Charlie Wilson

I first knew I wanted to apply to the football studies course at Solent when speaking to several people at Oxford United who had studied the course, while I was there on work experience. Given that I was enamoured with the environment, and some of the people I was working with had taken the football studies path, it felt like a perfect fit. So much so that it was my only university application.

Having hopefully gained a strong degree, I am looking to begin my career in football at the Oxford United academy, whether in an analyst role or working in one of the other departments, such as academy recruitment or player welfare. In the long term, I would love to have a role within the FA that can aid the development of the game in this country as a whole. On the flip side, working in football’s developing nations – such as India or the USA – would also be of great interest.

I would say the main benefit of the degree is the exposure to, and exploration of, elements of the game which many, including me, had not considered. I found this humbling and it has encouraged me to become an even more avid student of the game. The range of academic resources directly surrounding football has also been a huge eye-opener as well, and being pointed in the direction of many of them has been a highlight.

The course has been challenging yet enjoyable, but I would be lying if I said that the mid-term upheaval wasn’t a bit of a challenge mentally. Naturally, I began to question the stability of the course, but it appears that the ship has been steadied and the necessary recruitment has been made, particularly in the coaching department. The assessments as a whole have been engaging and felt like they incorporated what we had learned throughout the modules.

Working online has been challenging at times, especially when working with students who are apprehensive when communicating over MS Teams. Overall, however, I have still been able to make friends and engage academically with the majority of students.