Sports Business and Management
Apply business, marketing and finance in real sport settings, supported by industry mentors and expert lecturers.
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UCAS Code
Start Date
September 2026
Location
Online
Campus Code
A
UCAS Points
104
Fees
Home students: £804*
UCAS Code
N881
Start Date
September 2027
Location
Pontypridd
Campus Code
A
UCAS Points
104
UCAS Code
Start Date
September 2027
Location
Online
Campus Code
A
UCAS Points
104
UCAS Code
N881
Start Date
September 2026
Location
Pontypridd
Campus Code
A
UCAS Points
104
Fees
Home students: £9,535*
International students: £17,200*
Course Overview
Question how sport is governed, funded and grown. Graduate adaptable, resilient and ready to drive performance, purpose and progress across professional clubs, governing bodies and sport organisations.
In partnership with
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We are in partnership with the EFL.
Why study this course?
What you'll study
In your first year, you’ll explore how sport works on and off the field, build skills through hands-on projects and workplace experience, and gain the confidence to lead and make an impact.
This module explores how digital communication builds relationships between sport organisations and their audiences. You’ll design and evaluate purposeful, ethical digital campaigns that strengthen engagement, identity, and community in sport.
Explore how leadership, teamwork, and performance shape success in sport organisations. You’ll examine how communication, motivation, and ethical practice influence culture, and build the skills to lead confidently in diverse environments.
Gain real-world experience in a sport organisation while developing professional skills and career direction. You’ll reflect on your strengths, set goals, and build the confidence to contribute effectively in the workplace.
Understand how the global sport industry works as a business. You’ll explore governance, revenue, stakeholders, and strategy, building commercial awareness and critical thinking for careers in sport management, marketing, and development.
In Year 2, build advanced skills to lead, manage, and innovate in sport.
Explore people management, leadership, branding, and finance through projects and case studies, making ethical, real-world impact.
Explore how people are managed in sport organisations, from leadership and team dynamics to recruitment and talent development. Build practical skills, tackle real-world challenges, and lead ethically and inclusively in sport.
Apply and expand your leadership skills in real sport settings. Explore team dynamics, governance, and ethical decision-making while developing research skills, reflecting on your practice, and shaping your professional identity.
Explore how sport brands shape identity and reputation. Analyse, refresh, and communicate brands creatively and ethically, using theory and digital tools, while building professional judgment and confidence in strategic brand storytelling.
Develop financial and analytical skills for the sport industry, analyse budgets, revenue, and performance data, use digital tools to generate insights, and make ethical, strategic decisions that support sustainable sport organisations.
During your final year, you’ll push your skills to the next level and see how sport comes to life in real-world settings.
You’ll lead high-performing teams, shape strategy, influence stakeholders, and use storytelling to make an ethical impact.
Discover how effective leadership shapes success in sport, inspiring teams and driving performance. Learn to build trust, lead diverse groups, manage stakeholders, and create high-performance environments while reflecting on your own impact.
Discover how policy, law, and governance shape the modern sport landscape, influencing participation, management, and organisational decision-making. Analyse real-world cases and develop the skills to lead ethically and make informed, strategic decisions.
Examine how strategic storytelling shapes leadership and organisational impact in sport, influencing stakeholders, building trust, and driving action. Learn to design ethical, inclusive, and purpose-driven narratives using digital and AI tools.
Explore how politics, strategy, and policy shape sport in the UK and globally. Analyse sports policies, evaluate strategies, and learn to contribute to planning, change management, and performance in real-world contexts.
We regularly review our courses to keep pace with changing skills and employer needs. If a review leads to significant changes, we’ll contact you to explain what’s changing for the coming year.
Teaching and Assessment
You’ll learn in the workplace of a professional sports club and charity, applying ideas straight away instead of waiting until the end of term. Most study happens on the job and online, with short university residentials to bring everything together. You’ll tackle real challenges, reflect on your practice, and build the skills and confidence employers value.
Assessment on this course is progressive and practice-focused. At Level 4, you’ll build confidence through structured portfolios, practical tasks and guided case studies with regular feedback. At Levels 5 and 6, you’ll move into more complex, real-world projects, including performance appraisals, presentations and collaborative work.
All assessments are based on live challenges co-created with the English Football League in the Community and partner clubs. You’ll receive ongoing feedback from tutors, peers and Club Mentors, with opportunities to present ideas, submit drafts and reflect on your development before final submission.
In year two you will complete up to 200 hours of (work-based learning) that is managed through weekly tutorials and a comprehensive mentoring programme. The work-based learning programme will be completed within the Community club organisations or clubs and will provide opportunities to gain experience in areas such as project management, sports finance, media and marketing, HR and business development.
Blended learning is supported through the University’s VLE, while Residential Visits provide access to USW’s specialist campus facilities and EFL club environments. You’ll train and learn in professional-standard settings, using modern equipment and spaces designed to support practical coaching, performance development, and applied learning.
Course Leader
Adam Sherratt
Meet Adam Sherratt, Lecturer in Sports Business and Management and Course Leader for the programme. Adam leads the course with a strong focus on applied learning, employability and real‑world sport business practice. He brings extensive experience working with professional football clubs, community trusts and grassroots organisations, supporting projects across sport development, governance and commercial operations. Adam’s teaching style is practical, supportive and student‑centred, using live projects, case studies and industry insight to bring learning to life.
Have questions about the course, learning experience or career pathways? Adam is always happy to talk.
Entry Requirements
Additional
This course is delivered predominantly online and not available to International Students wishing to reside in the UK on a student VISA as formal affiliation with a UK EFL Trust sports club is required.
The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances.
Contextual offers
We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.
USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.
How to applyContextual admissions policyAsk us a question104 UCAS points or above
Typical qualification requirements
A Level:
BCC to include a Science subject or PE and to exclude General Studies
Welsh BACC:
C/B in the Skills Challenge Certificate and BC - CC at A Level
BTEC:
Distinction Merit Merit
Access to HE:
Pass the Access to HE Diploma and obtain a minimum of 104 UCAS tariff points
T Level:
Pass (C and above)
Closed for International applicants:
Unfortunately, this course is not currently open to international applicants, please visit our course pages where you can find an alternative course choice.
CoursesContextual offers
We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.
USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.
Fees and Funding
per year
per 20 credits
Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).
*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.
Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy. We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment. *Obligatory
Travel to USW*
Students will be required to cover the cost of their travel to USW and other sites for Residential Visits, which happen twice per year.
per year
Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).
*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.
Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy. We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment. *Obligatory
Travel to USW*
Students will be required to cover the cost of their travel to USW and other sites for Residential Visits, which happen twice per year.
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How to apply
All applications for full-time undergraduate courses or foundation degrees should be made via UCAS. Take the next step: Apply through UCAS
You can apply to us directly for all part-time undergraduate courses, if you’re seeking advanced entry or you’re an international student. To apply directly, please choose the application form below for your preferred start date and mode of study (full-time or part-time).
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Apply direct
Sports Business and Management
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Full-time, 3 years
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September
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Pontypridd
-
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Apply direct
Sports Business and Management
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Part-time, 6 years
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September
-
Online
-
-
Apply direct
Sports Business and Management
-
Full-time, 3 years
-
September
-
Pontypridd
-
-
Apply direct
Sports Business and Management
-
Part-time, 6 years
-
September
-
Online
-
If you already have a relevant qualification or experience related to the course you're applying for, you may be eligible to start at a later stage of the course. For example, students from partner colleges can ‘top up’ their qualifications to a degree by joining us in Year Two or Year Three of a course. This process is known as ‘advanced entry’, you can apply directly to the University for 'advanced entry' using the application forms provided above.
Applicants accepted through advanced entry may study a different combination of modules to those advertised, as they will be joining a course already in progress. You will be contacted and advised about these modules once your application has been processed and an offer made.
International applicants can apply to us directly. If the University has an in-country team in your region, your application will be assigned to them for assistance.
Explore our facilities
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