BSc (Hons)

Football Coaching and Performance

Immerse yourself in elite sporting environments, honing your skills and industry expertise to excel in football coaching and performance support roles.

How to apply Apply Through UCAS Book an Open Day Chat to Us

Key Course Details

  • UCAS Code

    C610

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • Home students

    £9,535*

  • International students

    £16,200*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • Home students

    £785*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

Prepare for a vibrant career in football with our course, offering broad opportunities to practice your craft within elite football environments. Develop your coaching with outstanding skills, learn to navigate the football industry, and become ready to fulfil your potential as a top-tier football professional.

DESIGNED FOR

This course prepares you to reach your potential in an elite football environment. Whether you aspire to coach at professional clubs, grow the grassroots game, or unlock the game’s secrets through performance analysis, you’ll gain the technical knowledge and personal qualities to succeed.

Accredited by

  • Football Association of Wales and UEFA 

Career paths

  • Coach at a professional club
  • Football development officer
  • Community coach
  • Sports development officer
  • Strength and conditioning coach
  • Performance analyst
  • Club academy coach
  • National team coach
  • Teacher 

Skills taught

  • Coaching practices
  • Analytical skills
  • Communication and presentation
  • Community and relationship-building
  • Leadership
  • Collaboration

We make a difference in practice, not just on paper. Our courses are designed by people who offer jobs - and taught by people who have real work experience.


Course Highlights

UEFA accreditation

We’re the only Football Coaching degree in the UK where you can gain the UEFA C and B license without any additional charge.

Elite-level facilities

The UK’s only university with a full-size indoor 3G pitch, dedicated strength and conditioning facilities, and high-spec analytics tech.

Industry links

Our course, designed alongside FAW, Cardiff City and other elite clubs, offers you extensive placement opportunities.

Staff expertise

Learn from staff who's top-level professional experience and research shape football coaching in the UK and beyond.

Sport Science at USW

is top in Wales for Teaching Quality (Guardian University Guide 2025)

Module Overview

Apply and develop the many key skills and principles required to analyse and develop football performance, gaining your FAW C Certificate and UEFA C and B licences in the process. Undertake placements at elite clubs and critical organisations and become ready for a high-level career in football.

Year One:
Football Coaching: Young Performers in Practice  
Coaching Process: Theory to Practice 
Academic Research and Professional Skills*
Introduction to Football Performance Analysis 
Introduction to Sport Science for Football 
Managing and Developing Football in the Community 

Year Two:
Football Coaching: Adolescent Performers in Practice 
Football Coaching Pedagogy 
Research Methods 
Football Performance Analysis  
Sport Science for Football 
Sport Placement*

Year Three:
Performance Football Coaching
Analysis In Football Coaching and Performance
Football Psychology
Strength And Conditioning
Work-Based Learning*
Applied Professional Project / Dissertation

*These modules can be studied 100% through the medium of Welsh

Learn the fundamentals of football coaching, performance analysis, and operations management, apply your theoretical knowledge on the training pitch as you gain the C license, and master the core professional and personal skills that prepare you for further study and employment.

Football Coaching: Young Performers in Practice  
Gain an understanding of the fundamental ‘how to coach’ and ‘what to coach’ skills within football at a foundation phase (5-15yrs) level This module integrates the FAW C Certificate course.  
  
Coaching Process: Theory To Practice 
Learn the theory that underpins the coaching process and use it to inform your emerging coaching philosophies and guide your practical coaching delivery. 

Academic Research and Professional Skills*  
Build the academic, social and interpersonal foundations essential to course success, and grow the transferable professional skills that help you thrive in your desired roles within football. 

*This module can be studied 100% through the medium of Welsh

Introduction To Football Performance Analysis 
Explore the key principles of performance analysis and apply subjective and objective data-gathering techniques to design, test and deploy a performance analysis system. 

Introduction To Sport Science for Football 
Learn to support footballers in achieving peak performance by applying sports training principles, physiological adaptations, biomechanics, psychological performance, nutrition, and more. 
  
Managing and Developing Football in the Community 

Find out what it takes to establish and support community football initiatives and acquire the key skills required to manage football facilities and deliver community-focused events. 

Apply more advanced tools and techniques to coaching and analysis, deepen your knowledge within pedagogy and specific fields of football performance, and begin your first placement within a community football setting.

Football Coaching: Adolescent Performers in Practice 
Deepen your knowledge of football coaching and critically reflect on your delivery as you expand your ‘what to coach’ skills across the four-corner model within the youth development phase (12-16yrs). 

Football Coaching Pedagogy 
Further develop your own coaching philosophy as you study, apply and evaluate a range of coaching principles and theories. 

Research Methods 
Analyse current research in your field, evaluating ethics and methodology to shape a detailed research proposal for your dissertation, tailored to your specific interests. 

Football Performance Analysis  
Develop a football feedback system with technical skills, mastering performance indicators, subjective/objective observation, and overcoming measurement challenges. 

Sport Science for Football  
Learn how to carry out a range of player monitoring and testing protocols effectively and understand how football psychology informs coaching practice.  

Sport Placement*
Reflect on your performance during placement, applying knowledge gained in areas like school sport, event organisation, community club coaching, and other sport delivery contexts. 

*This module can be studied 100% through the medium of Welsh

Prepare for a football coaching or performance support role by earning your UEFA B license and applying advanced coaching and analysis principles. Complete your final work-based placement in an elite or community environment while critically evaluating data and literature for your dissertation.

Performance Football Coaching
Advance your performance-related football coaching and experience the demands of the modern-day football coach as you deepen your knowledge and undertake the FAW/UEFA B licence.

Analysis In Football Coaching and Performance
Develop practical analysis skills to create a system using scientific observation, software, hardware, and feedback techniques for players and coaches.

Football Psychology
Understand how factors like motivation, leadership, stress, cohesion and more influence coaching practice, and use these principles to enhance performance.

Strength And Conditioning
Develop the necessary knowledge in a range of fitness areas to prepare you for ASCC (and CSCS in the USA) accreditation, as you plan and deliver effective strength and conditioning programs.

Work-Based Learning*
Develop and demonstrate the skills and behaviours required in the football workplace and reflect on your experience in a setting related to your interests and ambitions within football.

Applied Professional Project / Dissertation
Research, design, develop and evaluate an independent study pertinent to your area of specialisation, where you’ll critically evaluate scientific data and literature.

*This module can be studied 100% through the medium of Welsh

Course Highlights

How you’ll learn

You’ll gain an outstanding grounding in the theoretical underpinnings of football coaching and performance in lectures and seminars delivered by staff at the forefront of research, with coursework, exams and presentations forming your assessment. But when it comes to gaining the practical skills and personal qualities required to thrive in dynamic football environments, there’s no substitute for hands-on experience. You’ll have plenty of time working on the training pitch and in our high-spec facilities, and you’ll work alongside established professionals during your placements to ensure you’re work-ready upon graduation.

Teaching staff

Our academic staff are at the forefront of research and development within football, having published work alongside FAW on elite coach wellbeing and helped to shape the A license pathway. We also have Pro license coaches who’ve worked with international teams and elite academies, elite coach educators who work with FIFA, and people who’ve worked extensively within community football. This powerful blend of expertise ensures our staff not only provide exceptional academic support but also use their industry experience to help you navigate the dynamic world of football coaching. 

Placements and work experience

USW maintains strong links with organisations at all levels of football in Wales, helping you benefit from extensive formal and informal work placements that boost your employment prospects. We have several placement opportunities within academies, backroom staff and community foundations at elite clubs, where you can work alongside established professionals, as well as community football organisations throughout Wales. Our annual employability conference connects you with employers, replicating the recruitment process you’ll go through after graduating, while you can also enjoy summer placements with our US partners. 

Facilities

You’ll get to develop your skills at USW Sport Park, our specially designed sporting performance facility on the Treforest Campus. Our facilities are regularly used by Cardiff City and the Welsh international teams. You’ll spend plenty of time on our full-size indoor 3G pitch. Built to FIFA Pro standard, there’s no other facility like it at any university in England and Wales. You’ll also work in our specialist Strength and Conditioning centre and our high-spec notational analysis suite. We have five floodlit pitches among our many grass and artificial playing areas.

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Why USW?

A student is leaping sideways to save a football from entering the goal.
  • Top in Wales for student satisfaction in Sports Science (Complete University Guide 2023)

  • Sport Science is rated top in Wales for Teaching Quality and Student Experience (Times Good University Guide 2024)

Why USW?

Top in Wales

Sport Science at USW is top in Wales Quality.

(Guardian University Guide 2025)
  • Top in Wales for student satisfaction in Sports Science (Complete University Guide 2023)

  • Sport Science is rated top in Wales for Teaching Quality and Student Experience (Times Good University Guide 2024)


Careers and Employability

Graduate careers

The Football Coaching and Performance BSc equips you to enter football at the elite level. We have several alumni coaching in Premier League academies, including five at Chelsea, as well as analysts working with the first teams at elite clubs. Some analysts go on to work at specialist analytical firms such as Opta, with some in football-adjacent industries such as betting companies. Those who go down the community football route are primed for high-level roles within organisations. The course qualifies you for further study at MSc level and is also a great way into the PE Teaching PGCE.

Industry partners

Our network of alumni and external partner organisations gives us extensive access to industry experts from the likes of the FAW, FAW Trust, Cardiff City FC, Swansea City FC, and community football organisations. You have regular opportunities to learn directly from these experts as they deliver guest lectures. These clubs also offer placement opportunities on both a formal and informal basis, and they attend our annual Sport Employability Conference where you can connect with them. Several of our football department staff are members of the Centre for Football Research in Wales (CFRiW) and regularly engage students in their projects.

Careers support

Our staff have decades of experience working in the football industry in a wide range of influential roles, and they draw on this experience to help you identify your strengths and guide you towards a path that you’re suited to. We also have dedicated Careers Advisors within the Sports faculty, who can help you identify placement opportunities and job roles that match your football ambitions. You’ll have many opportunities to explore possible career paths while engaging with industry experts on placement, through guest lectures, and at our annual Sports Employability Conference. 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

112 UCAS Points (or above)

Typical qualification requirements:

  • A Level: BBC to include a Science subject or PE and to exclude General Studies. Level 1 in football coaching or equivalent foundation level football coaching qualification from a football (NGB) (this is equivalent to 112 UCAS tariff points).
  • BTEC: BTEC Extended Diploma Distinction Merit Merit in a relevant subject. Level 1 in football coaching or equivalent foundation level football coaching qualification from a football (NGB) (this is equivalent to 112 UCAS tariff points).
  • Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate: Pass the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Diploma with Grade C in the Skills Challenge Certificate and BB at A Level to include one Science (which may be Mathematics, Physical Education or Psychology) but to exclude General Studies. Level 1 in football coaching or equivalent foundation level football coaching qualification from a football (NGB) (this is equivalent to 112 UCAS tariff points).
  • Access to HE: Passing an Access to HE Diploma in a relevant subject (mathematics, science or psychology) and obtain a minimum of 112 UCAS tariff points.

Additional requirements include:

GCSEs: 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.

An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check on the Child Workforce and Child Barring List and subscription to the DBS Update Service is required. (Overseas equivalent required for non-uk applicants).

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 72 overall and a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

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.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

UK Full-time Fee

£9,535

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£16,200

per year*
UK Part-time Fee

£785

per 20 credits*

Further Information

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.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Bursaries Cost of Living Support

Additional Costs

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.

This fee includes £40 for the enhanced DBS certificate, the Post Office Administration fee and the online administration fee. 

Cost: £55.42

Subscription required for each year of the course for a yearly fee of £13. Please note the service has to be joined within 30 days of receipt of your enhanced DBS certificate.

Cost: £13

Cost is dependent on placement location. 

University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

THE FACILITIES, THE GYM AND THE FOOTBALL TOGETHER ARE PERFECT. YOU WON’T FIND BETTER THAN THESE. IT ALL TIES IN REALLY WELL WITH MY OWN CAREER.

Tommy O’Sullivan

Life at USW

Halls are a big part of your student experience and there’s accommodation at all three of our locations. If you don’t want to live near the campus, there are great transport links to keep you connected.

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.)

Advanced entry

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.

International admissions

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.