Degree course with Tranmere Rovers opened Michael’s eyes to discover his dream job.

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Michael once dreamed of the stardom that accompanies being a professional footballer, but through the exposure and experience the Degree course with Tranmere Rovers in the Community offered him, he realised a new dream; off the pitch as a Performance Analyst.

He first joined Tranmere Rovers in the Community to complete his post-16 education with a BTEC in Sports Development and Coaching; this was just the start of his journey.

Following the completion of his Level 3 qualification he enrolled on to the Foundation Degree in Community Football Coaching and Development with Tranmere in partnership with the University of South Wales and the EFL Trust.

The University of South Wales allows students to gain practical experience in their desired nature of work, whilst allowing for a blended learning approach where students have both face-to face and online learning. The courses which are hosted at your local football club has a huge emphasis on gaining real world learning through placements with students only having to attend the University for short residential periods.

This is where Michael’s ambitions slowly began to transition from on the pitch as a goalkeeper to off the pitch as a Performance Analyst. Like many, Michael had the dream of playing professional football but the degree course with Tranmere Rovers opened his eyes to a wealth of other opportunities in the game he adores.

He said: “In all my years at Tranmere, the link to a professional football club has proved invaluable to me in wanting to progress my career in football. The opportunities for work experience both inside and outside of the club have been incredible.”

His ability to play the game also allowed him to have an in-depth understanding towards the analytical aspects of the game. Consequently, Michael has gone on to help the Tranmere Education teams and AFC Liverpool.

He explained: “One of my main responsibilities was to create a comprehensive presentation for pre-and post-game feedback to the players. I have worked with the Tranmere Education teams as their analyst to provide a statistical summary of the major events during matching to the coaching team, which is an important tool for improving future performance and player development.”

Michael is still completing his degree after enrolling in the top up course; BSc (Hons) in Community Football Coaching and Administration. However, he has achieved a wealth of experience and qualifications to ensure a successful future.

He has completed his UEFA C coaching badge and through his hard-work and opportunities that the University of South Wales pathway has given him he was appointed as National League side, Chorley FC’s analyst for the 2022/23 season, something he credits highly to his time at Tranmere Rovers in the Community.

“I am currently finishing my degree but know I have a bright future in football thanks to my time at Tranmere. I have already been accepted to complete a master’s in Performance Analysis in Football at University Campus of Football Business for September.”

Click here to find out more about the degree 

A development journey: Hannah Jones and Rotherham United Community Sports Trust.

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Hannah’s passion for being a leader, an innovator, and a mentor to women and girls in sports stems from her own experiences. Through, her club Rotherham United, she has been able to pursue a career focused on her desire to better the experiences of others.

She said: “I currently hold a position within the FA Leadership Academy, which is designed to develop people as leaders, to plan, deliver and develop a project to impact the football community and the wider football community. Due to my own experiences, I focused my project on developing women footballers and women in the sport generally, giving them a sense of belonging in football, as well as producing and recognising talent.”

Hannah attended Rotherham United Community Sports Trust college programme before enrolling onto their BA hons Degree in Community Coaching and development run in partnership with University of South Wales.

With an abundance of experience and skills in numerous programmes the Trust offers from education to health and wellbeing, Hannah is an individual that is focused on providing and empowering every participant, colleague, friend she encounters especially in women’s sport.
As part of the Female Development Programme whilst on the degree course, Hannah has had a plethora of opportunities to better her future, and shape that of others. The programme seeks to address the under-representation of women across the Football and Sport’s Coaching degree courses that are run at over 40 CCOs.

The programme was established in 2021 to ensure all women on the course were offered a tailored programme of opportunities to expand their knowledge and confidence with women from other Clubs. By ensuring an inclusive environment, with opportunities to network and hear from like-minded professionals in the sport the programme ensures that the students on the degree course are provided with the opportunity to upskill and build confidence.

Throughout the year they have access to a variety of events that feature female professionals from a variety of roles within sport. Speakers to date have included, senior Member of the EFL Trust who have shared their experience of working in Sport, Daisy Croker who referees on the FA Women’s National League and the U21s Professional Game Academy League. The next speaker will be Charlotte Healy, Manchester United Women’s Assistant Coach who will discusses her journey and progression her from role as a community coach at Derby County Community Trust to the pinnacle of English football in the Women’s Super League. With just 12 students involved in its first year, last year the number trebled to 36 students engaged in the programme.

She explains: “The development of women and girls within a sporting environment is something that I do have concerns for and am passionate about in terms of developing. By providing this opportunity to our female students it will create an inclusive, welcoming, and quality experience.”

The USW course has allowed Hannah to feel a sense of belonging. More so, it has allowed Hannah to develop and produce ideas to inspire the next generation that could lead to a huge, successful future for women in sport whether that be Hannah’s influence on them both on and off the pitch.

The University of South Wales allows students to gain practical experience in their desired nature of work, whilst allowing for a blended learning approach where students have both face-to face and online learning. The courses which are hosted at your local football club has a huge emphasis on gaining real world learning through placements with students only having to attend the University for short residential periods.

She comments: “The whole experience will give the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals; students like yourself, perhaps past students, and those who work within the sporting industry. This will allow us to be our best selves, unite as one; acting together as one within the movement where we can strive to empower each other to realise potential and develop.”

It is evident that Hannah has the ability to inspire change through her selfless desire to improve and aid those around her. With already a plethora of strings to her bow, Hannah’s aspirations have no limit.

She said: “After completion of the 2-year course with USW, I hope to enrol onto the Sports Coaching and Development top-up degree, after which I would like to enrol onto a PGCE to follow the path into sports teaching, school and education. Alongside this I wish to continue my current coaching path; I’m soon to complete my FA Level 1, after which I hope to progress up the ladder in coaching badges (across multiple sports) and potentially begin my refereeing experience.”

Click here to find out more about the degree 

Degree programme with County in the Community developed Mo Jallow from a reserved teenager to a mature member of staff at County in the Community.

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Having moved to Wales from Gambia, the University of South Wales Degree programme with County in the Community developed Mo Jallow from a reserved teenager to a mature member of staff at County in the Community.

Having initially settled in Aberdare at 13 years old before moving to Newport when he was 16 years old, Mo was always keen and destined to pursue his passion for sport, especially football. Mo was very shy and lacked confidence especially when he was the main focus of a group session whether that would be presenting in the classroom or coaching on the pitch.

However, Mo’s determination and desire to pursue a career in the sports career meant he was open to development and change as an individual to succeed. He studied a BTEC Level 3 in Sports Performance at Llanwern High School as part of the County in the Community college programme before progressing on to the Foundation Degree programme in partnership with the University of South Wales.

The degree programme allowed Mo access to the industry that he had always aspired to. Consequently, his depth of knowledge increased that partnered with his growing confidence evident in his academic success and the level of his coaching and teaching practices. Whilst on the programme, Mo began coaching at the County in the Community college programme and at the County in the Community Premier League Kicks sessions, this exposure and development saw him take up the Premier League Kicks Girl Coordinator role at Newport Community Trust. Alongside this, to further Mo’s knowledge and expertise he shadowed the County in the Community Premier League Primary Stars teachers in schools across Newport, and eventually started delivering PE lessons himself; something that a 16-year-old Mo would never have been comfortable in doing.

Having graduated with the Foundation Degree with a 1st class grade, Mo continued his USW journey by enrolling on the top up the Community Football Coaching and Administration degree.

County in the Community commented: “In the 6 years I have known Mo, seeing him as a shy 16-year-old boy who came down from Aberdare with the ambition to attend our college programme, he has turned into a mature, well rounded, a staff member of County in the Community. The children and young people who attend his sessions think a lot of him as he is very engaging, enthusiastic, and happy to provide opportunities for children and young people.”

Click here to find out more about the degree 

 

Niraj aims to be a role model for younger generations after graduating the degree programme with Preston North End Community and Education Trust

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Having completed the degree programme with the University of South Wales and Preston North End Community and Education Trust, Niraj aims to be a role model for the younger generations.

Niraj has been involved in the education courses with Preston for a total of five years having joined them after completing his GCSEs in 2016. Consequently, he always desired to pursue a career in sport and after attending the PNECET open evening, he was adamant to continue his journey in coaching.

He explained: “This was different in that I was in charge. I needed to drive what I wanted to learn. In school you have many subjects not all of them were for me, here I was given the structure, the tools and fantastic guidance from my tutors, especially Graeme Atkinson and Jodi Collum, they really treated us like adults but with clear leadership as to what was expected of us and the pitfalls of missing deadlines of submissions of assignments etc.”

Moreover, during his Level 3 BTEC, Niraj was an individual who wasn’t afraid to go out into schools to aid staff with their initiatives and this has benefitted him with his later endeavours. With a keen interest in futsal, he picked up his Level 2 Football Coaching qualification whilst delivering futsal at his local external club.

As a result of numerous real-world learning experiences, Niraj said: “My confidence has rocketed, and I feel I can manage many stakeholders from young children, young adults to parents. I understand the various facets that the trust is engaged in and more importantly how it contributes to the welfare of the overall community. I feel privileged to have the network of the community trust. I have matured and become professional and that is all due to the trust supporting me and guiding me.”

One of these experiences is supporting the delivery of Primary Stars in schools at a number of predominantly Asian speaking schools in Preston where he now sees himself “as an ambassador for PNECET”. With such an influence on the younger generation, he said: “I feel honoured that I am representing the trust and I know from the feedback I receive from the children at numerous schools that some of them including some very young ones who say they also want to be a coach and work for PNETCET. This gives me a real buzz and I know each day will be different with their own challenges that help shape and develop me further.”

Niraj is a valued member of the part-time staff at the Trust, but he now wants to continue his personal growth and development “secure a full-time role with PNECET and lead by example to other students.”

Degree Course with MK Dons SET has seen Owen progress into his dream career path despite struggling academically

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Owen has secured himself a paid role with MK Dons Sports and Education Trust after huge progress on the course despite self-admittedly not being the most academic individual.

Prior to enrolling on the course, Owen’s life was football-focused having attended Denbigh Football Academy, but he picked up a serious knee injury that would eventually require a knee replacement. Although a hard thought to process, Owen channelled his frustration into considering other career paths in the sport which is where he found his desire to work as a coach.

Owen was always very aware of the focus that was required in both work and study but felt his immaturity often got the better of him and led him to regularly lose his way or give up on tasks. However, he made the decision to go and find voluntary work at MK Dons SET for eight months prior to him starting his foundation degree; a decision that has paid dividends to his personal and professional development.

He started the programme with impressive subject knowledge but his attitude let him down in terms of his initial success but as the course progressed, as did Owen as he started to show great leadership qualities and resourcefulness in his study.

His continuous development was lauded by Kelly Day, MK Dons SET Community and Inclusion Officer, she said: “Owen has been coaching with us since October, initially he began with just the Pan-Disability and Mental Health players but has now moved into coaching the youth teams as well and is going to take on an Under 16s team for league competition as well.  He has built a good relationship with all the players and the other coaches in a really short period of time which has aided his delivery and is a testament to his likeable character.  He struggled slightly to adapt to sessions in the beginning, due to the array of disabilities and needs within the cohorts, but he has been confident enough to ask for help with this to the point where he is now leading and delivering good sessions and is able to adapt these where needed.”

Owen highlights his work as something he’s “always dreamt about” and shows real admiration and thanks to those involved at the programme. He explained: “I feel like that I’ve changed a lot especially with doing my work at home and not leaving deadlines to the last day. In early September (when still a volunteer coach) I got asked if I could cover an inclusion football session.  I decided that as I had nothing on a Thursday during the day, I would volunteer.  It went really well, and I got asked if I wanted to carry on with it and if I wanted to pick up extra hours with inclusion at the weekend.  I agreed to this and then it started to be every Thursday and Sunday.   At the end of the month, Kelly (Inclusion football officer) asked if I needed a timesheet to be signed.  I told her I’m not a causal coach and only a volunteer.  After that, she offered me a role in casual coaching which I am still grateful for today I also got more hours within inclusion, and I am now doing schools as well. This has been a big achievement for me but only the start of something new.”

From a boy who struggled, to a man who is continuously pushing his own development; Owen is an example of how the course allows individuals to succeed both on and off the pitch.

The degree course is one of several degrees offered at EFL Club’s across the country in partnership with the University of South Wales. The degree provides the skills and qualities that are required to work within professional football clubs community departments or other national sports governing bodies in areas of growth such as social inclusion, community coaching and football development.  Students are uniquely based within their own local football Clubs where they gain valuable first-hand experience of working in a community sports environment with a minimum of five days per year at the USW Sport Park, a £3.7m state-of-the-art coaching and performance development centre.

For more information on the degree click here.

 

 

Community Football Degree Led to Full-time Role at Championship Club

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Former electrical engineer Mark Reynolds, 34, graduated from the Foundation Degree in Community Football Coaching and Development in 2016. He is now a Community Coach at Bristol City FC, and also the Club’s Foundation Degree Mentor.

What is your job?

I am a Community Coach at Bristol City FC, delivering sports sessions across Bristol which help enhance the reputation of the club in the community. I am also the Club’s Foundation Degree Mentor. With my experience of the course I can hopefully guide other students successfully through the course.

Why did you want to do the Foundation Degree?

Before I started the course, I was an electrical engineer for Rolls Royce. I wanted a complete change and hoped that the course would help me start a career in the football industry. I’d played football for many years and thought I would enjoy helping others develop their ability and confidence through coaching.

Did the course help you get your current job?

Absolutely. The placement I had at the football club as part of the course gave me the opportunity to put the content of the course into practice and also impress the people who would eventually employ me. I have been a fan of the football club since I was young so it’s great to now work here.

Tell us about the placements

I did a placement on a Walking Football programme, which is aimed at the over 50s. It was really important to understand a community project as part of the course and this gave me great insight into community needs rather than just youth football coaching.

What were the most valuable aspects of the course?

I would say being able to use lecture content in a practical environment; it’s great to see the theory work in practice. I learned so much. Although I had some football knowledge, what I learnt about the methodology of coaching was huge. It has made me much more adaptable and understanding of player needs.

How was going back to University as a mature student?

Being a mature student was interesting – I had to learn to learn again! I really enjoyed it though and adding theoretical knowledge to life experience has been invaluable. Learning online was great, and I found it very beneficial to be able to go over lecture content to check over detail. The teachers were fantastic and their knowledge of coaching is superb as are the facilities at USW Sport Park.

What are your plans now?

I am very open minded about my future, but it certainly lies within the football industry. I think the qualification helps to open doors that can lead to many different paths.

Read more here.

Clean Sweep for Wigan Athletic Community Trust

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Wigan Athletic Community Trust took home all of the spoils at the recent USW Foundation Degree in Football Coaching & Development awards evening. Along with the big awards, the outstanding students from each club involved in the foundation degree were awarded for their hard work, as the programme celebrated another successful year.

As well as being named Club of the Year for the second year in a row, two members of the Community Trust’s teams were highlighted for their individual work on the course; Chris Baxter as Student of the Year and Adam Sherratt as Club Mentor of the Year.

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Six coaches from Wigan Athletic Community Trust have spent the last twelve months studying year one of their degree, with nine completing their second year and one completing his third, whilst they all also worked and volunteered as sports coaches for the Community Trust.

Tom Flower, Head of Community at Wigan Athletic Community Trust said: “We are extremely proud of the hard work that everyone involved with the University of South Wales degree has put in this year and to be acknowledged by receiving these three awards highlights their achievements.”

“Not only have the coaches successfully completed year one of their degree, they have all continued to deliver high quality coaching throughout the year across a number of our projects.”

Adam Sherratt, Education Officer for the Trust, said: “When we won Club of the Year last year, I said that we wanted to continue the good work with our second set of students; to receive three awards is a real credit to the effort put in by everyone involved with the course.”

Jay Probert, course leader for the foundation degree at USW added: “We have been really impressed again with how the students have performed on this programme all across the country, with Wigan Athletic again setting the standards in how they support their students to achieve in their academic studies and also in their work based learning”

The foundation degree is delivered by the University of South Wales in partnership with EFL Trust, with students combing their Higher Education with work placements at 32 EFL clubs.

To find out more about the University of South Wales foundation degree, please click here.

Congratulations to the following students, who won student of the year on the night for their respective clubs:
Liam Yates – Blackpool FC
Dumisani Madhlazi – Brentford FC
Emily Stephens – Bristol City FC
Jimi Brock – Bristol Rovers FC
Connor Richins – Burton Albion FC
Daniel Clark – Cardiff City FC
Georgia Smethurst – Carlisle United FC
Aaron Lowe – Cheltenham Town FC
Christopher Hill – Crewe Alexandra FC
Niall O’Grady – Derby County FC
Brian Noble – Grimsby Town FC
Joseph McCann – Liverpool FC
Ieuan Baldwin – Newport County FC
Billy Warburton – Nottingham Forest FC
Luke Clarke – Portsmouth FC
Luke Prior – Portsmouth FC
Josh Tomlinson – Preston North End FC
James Payne – Rotherham United FC
Zach Meadows – Scunthorpe United FC
Jordan Wildey – Sheffield United FC
Josh Blunkett – Sheffield Wednesday FC
Ryan Lockley – Shrewsbury Town FC
Josh Harkness – Southampton FC
Tyler Maloney – Southend United FC
Christopher Baxter – Wigan Athletic FC
Jack Bowser – Wolverhampton Wanderers FC

 

A-Level Graduate & Football Fanatic?

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Got your A-Level results and not sure where to go next?

Are you a football fanatic?

The University of South Wales offer a degree that was created with you in mind! The Foundation Degree in Community Football Coaching and Development was designed in conjunction with the EFL Trust, and will equipt you with knowledge about children and youth coaching, sport coaching, football development, social inclusion, and sports management skills.

What’s better, you will be based predominantly within your own football club, with a minimum of five days per year at the USW Sport Park, our £3.7m state-of-the-art coaching and performance development centre, and will be enrolled as a student at the University of South Wales.

Completed within the professional football clubs, you will undertake a work based learning programme in year two, providing opportunities to gain experience in areas such as social inclusion, school and grass root club development, football development, and coaching.

You will also study towards your Level 2 Football Coaching Certificate and will have numerous opportunities to undertake additional vocational awards.

For more information and to apply for the course, please click here.