BA Sport Development and Coaching

Duration: Three years full time or up to six years part time

Requirements:

Applicants must have three A-levels at grades CCC or above, BTEC triple grades MMM or above, or Access 23-45 D/M with min 6D and GCSE English Language at grade 4 or grade C or above.

UCAS points: 96UCAS code: C602

Fees UK students: £9,250 per annum

Fees for International students: £12,000 per annum

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Applicants with other qualifications and/or experience will be considered on an individual basis.

Additional costs to students are a DBS check and Marjon sports kit. You may also opt to fund external coach education in addition to the opportunities provided.

Course Overview

BA (Hons) Sport Development and Coaching offers a high degree of transferability across sport as it considers many elements of the sports industry. You'll learn how sport can be used to develop communities, to inspire young people and fulfil the potential of all individuals, with a focus on mass participation and community sport where there are the most employment opportunities. This is the perfect course for students who want to make a positive difference in sport. You will study the dynamic and varied nature of sport while we prepare you for working in the UK sport industry or further afield.

By your second year you will have an achieved the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity Coaching Assistant and by Year 3 you'll achieve Coach, which means you have an industry recognised professional qualification built into your degree. You'll also develop the skills to coach, run sport development programmes, organise events and develop a critical understanding of how sport works. You’ll gain the skills needed to improve your communication, leadership, and teamwork, along with developing research and evaluation skills.

Throughout the course, we’ll ensure that you receive the right balance of academic and practical experience in a broad range of sport development topics. You’ll have the chance to interact with seasoned industry professionals through lectures from guest speakers, practical projects, work placements and inspiring study trips and you’ll pick up ample hands-on skills in sport development throughout the programme.

Why this course at Marjon?

Our students tell us this course broadens their horizons in terms of the careers available in the sport sector.
We have exceptional industry links keeping you up to date with both academic and industry developments.
We are well connected through local sports organisations and through national networks such as the UK Sport Development Network (UKSDN) and the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA).
Deepen your understanding of sport and enhance your employability - check out our graduate case studies below.
You’ll have a great time on the degree, and at Marjon generally. We have small classes and therefore we’ll get to know you as an individual. Together we can help you get to where you want to be in the future.

Perfect if you're curious about:

How can I run amazing sports events? What lessons can I take from the Olympic Games?
How does the sports industry work? And how can I get into it?
Why are some countries more successful at the Olympics than others?
Why do some groups in society do less sport? What can we do to increase the access for women and girls, the inactive, disabled, those on low incomes?
How does the government use sport to improve wider society?
What can sport do to tackle the obesity crisis?
What sports are the most popular, and how do we know this?

Book a virtual open day How to apply for this course

Course Snapshot

Phil Brown - Course Leader

"In your first year you will learn about sport in the community and develop an understanding of core coaching techniques used in sport. You will also learn about how sport is managed at a local level. In the second year you will learn about inclusion in sport, how sports marketing operates and how the national curriculum is linked to sport outside the classroom. During the third year you will learn about sporting excellence and develop an understanding of the governance of sport at elite level, as well as doing a dissertation project."

Modules

You will take six modules each year:

1st Year

Sport and Community
You’ll engage with sport programmes aimed at community group. Some of the teaching for this module is by experts from the sports industry so you community sport professionals and start to develop your own network. You will consider specific target groups and inequality in community sport, exploring the ‘target group’ philosophy and barriers to participation in sport.
Introduction to Sport Development and Coaching
You'll develop understanding of the coaching fundamentals of planning, conducting and evaluating. You'll not only develop theoretical knowledge of the coaching process but through practicals you'll also develop your skills and confidence for delivering coaching sessions.
Organisations in Sport
Understand the organisation and structure of sport and physical education. You’ll consider the interconnected nature of the three sectors of sport: public, private, and voluntary. You'll also examine government involvement in sport and physical education and the role of key sports organisations including UK Sport and England, National Governing Bodies of sport, and charities such as the Youth Sport Trust.
Foundations in Sport Development
You’ll explore sport development from community to elite level, learning how sport and football contribute to wider society issues, such as inclusion, health and physical activity. You will gain a Street Games Activator qualification and visit the London Olympic Park
Introduction to the Management of Sport
You will study the organisation of sport being introduced to marketing, accounting and economics, communications/public relations, human resourcing, performance and strategic and event management.
Foundations in Coaching

2nd Year

Industry Placement in Sport Development/Coaching
You’ll spend up to 100 hours working in the sports industry. You can shape the placement to meet your area of interest working practically as a coach or developing projects. Previous students have enjoyed placement opportunities with Active Devon, Plymouth YMCA, Plymouth City Council Sports Development Unit, Teignbridge Council, NGBS and Argyle Community Trust.
Sport and Physical Activity Event Management
You'll get to grips with the theory of sports event management considering small scale, major, and mega events. You'll also get practical experience by delivering two small scale events with external sports organisations, one of which will be Plymouth Schools Partnership.
Research Methods
This module is focused on structured inquiry-based learning. You will learn how to generate appropriate research and when, how, and why, to use different research methods for sport-based research.
Sport and Physical Activity Policy to Practice
You'll explore a range of government policy areas that impact on sport and recreation provision in the UK.
Coaching Theory and Practice
You'll further develop your understanding of the coaching process and the role of the coach by studying coaching models, principles, philosophy, coaching behaviour and coaching styles. You'll apply this knowledge by planning a number of practical coaching activities.
Inclusion in Sport and Physical Activity
You'll develop an understanding of the principle of inclusion that underpins contemporary sport development practice and associated coach and teacher education. You'll learn about the social and cultural basis of exclusion, including gender, ethnicity, and disability and how to make practical adaptations to enable the delivery of inclusive activities.

3rd Year

Honours Project
You'll select a topic and develop a project with support from your tutor. You'll source and synthesize relevant academic literature; apply relevant theoretical concepts, collect and analyse your own data. All students will share their projects, learning from one another, at a student conference.
Strategic Sport Management
This module explores how sports organisations identify and respond to local, national and international change; how they survive and thrive. You'll learn the key principles and processes of strategic management in sports organisations and how to gain a competitive advantage. You'll undertake a strategic analysis of a sport organisation of your choice.
Inclusive Coaching in Sport & Physical Activity
Leadership & Mentoring in Sport
Graduate Employability in Sport
Sport in a Global Society

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What might you become?

You will find our BA (Hons) Sport Development and Coaching graduates in a variety of roles including development officers for national governing bodies, local authorities, school sport partnerships, community trusts, commercial sports centres, and as coaches and teachers. We have superb links with the sport development sector locally, nationally, and overseas and the quality of our graduates is well recognised both locally and nationally.

This is a broad ranging degree and this ensures that you are employable when you leave us and that your degree remains relevant no matter which area of sport you work in in the future.

"I thoroughly enjoy working with disabled young people. The lecturers put a lot of emphasis on the importance of volunteering, without this, I don’t think I would have volunteered. The lectures had various contacts in many organisations and helped make that important first link. Having this experience definitely helped me get my job. At 23, I never expected to be where I am today, managing a department and responsible for the biggest disability club in Plymouth."

“University life helped to prepare me for the world of work by encouraging me to be proactive with my time management as you have many responsibilities you may not have had previously. It also helped in terms of the importance of maintaining a healthy work life balance. You need to work hard but you also need time to yourself to relax and take part in hobbies etc. This degree gave me a solid academic foundation and allowed me to take modules aligned to my interest in school sport and PE.”

“I have a huge passion for rugby and looking back, I would have never have expected to go on to work at a professional football club. Whilst studying at Marjon, I gained practical and transferable skills, which developed me ready for a range of career paths. I’m now running the ‘Fresh Start’ traineeships program to NEETS. Without going to Marjon, experiencing the many different modules and meeting real-life professionals, I doubt I would have this role today.”

"I really enjoyed learning about coaching and cricket. When I was researching how cricket bats are made, I met my business partner. We’re the only company in Devon that makes bats completely from scratch. The plan is to take what I’ve learned from my degree to set-up a coaching side to the business. I’ll be going into schools as a coach and will continue to grow the equipment side of things."

“My role is about organisation, planning fixtures for our four academy teams and the Development Squad and making sure everything runs smoothly on match day. Helping with the first team’s WSL home matches is really rewarding and further develops my experience. The modules I did at Marjon support what I do now and I got great help with CV writing. Our lecturers emphasised that it’s not just about having a degree and I completely agree because volunteering undoubtedly developed my skills too.”

“My role at the college allows me to work with students who have similar aspirations to myself which makes it highly rewarding and relatable. My tutors throughout my time at university developed in-depth subject knowledge and took a human approach to education, with invaluable personal time and support. Also support from the tutors and the University allowed me to continue to play semi-professional football whilst studying a full-time degree.”

"Sport Development, as opposed to the other sport-related subjects, appeared to me as the most transferable and covered a broader range of topics. For me personally, Sport Development taught me many skills that could be applied across most business sectors. It taught skills such as monitoring and evaluation, bid writing and management of projects, in which I felt, led to further employment opportunities than the others".

“Having a job in football, something I am passionate about, makes every day at work enjoyable. In sport development, no day is the same as the previous one, it is challenging and also very rewarding. The range of lectures, seminars, practical sessions and voluntary opportunities at university helped me to improve my transferrable skills which employers look for. The contacts I made on placement and the support I gained from the lecturers also contributed to me succeeding in finding a role.”

"Engaging with communities is so rewarding and knowing you can have an impact on a number of groups is a great feeling. The course prepared me to be more independent and work hard for what I want to achieve. It helped me to realise the work that goes on behind the scenes for a range of projects and the number of partners that are involved. It provided the launch pad for me to prepare me for working by becoming better at managing my time, working in groups and liaising with a range of partners."

"I have such a range of opportunities in my work. I am able to oversee daily activities including both school and external clubs, as well as having the opportunity of coaching and running clubs myself. I went straight into a coaching job after my final year of University. I became a Primary School PE Specialist for two years, utilising coaching skills I had learnt whilst at Uni. From there I developed as a coach/teacher and now get to do that alongside my other responsibilities."

How will you be taught?

Includes lectures, seminars, tutorials and practical coaching experience. You’ll study 6 modules per year. You will also embark on a 100 hour placement in year 2 or run sports events with an industry partner.

How will you be assessed?

You’ll write essays, give presentations, produce reports and there is the odd exam. As you’d expect you’ll be assessed on your delivery skills, in coaching, at events, and on placement.

2015 Football coaching and Development 7

Course Leader

Dr Phil Brown

Senior Lecturer

Phil has over 20 years’ experience working in the sports industry. He’s led and delivered a number of community and school based sports development projects and events. He ran a national free swimming pilot for Sport England and the NHS based in Plymouth. Sport development is about working in partnership to develop sport and Phil has an excellent network in the sports section working nationally with the UK Sport Development Network (UKSDN) and the Chartered Institution for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA). Locally he works with Active Devon, Plymouth YMCA, Plymouth City Council Sports Development Unit, Plymouth Argyle Community Trust, Devon FA, and Plymouth Schools Sport Partnership.

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Current Students

“I enjoy the flexibility in what we learn via the specialist pathways we choose. My goal is to become a PE teacher so the PE pathway is guiding me. Personally, I have gained a lot of confidence from the course. The placement module in my second year gave me the opportunity to work in a school and get first-hand experience in the field which I choose to continue in. Academically, I feel I have have improved massively. It is very rewarding to watch myself and my grades grow.”

"I enjoy the diversity of the course, for one lesson we could be having a debate in a classroom and the next we could have a practical lesson in the sports hall. Working with external companies and people that really need your help to ensure that projects are delivered successfully means that you get quality hands on experience. It is also rewarding working with projects around the local area that are really making a difference to people’s lives and seeing what a difference you are making."

"The content is interesting. The way the lecturers deliver the lectures is also a main reason that I enjoy my course so much as it is made engaging and interesting. Overall the people I met on the course and the lecturers made the first year of my study so enjoyable, and made every lecture and practical session worthwhile. My course has developed me academically and as a person more than I could have imagined."

“Sport Development covers a wide range of topics, it’s the broadest sports degree at Marjon which means you don’t just learn a lot about a one narrow aspect of sport. It’s great as the course attracts a wide variety of people who are interested in different aspects of sport."

"As a mature student with a lot of life and sports experience, the course compliments this by developing my academic and critical thinking. On a personal level, as an athlete, it has helped me see competing in a different light. It helped with regards to my choices of events to participate in, focusing on credibility, perceived value and also potential media attention generated. This helps towards potential sponsorship through the heightened recognition prospects."

"The modules include a variety of trips, presentations, group work and practical, all of which engage the students and build bonds with one another and make a positive studying environment. The constant support from my lectures and detailed feedback on assessed work meant that I could learn and grow in both my work and myself. I felt that through their help and guidance I was improving with each piece of work and now feel in an incredible place to commence my second year."

"The great thing about Sports Development is that it provides you with such a broad range of knowledge and skills that are transferable across a vast range of career choices. The lecture content combined with opportunities to experience first hand what it’s like to coach, manage events and teach physical education (just to name a few) allows you to relate theory to practice and gain essential experience to assist you when it comes to future employment opportunities.”

"I enjoy the flexibility of modules I can choose from within Sports Development. Furthermore, I have been able to develop my time management skills and communication skills. This university has given me aspirations, which I only dreamt about but which are now reality."

Lecturers

Lee Ballard

Lecturer in Sport Development & Coaching

Lee is an experienced sports coaching lecturer. He was formerly an academy coach for Bristol City FC and also worked for the Football Association on girls' football and grassroots football initiatives. He holds the UEFA B coaching licence.

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Dr Aaron Beacom

Senior Lecturer

Aaron's research interests in the areas of sport and international development, sport policy and disability sports.

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Dr Kass Gibson

Senior Lecturer

Kass is a qualified PE teacher who has taught in schools, colleges, and universities in New Zealand, Japan, Canada, and the UK. He is a member of the University of Toronto’s Suffering, Pain and Ethics Lab Scientific Team. His research examines experiences and practices in physical activity health promotion, sport, and physical education.

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Kelvin Kirk

Senior Lecturer

Kelvin Kirk is a qualified PE teacher who now teaches sports coaching at Marjon. He has risen through the coaching ranks of volleyball to enable him to award coaching qualifications; he has also more recently coached junior football for several years. His reserach interests are in primary PE and the increasing use of modern technology in enhancing PE.

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Ian Stonebridge

Lecturer

Ian was an apprentice at Tottenham Hotspur, and played professionally for Plymouth Argyle and Wycombe Wanderers, representing England at Under 18 level. He retired through injury and now coaches at Plymouth Argyle’s Youth Academy. With a UEFA ‘B’ Licence and FA Youth Award coaching qualifications he understands the football-specific knowledge required to coach in a range of different environments, from ‘grassroots’ to the elite game. He teaches coaching process, coaching philosophy and behaviour, and the coach-player relationship.

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Ryan Thomas

Senior Lecturer

Ryan is personal tutor to many students on this programme. His primary interest is talent identification in youth football and he also enjoys teaching both coaching and event management as he likes seeing academic topics from the classroom being delivered in real-life practice. He is an active Centre of Excellence Coach at Plymouth Argyle Football Club and an FA Licenced Coach Educator, which involves the delivery of the FA Level 1, the FA Youth Award Module 1 and various workshops across the county.

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More Info

BA (Hons) Sport Development and Coaching is a popular course with on average 40 students studying per year group across the three sport development programmes. This ensures dynamic class sizes for lectures and smaller seminar groupings for seminars and practical sessions. Students develop excellent relationships with the supportive and caring programme team. You'll share modules with FdA Sport Development and Coaching, Football Development and Coaching, BSc Sport Business Management, BA Sport Coaching and PE and BA PE, so you'll get to interact with students on your course and related courses.
The programme is designed develop increasing independence to ensure students are fully independent and competent sport development professionals upon graduation.
There are opportunities to undertake additional qualifications such as SCUK’s Safeguarding and Protecting Children workshops and students are engaged in career planning from the first year.
Aligned to the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) Professional Standards for Assistant Coach and Coach which ensures it meets professional standards required by sector employers (subject to final endorsement sign-off).

More Info

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