Designed to give you hands-on industry experience, this course is ideal if you want to work in the football industry.
As a Football Development and Coaching graduate, you'll be equipped with the strategic skills to plan, design, implement and evaluate a football development project. This includes the knowledge to undertake safe, effective and inclusive football coaching sessions for a variety of levels and abilities.
You'll develop your analytical skills by conducting research and investigating current data to support the justification for a funded community football project. And you will obtain an in-depth understanding of scientific methods to conduct and analyse scientific tests to enhance football performance.
We have over 145 years of experience delivering professional, creative and technical education that prepares students – like you – for success in global careers, so find out more today.
You'll study the full spectrum of football coaching theories and concepts. This includes scientific principles, theories and practices that influence the performance of football.
Throughout the course, you'll cover local and national policy, laws and regulations in addition to learning about ethnic diversity, inclusion and cultural considerations within the sector. You will also learn about Football Governing Bodies and other professional organisations.
You'll graduate with professional skills relevant to football development and coaching. These include strong communication and interpersonal skills and proficient IT capabilities to support football development and coaching practice.
By joining us on this highly practical and hands-on course, you'll benefit from:
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This is an overview of each year of your course.
Year one focuses on the fundamental skills and knowledge of football coaching, development and performance. You'll have an introduction to the key principles of football science and how they can impact performance. You'll also enrol on the FA Introduction to Coaching (if not already achieved).
Building on the first year, in year two you'll practice more applied skills in football coaching and performance, particularly through industry-specific work placements. You'll also enrol on the FA UEFA C license alongside your practical coaching module.
This module will provide a broad understanding and the fundamental knowledge of the key academic skills required for you to successfully complete your undergraduate degree. You will know the underlying core and theoretical frameworks for research methods and academic writing by demonstrating your understanding of data collection and analysis, literature, sourcing literature, the components of research and by identifying strengths and weaknesses.
This module will aim to provide a comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the role of football as an engagement tool to support local and national policy and strategies.
It will provide students with knowledge of roles within the football development sector and the FA in delivering football associated projects and achieving wider outcomes related to health, education, social inclusion and community development.
Students will identify how to apply for funding and implement, deliver and evaluate community football projects.
This module provides a broad understanding of learning theories and coaching styles in a variety of football related environments.
Students will learn the underlying theoretical concepts of how to plan, deliver, evaluate and modify football coaching sessions, whilst demonstrating the importance of safeguarding and risk assessments.
Students will work effectively on complex coaching sessions and understand the health and safety considerations, whilst working individually and as a group to enhance their interpersonal and communications skills.
To introduce and apply key scientific concepts and principles across the sports science disciplines of Physiology, Psychology, Biomechanics, Performance Analysis and Nutrition.
Students will gain a broad understanding of their effect on football performance and how they underpin the sporting performance of players.
Students will learn how to work effectively in a team by carrying out practical investigations in all five sport and exercise disciplines and apply these to coaching sessions.
This module is aimed at transforming the personal and professional outcomes of undergraduate students at Middlesex University. By working in partnership within and beyond sporting disciplines, learners will be challenged to transfer skills and harness free-thinking knowledge from a range of inter-related sectors. Utilising multi-department collaboration, students will harness expansive information from experts within Support and Wellbeing, Employability, Learning Enhancement and the Students Union through a practice-oriented educational environment. Through applying broader educational principles, students will have new opportunities to develop innovative skills that inspire a life-long aptitude for individually and co-operatively solving problems within inclusive socio-economic development, the sustainability of communities and the underlying concepts of equity, health and wellbeing.
This module will provide the students with the skills to analyse a range of academic information, comparing alternative methods and techniques. This will involve them collecting and synthesising this information to inform a subject specific research question. The student will have knowledge of well-established research methods and concepts evidenced by the awareness of inconsistencies, gaps, and limitations within literature.
This module will elaborate and expand upon knowledge gained from SES1944, including opportunity where students will:
This module will enhance student’s practical skills and knowledge in the football development sector including the implications of PE and School Sport delivery.
The aim of this module is:
Through the work based learning programme, students will complete 75 hours of relevant industry experience.
To identify and analyse the key scientific concepts and principles across the sports science disciplines of Physiology, Psychology, Biomechanics and Performance Analysis.
Students will generate specialised skills and be able to undertake complex tests on football players and suggest improvements.
Students will acquire skills to identify, analyse and communicate principles and concepts through the five sport and exercise disciplines and apply these to coaching sessions.
This module builds on the personal and professional outcomes of undergraduate students that were secured at level 4. By continuing to work beyond sporting disciplines, learners will be challenged to provide opinions and back this up with reasoning and evidence throughout a range of inter-related sectors. Utilising multi-department collaboration, students will appraise, assess and critique the information from subject experts within Support and Wellbeing, Employability, Learning Enhancement and the Students Union.
Through comparing broader educational principles, students will further develop innovative skills that inspire a life-long aptitude for individually and co-operatively solving problems within inclusive socio-economic development, the sustainability of communities and the underlying concepts of equity, health and wellbeing.
To find out more about this course, please download the FdA Football Development & Coaching specification (PDF).
Your studies will be split between Middlesex University in Hendon and Cedars Youth & community Centre in Harrow.
The University have just invested £24 million to build a new centre of excellence for simulation-based training at StoneX Stadium, home of Saracens Rugby Club. This facility has the latest health and fitness equipment and technologies, including motion capture, full body scanning and blood analysis. This is located a short walk from the main University campus and they also have frequent shuttle buses to and from the main campus.
At Cedars Youth & Community Centre, students will have access to a 4G pitch, sports hall, social space and a large classroom area. Throughout the course there will be visits to Watford FC Stadium at Vicarage Rd and the Watford FC Training Ground.
We offer lots of support to help you while you're studying including financial advice, wellbeing, mental health, and disability support.
We'll support you if you have additional needs such as sensory impairment or dyslexia. And if you want to find out whether Middlesex is the right place for you before you apply, get in touch with our Disability and Dyslexia team.
Our specialist teams will support your mental health. We have free individual counselling sessions, workshops, support groups and useful guides.
Our Middlesex Unitemps branch will help you find work that fits around uni and your other commitments. We have hundreds of student jobs on campus that pay the London Living Wage and above.
You can apply for scholarships and bursaries and our MDX Student Starter Kit to help with up to £1,000 of goods, including a new laptop or iPad.
We have also reduced the costs of studying with free laptop loans, free learning resources and discounts to save money on everyday things. Check out our guide to student life on a budget.
While this is the ideal degree for those wanting to pursue a career in the football industry, a broad and varied spectrum of sports careers will be open to you.
Our graduates have gone on to work in roles including:
Some of the industries and sectors that have offered employment to our graduates include:
Graduates may wish to continue their academic studies by completing a third-year top-up degree and then progressing to gain a place on our highly competitive PGCE courses or master's courses.
You may also wish to continue your professional studies by completing the UEFA B licence or other FA-accredited courses.
Our employability service, MDXworks will launch you into the world of work from the beginning of your course, with placements, projects and networking opportunities through our 1000+ links with industry and big-name employers in London and globally.
Our dedicated lifetime career support, like our business start-up support programme and funding for entrepreneurs, has been recognized with the following awards:
The top 20 UK universities for business leaders and entrepreneurs – Business Money, 2023
A top 10 university for producing CEOs – Novuana, 2023
Want to be your own boss? You'll have the chance to pitch your business to gain mentoring and grants of up to £15,000.
You’ll study with students from 122 countries who’ll hopefully become part of your global network. And after you graduate, we'll still support you through our alumni network to help you progress in your chosen career.
Placements and work experience will give you excellent opportunities to gain hands-on and real-life experience.
You'll complete 100 hours of industry experience throughout your degree once you have completed your DBS and FA Introduction to Coaching qualification. You'll receive help and support in identifying a suitable placement as well as with applications if required. Placement opportunities exist within Watford FC CSE Trust as well as at other Football Clubs, University Sports Clubs, local football development projects, charities, fitness centres and schools.
Placements and internships greatly improve graduate employment prospects, and those who take part achieve excellent academic results through applying their learning in a professional setting.
Our specialist Employability Service and north London location ensure that every year our students and graduates gain placement opportunities.
The fees below are for the 2024/25 academic year.
Full-time: £9,250
Part-time: £77 per taught credit
Full-time students: £16,600
Part-time students: £138 per taught credit
The following study tools are included in your fees:
The following course-related costs are not included in the fees, and you will need to budget for these:
Scholarships and bursaries
To help make uni affordable, we do everything we can to support you including our:
Find out more about undergraduate funding and all of our scholarships and bursaries.
1. UK fees: The university reserves the right to increase undergraduate tuition fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions. The tuition fees for part-time UK study are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.
2. International fees: Tuition fees are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.
Any annual increase in tuition fees as provided for above will be notified to students at the earliest opportunity in advance of the academic year to which any applicable inflationary rise may apply.
Laura works for Watford FC Community Sports and Education Trust and has experience working as a Sports Rehabilitator with GB athletes and in the USA working with College athletes at Philadelphia University. Her previous roles include Head of Higher Education at Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and Clinical Director at Active Rehab.
We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.
Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.
Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.
At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.
Start: September 2024
Duration: 3 years full-time, 6 years part-time
Code: C60F
Start: September 2024
Duration: 3 years full-time, 6 years part-time
Code: C615
