Mark presented ongoing findings in respect of his PhD study into fan activism and safe standing. Both papers were well received and facilitated interested discussions with the conference delegates - some of which are likely to lead to future collaborations.