How James secured his Football League placement

Building knowledge and connections in elite clubs

James continued to play football for Hyde United Youth Team whilst studying the FdSc Sport Performance and Analysis course. This allowed him to develop both academically and practically. The course enabled him to be in contact with coaches on a daily basis and use the University’s facilities to progress his skills and knowledge.

As well as developing a range on network connections whilst studying, in the second year James secured a role as an Academy Performance Analyst at Crewe Alexandra Football Club. This role allowed him to link theory to practice as well as meeting the demands of an elite, high-performance environment. James enjoyed his placement as it “allowed me to meet practitioners who work in an elite environment everyday broadening my contact links and preparing me for a job within this industry. The course's flexible characteristics helped me with this because it provided sufficient time to fit work experience in as well as documenting the process to feed back to my course lectures.”

Gain additional qualifications and career advice

Throughout the Foundation Degree, James explored numerous sporting disciplines, gaining knowledge and experience on a wide range of topics which helped him determine the role he would like to focus on and pursue a career in. James was also supported through the course with extra funding which he used to enhance his CV, by carrying out additional qualifications such as coaching badges, which are key to a career in football.     

When asked what are the main benefits of studying this course, James stated:

“There were many benefits to studying this course including, studying modules in every aspect of sport, building a wide contact base with elite and sub-elite football clubs, experiencing university life, guidance from multiple coaches who have played at a high level themselves, access to professional facilities, and the opportunity to carry out additional qualifications through funding provided by the University to develop my CV.”

All-round improvements

All of these factors have contributed to James' success, not only on the course but his future studies and playing on the pitch. As well as building strong relationships with the teaching team, he was also awarded the Deans Award (an award for academic excellence) which will stand him in good stead for future employment. His football team has also had great results in the league and cup competitions which he played a key role in. James states “full-time training allowed me to have detailed sessions based around improvements and key match preparation.”

As well as the above, James mentioned that “the facilities enable the lecturers to showcase their skills practically whether this is using lab settings, the 4G pitch or the performance suite. This increases engagement and provides a different dynamic for students' understanding. We also learnt how these concepts are suited to other sports, not just football, enhancing our knowledge to prepare us for any career that we go into.”

Ideal for young players

James is now studying BSc (Hons) Performance Analysis and Coaching Science here at the University of Derby with the aim of becoming a Performance Analyst after graduation. He says “I would really recommend the course to any younger players who want to continue full-time training as well as progress academically. I think the way practical performance and the academic teaching complement each other is really positive. Competing and being involved in a professional environment emphasises the high demands required, which helps individuals prepare for working within the elite sporting industry.”