Program Overview

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Football Studies (with Foundation Year), BSc (Hons)

Attendance

Full-time

Campus

Preston Campus

Start

September 2025

Duration

4 years

UCAS Code

CF10

Delivery

In-person

Placement option

If you’re passionate about football and dream of a career in the industry, our foundation year is the perfect launching pad for your ambitions. It provides an ideal pathway for those without the formal qualifications needed for direct entry into an honours program.

Course Description

Throughout this foundation year, you’ll be introduced to a range of sport-related disciplines, deepening your understanding of both the performance and health aspects of sport and physical activity.

You’ll also explore how sport is structured and delivered, from individual participation to team-based dynamics. Beyond sports knowledge, your foundation year is designed to help you develop essential academic skills, setting you up for success at university level.

After completing your foundation Year, you'll dive deeper into the football industry through a wide range of modules, covering key areas such as coaching, performance analysis, media, marketing, business, and the societal impact of football. This multidisciplinary course blends academic theory with hands-on, real-world experience.

Our location offers a unique advantage, being close to major football institutions like the English Football League headquarters and Preston North End.

This allows us to provide valuable professional placements with our industry partners, giving you direct access to the football world. You'll also learn from staff who bring both extensive academic knowledge and real industry experience, helping you explore the areas of the game that interest you most.

Why study with us

• Our foundation year introduces you to key areas of the sports industry, setting you up for success in your degree and future career.
• You’ll examine the football world from a range of perspectives, linking theory and practice.
• Once you progress onto the BSc (Hons) Football Studies course, topics include the media, fandom, coaching, development, business, management and events.

What you'll do

• You'll learn from a research active team in a range of football and wider sporting topics, with a wealth of experience.
• You'll benefit from our strong national and international links with the football industry and with professional sports clubs like Preston North End and Burnley.
• You’ll have access to the Sir Tom Finney Preston Soccer Centre (PSC), a charity providing football coaching and a fully functioning club.

Modules

Foundation year

• Foundations in Sport, Physical Activity & Health
• Academic and Personal Development in Sport, Physical Activity and Health

Year 1

• Introduction to Professional and Academic Development
• The Business and Management of the Football Industry
• The Football Coach
• Football and the Media
• Football Culture and the Society
• Introduction to Performance Analysis in Football

Year 2

• Research and Enterprise for Sport
• Football in the Community
• Sport Marketing and Consumer Behaviour
• Sports Practice Experience
• The Reflective Football Coach

Year 3

• Strategic Sport Leadership and Innovation
• The Critically Reflective Football Coach
• Contemporary Issues in the Football Industry
• Independent Research Project

Optional modules

• Sport for International Development
• Performance Analysis and Scouting in Football
• Sport Events
• Public Relations and Communications in Sport
• Football Coaching Practice Experience
• Football and Sustainability
• Performance Analysis and Recruitment Strategy in Football

Entry requirements

• UCAS: 64 points at A2
• BTEC Extended Diploma: MPP
• BTEC Diploma: MM
• Pass Access Course: 64 UCAS points
• International Baccalaureate Diploma: Pass including 64 points from Higher Level Subjects
• T Level: P (D or E)
• IELTS: 6.0 with no component lower than 5.5
• GCSEs: 5 at grade C/4 including Maths and English or equivalent

Fees and funding

• UK: £9,535 for the first year
• International: £17,250 for the first year

Scholarships and bursaries

• Care Leaver Bursary
• Estranged student support
• Dependants Bursary
• Foundation Year Bursary

Learning and assessment

• You’ll learn through a mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical sessions and independent study.
• Extensive resources are available to support your studies, from well-equipped classrooms to our own virtual learning environment, Blackboard.
• We use a range of assessment strategies including formal essays and reports, practical observations and skill competence. Other assessments include debates and videos, assessed both individually and as a group.

Industry links

• We have many links with industry practitioners including professional football clubs, local authorities, international sports agencies and national governing bodies.
• Industry practitioners contribute to modules and we have extensive overseas contacts.