Football Studies with Placement

If you’re passionate about football, Solent University’s industry-leading football studies degree can provide you with the skills you’ll need to thrive in a variety of football roles. Past graduates are now employed in a range of clubs and organisations at all levels of the game.

Solent University has been at the forefront of football education for nearly two decades and our football studies degree has emerged as the leading supplier of graduates to the football industry. Graduates have gone on to careers at Premier League clubs including Southampton, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.

This degree provides students with comprehensive knowledge and real-world experience of the football industry. Students have the opportunity to study a range of contemporary themes, as well as tailor their study to areas of specific interest within football.

Endorsed by the League Managers Association, the Professional Football Coaches Association and Kick It Out, the course offers excellent work placement opportunities with professional clubs and organisations.

Students are able to benefit from the opportunity to tap into the University’s extensive network of contacts in the game. Regular lectures from guest speakers - including former Premier League and international players, managers, academy directors, leading club chairmen, media professionals, match officials and England national team staff - enable students to learn from and interact with professionals who have first-hand, high-level experience within the game.

Solent University is recommended as a ‘leader in football-related academic study’ by The Times Good University Guide.

What does this course lead to?
In recent years, students have secured work-based learning opportunities, internships and full-time employment with a number of clubs and associations, including:

The Football Association
The Premier League
Manchester United FC
Arsenal FC
Chelsea FC
Manchester City FC
Tottenham Hotspur FC
Birmingham City FC
Watford FC
Newcastle United FC
West Ham United FC
Charlton Athletic FC
Millwall FC
Crystal Palace FC
Portsmouth FC
Reading FC
Southampton FC
Major League Soccer (USA).
View our infographic

Who is this course for?
This football studies programme is open to students from a wide range of academic backgrounds – sport foundation year graduates will receive direct entry.

Candidates should be passionate about football and aspiring to a career within a professional club or sporting organisation.

YEAR 1 - CORE MODULES
Studying Football
Football and Society
Principles of Football Development
Principles of Coaching Football
Fundamentals of Skill Acquisition
Elite Youth Development in Football
Coaching in the Foundation Phase

YEAR 2 - CORE MODULES
Strategic Football Development
Researching Football
The Politics, Culture, and Sociology of Football
Sport Psychology in Football
Technical and Tactical Performance and Analysis and Recruitment
Coaching in the Youth Development Phase

YEAR 3 - CORE MODULES
Dissertation
Globalisation of Football
Coaching in the Professional Development Phase

YEAR 3 - OPTIONS (please note that not all options are guaranteed to run each academic year)
Football Sustainability and Social Change
Professional Practice in Football Development
Applied Sport Psychology in Football
Applied Performance Analysis and Recruitment
Applied Coaching in Football
Business Start-Up

The course is assessed using a combination of scouting reports, essays, group presentations, fieldwork, practical planning and delivery, and written examinations.