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Football Performance and Coaching

BSc (Hons)

Unlock your potential in the world of football. Develop the skills, knowledge and understanding to excel in the dynamic and evolving industry. Be the difference.

UCAS Code: C612

Single Honours

Subject to approval

Football player wearing a red kit with University of Worcester logo

With specialised career pathways, strong industry partnerships, and a focus in both the men’s and women’s game, you’ll graduate with the necessary skill set and knowledge for a successful career in the football industry.

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Overview

This course has been designed to provide you with a comprehensive education in football performance and coaching. It offers specialised career pathways in, but not exclusive to, coaching, performance analysis, strength and conditioning, player care and welfare aligning with in-demand roles in the football industry. Our strong industry partnerships with local clubs such as Worcester City FC and Worcester City Women’s FC, , Kidderminster Harriers, and Cheltenham Town, as well as clubs across the UK provide invaluable hands-on experience, professional networking, and exposure to real-world football environments.

A distinctive feature of the course is its support for the growth of women’s football. With an emphasis on developing the women’s game through strategic partnerships and recruitment, the program aligns with UEFA’s strategic investment and the sport's increasing popularity.

You will learn from a multidisciplinary team of experienced staff, including UEFA-qualified coaches and professionals with real-world expertise. Teaching integrates theoretical knowledge with practical skills through unique football-focused modules and industry-relevant assessments. The curriculum is designed to meet the rising demands of the football industry, particularly in the women’s sector, and prepares students for versatile roles both on and off the field

Placements

Hands-on experience is a key component of the course. Our links with active football programs and clubs ensure that you’ll gain valuable real-world experience and are well-equipped to enter the football industry upon graduation. There’s a 100-hour placement in the third year, allowing you to focus on specific areas of interest such as performance analysis, strength and conditioning, journalism, or coaching. All modules involve industry-relevant assessments, providing opportunities to work with children and young people, sports clients, and within sports science laboratories.


Course content

Each year you will study a mix of mandatory and optional modules. This flexible course lets you explore career paths in coaching and the wider sports industry, giving you the skills to specialise in disability coaching or performance analysis.

Optional modules will run if they receive enough interest. It is not guaranteed that all modules will run every year.

Mandatory modules
Optional modules


Careers

With a strong focus on employability, graduates of the Football Performance and Coaching BSc are well-prepared to enter the football industry and make a significant impact. After graduation you’ll be ready to pursue a variety of career paths, including roles in performance analysis, coaching, media and communication, and community and development.

As a performance analyst you’ll analyse player performance, developing strategies to improve team performance, and working closely with coaching staff to implement these strategies. You could also progress onto the University of Worcester's Applied Sports Performance Analysis MSc.

The course's strong focus on applied learning and industry-relevant qualifications ensures you’ll be well-prepared for demanding coaching roles. As a coach you’ll develop and implement training programs, working with players to improve their skills, and helping to identify and nurture young talent.

You’ll develop strong communication skills and a deep understanding of the football industry, perfect for the media and communication industry. These roles involve creating and managing content for various media platforms, engaging with fans and the public, and promoting clubs and other organisations.

The course's emphasis on hands-on experience and industry partnerships ensures that graduates are well-equipped to make a positive impact in community and development roles. In these jobs you’ll develop and implement programs to promote football in the community, supporting player welfare, and managing community relations.


Course highlights

A football student preparing a coaching session on astroturf pitch
A group of footballers leaping for the ball
Footballers in red kit with the University of Worcester logo engage in a coaching session
Coaching in the strength and conditioning suite
A group of four students taking part in a team building activity beside a lake
Volunteering opportunities
No description provided

Teaching and assessment

You'll be taught through a combination of practical sessions, lectures, seminars, lab work and work-based learning opportunities.

There are no exams on this course. Instead you'll be assessed in ways that test different ways of learning, thinking and applying knowledge. These include written assignments, practical demonstrations, performance analyses, coaching portfolios and presentations.

Teaching and assessment contents

The University emphasises enabling students to develop independent learning capabilities that will equip them for lifelong learning and future employment, as well as academic achievement. A mixture of independent study, teaching and academic support from Student Services and Library Services, and also the personal academic tutoring system enable you to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will help you to flourish and be successful.

You'll be taught through a combination of practical sessions, lectures, seminars, lab work and work-based learning opportunities. Traditional lectures are kept to a minimum (generally no more than an hour) before moving into seminars, workshops and practical activities to develop and apply the theories introduced in the lecture.

The University is a close-knit community and we adopt a very personal approach with an open-door policy allowing you easy access to teaching staff who will offer advice and feedback on your assessed work. You will be assigned a Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) who will support your academic progress and will assist you with any issues throughout your time at the university.

Meet the team

Here are just a few of the teaching team you will learn from on this course.

University of Worcester logo on a light blue background

David Mycock

David consults and researches in the field of coaching science and coaches externally in elite level football. He has helped evolve the game of blind futsal and is a qualified FA Tutor. David is the Head Coach of Worcester Blind FC and has previously coached the England and Great Britain Blind Futsal teams at major tournaments, and is currently the Head Coach of the Czech Republic National Blind Football team.

David has a variety of NGB Awards and as an ex-professional football player is a member of the Professional Footballers Association. His role at the University has grown since 2006 and he is now the Link Tutor for the SSES Partnership programmes with Masaryk University in the Czech Republic.

University of Worcester logo on a light blue background

Mike Harris

Mike is an experienced sports coach with a CV consisting of stints at football clubs such as Birmingham City FC, Stoke City FC, West Bromwich Albion FC and Stourbridge FC. He is currently the Assistant Manager of Cheltenham Town Women FC who reside in the third-tier of women’s football in England.

Mike also has experience playing and working within cricket and American football as well as having coached multiple other sports during his time abroad. Later, in his time at Worcester University, Mike was one of the performance coaches for the men’s football performance teams as well as being elected Vice-President for Student Activities in the academic year 2019-20.

Mike returns to the University following a four-year break where he worked within a Football and Education programme at Dudley College, delivering on the FE and HND sports courses.

University of Worcester logo on a light blue background

Dr Julia West

Julia West has a keen interest in sport and performance. She played football for a number of years in the Women's premiership as goalkeeper for different clubs and earned her England University caps against America, Scotland and Wales.

As a keeper, Julia's perspective on football may be slightly different, if not interesting and she is happy to discuss this with all comers. Julia read her BSc in Sport from Brunel University, where she also successfully achieved an MSc in Sports Coaching. Having completed her PhD in situational motivation, which arose from observations within her goalkeeper coaching, Julia has now turned her attention to all things goalkeeper related. 

University of Worcester logo on a light blue background

Jessica Fassnidge

Jess joined the University in January 2023 initially as an Exercise Physiologist working with Hereford and Worcester Fire service.   She completed an MSc in Strength, Conditioning and Performance at University College Birmingham.

Jess is currently the captain of Worcester City Women FC and notes winning promotion to the National League alongside being named NJCAA All Tournament Player for Eastern Florida State as some of her favourite sporting moments. 

University of Worcester logo on a light blue background

David Mycock

David consults and researches in the field of coaching science and coaches externally in elite level football. He has helped evolve the game of blind futsal and is a qualified FA Tutor. David is the Head Coach of Worcester Blind FC and has previously coached the England and Great Britain Blind Futsal teams at major tournaments, and is currently the Head Coach of the Czech Republic National Blind Football team.

David has a variety of NGB Awards and as an ex-professional football player is a member of the Professional Footballers Association. His role at the University has grown since 2006 and he is now the Link Tutor for the SSES Partnership programmes with Masaryk University in the Czech Republic.

University of Worcester logo on a light blue background

Mike Harris

Mike is an experienced sports coach with a CV consisting of stints at football clubs such as Birmingham City FC, Stoke City FC, West Bromwich Albion FC and Stourbridge FC. He is currently the Assistant Manager of Cheltenham Town Women FC who reside in the third-tier of women’s football in England.

Mike also has experience playing and working within cricket and American football as well as having coached multiple other sports during his time abroad. Later, in his time at Worcester University, Mike was one of the performance coaches for the men’s football performance teams as well as being elected Vice-President for Student Activities in the academic year 2019-20.

Mike returns to the University following a four-year break where he worked within a Football and Education programme at Dudley College, delivering on the FE and HND sports courses.


Sport facilities

A sports students inside an environmental chamber
Some people are jumping
Exterior view of the Arena
A student running a football drill on an astroturf pitch
Interior view of the Arena
3G astro turf
The Riverside Gym
A sports students inside an environmental chamber
Some people are jumping
Exterior view of the Arena
A student running a football drill on an astroturf pitch


Entry requirements

UCAS tariff points required: 112

Typical Offer
QualificationGrade
A-levelBBC
BTEC National Extended DiplomaDMM
T-levelMerit

We do accept Access to HE Diplomas and other qualifications which may not exactly match the combinations above. Work out your estimated points with the UCAS tariff calculator.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about entry requirements, please call our Admissions Office on 01905 855111 or email admissions@worc.ac.uk.


Fees

Fees contents

UK and EU students

The Government has announced that it will increase tuition fees and maintenance loans by 3.1% from the 2025/26 academic cycle. Subject to approval, the University intends to increase our tuition fees in line with this and as per our terms and conditions. This means that from September 2025 the standard fee for full-time home and EU undergraduate students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees will be £9,535 per year.

For more details on course fees, please visit our course fees page.

International students

The standard tuition fee for full-time international students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees in the 2025/26 academic year is £16,700 per year.

For more details on course fees, please visit our course fees page.


How to apply

How to apply contents

Applying through UCAS

UCAS is the central organisation through which applications are processed for full-time undergraduate courses in the UK.

Read our how to apply pages for more information on the application process, or if you’d like to apply for part-time study.

Football Performance and Coaching (BSc) Hons - UCAS Code C612

Apply full time via UCAS

You can apply directly to the University if you would like to study part-time:

Apply part-time

Contact

If you have any questions, please get in touch. We're here to help you every step of the way.

No alt text provided

Dr Julia West

Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science

Admissions Office

01905 855111

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