Alex Clark

During my time on the course I have learnt about the social importance of football in both the UK and abroad, the psychological factors within sport and football, and how they can be managed and handled. Furthermore, I developed my tactical and technical understanding of football, learning how to coach players to develop individual and tactical aspects of their game.

This practical aspect of the course also allowed me to create a social support network with fellow students and lecturers with in-depth knowledge of the industry, which helped me to deal with problems I encountered within and outside of the course. On top of this, the lecturers set up interviews with industry experts, which allowed students to pick the brains of people who have worked in the industry for long periods of time in various roles, at various levels, in various different countries. This knowledge base and network allowed me to pursue roles outside of my university degree.

During my time at Solent, I undertook a sports and development coaching role with Southampton FC, a first-team scouting role with both Stockport and Danish first-division side Odense, and a first-team coaching role with Netley Royals U-13s. Without the knowledge I learnt on my course I wouldn’t have been able to work with the aforementioned clubs or complete the roles to the standards that I had set for myself.

The football studies course has taught me vital pieces of knowledge, but it has also taught me to continue to develop my knowledge when possible, which has left me in a position in which I feel confident to pursue a career in football.