Partnership with University of South Wales (USW)
The Foundation Degree in Community Football Coaching and Development provides the opportunity to gain an industry-recognised qualification, whilst studying at a Community Club Organisation and completing a comprehensive portfolio of work-based learning.
Students based at a professional sports club studying BTEC awards.
• Teaching
• Community Sports Coaching
• Professional/Elite Coaching
• Sports Management Roles
• Sports Development Roles
• Communication
• Problem Solving
• Leadership
• Teamworking
• Analytical Skills
COURSE HIGHLIGHTS
Mentoring
A member of staff from your club will be assigned to you as a mentor, supporting you with learning materials and organising your placements.
Extensive placement opportunities
You’ll gain practical experience of working within the sports coaching and development industry.
Studying in the workplace
You will undertake your studies at your community club organisation. Your lectures will be produced by USW staff, but you will watch these remotely at your club’s learning environment.
HOW YOU’LL LEARN
As a student at the USW, you will have access to a wide range of learning resources. You will spend at least five days each year at the University where you will complete practical assessments and undertake live lectures and seminars. During your residential visits you will receive full accommodation. Between visits, you will continue your studies at your club, with your Club Mentor guiding you through online learning materials created by USW staff. You will also have access to an online library, Blackboard, and other educational resources.
Teaching staff
Each student will receive support not only from academic module leaders but also through one-on-one sessions with Personal Academic Coaches throughout the year. These sessions are designed to enhance your learning experience and provide tailored guidance. You will meet twice a year with your assigned PAC, who will offer personalised support to help you achieve your academic goals and meet your expectations. Our lecturers have extensive experience in the football coaching, sport coaching, sport development and sport management industry, with some having played and coached at a professional or elite level. Our lecturers have experience of coordinating and managing sport in both local authorities, sports clubs and national governing bodies of sport, and are able to bring this real-life knowledge and experience into the classroom to bring topics to life. Many of our staff are still active in the industry either coaching or representing sports organisations on boards and strategic groups.
Placements
In year two you will complete 140 hours of placement activity (work-based learning). The work-based learning programme will be completed within a sports organisation and will provide you with opportunities to gain experience in areas such as social inclusion, school and grassroots club development, sport development, and coaching.
Facilities
We have a world-class standard designed sporting performance facility that focuses on football and sports coaching. It includes a specialist centre for strength and conditioning with 12 lifting platforms, providing a high performance environment for aspiring athletes. Our full-size indoor 3G pitch is built to the Fifa Pro standard and World Rugby 22 standard. It will guarantee training all year round for our football and coaching students. We are the only university in England and Wales to offer this facility.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
UCAS Points: 48 (or above)
Typical qualification requirements:
- A Level: DD to include at least one A Level in Science, Mathematics, Physical Education or Psychology but to exclude General Studies.
- Welsh BACC: Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales Grade D and D at A Level to include at least one Science, Mathematics, Physical Education or Psychology subject but to exclude General Studies.
- BTEC: BTEC Diploma Merit Pass or BTEC Extended Diploma Merit Pass Pass in a relevant subject.
- Access to HE: Pass Access to HE Diploma in Science or Maths with a minimum of 48 UCAS Tariff points
- T Level – P
Additional Requirements:
Entry criteria detail typical offers but USW considers all applications on an individual basis which means that we could make offers based on qualifications, personal profile and experience. Combinations of qualifications are acceptable and other qualifications not listed may also be acceptable.
All applicants for the course need to be affiliated with one of our partner EFL Clubs.
GCSEs: The University normally requires a minimum 3 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances.
FEES & FUNDING
UK Full-Time Fee – £9,250 per year
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.
CASE STUDIES
Kieran Perry’s journey is a unique and inspiring success story. Coming through the BTEC pathway, Kieran achieved league success and was presented with the trophy at Wembley as a player. He later returned to the same BTEC programme as a coach, guiding the team to another league title and once again lifting the trophy at Wembley. This remarkable achievement makes Kieran the first person in the country to win the league and be presented with the trophy at Wembley both as a player and as a coach of the same BTEC team. His journey highlights progression, leadership, and long-term impact within education and sport.
Libby Durkin’s academic journey is a strong example of dedication and high performance. While working full time at Grimsby Town Foundation, Libby successfully completed her BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching and Development, consistently achieving high grades throughout the final year of her course. Balancing professional responsibilities with academic study, she demonstrated excellent time management, commitment, and applied coaching knowledge in both settings. Her work reflected strong critical thinking and practical impact, linking theory directly to practice. In recognition of her outstanding academic performance and sustained excellence, Libby was awarded a High Achievement Award from the University of South Wales (USW).
Paul Davies’ journey demonstrates long-term progression and commitment to education. After studying the programme in 2014, Paul graduated and went on to pursue a range of education-based roles, developing valuable experience across the sector. His career pathway reflects a strong foundation built during his studies and a continued passion for supporting learners. In early 2023, Paul returned to the Foundation to take on the role of Education Mentor for the programme. Now supporting current students, he uses his lived experience and professional knowledge to guide, inspire, and mentor the next generation, completing a full-circle journey from student to leader within the programme.
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.
PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH WALES (USW)
The Community Football Coaching and Development degree & Community Sports Coaching and Development degree have been designed in conjunction with the English Football League in the Community, in order to identify the type of skills and qualities that are required to work within professional football clubs community departments or national governing bodies, in areas of growth such as social inclusion, community coaching and football development. On this course, students learn about children and youth coaching, sports coaching, football development, social inclusion, sports management skills and business.
For Grimsby Town Foundation, this course has been running in partnership with ELFitC and USW since 2014, and over that time has seen over 130 students come away with a degree in sports or football coaching.
How To Apply
The link below is how to apply for a course at the University of South Wales, via UCAS or Direct to University of South Wales.
https://www.southwales.ac.uk/apply
- UCAS – You will need to register for an account with UCAS and then be able to search for the course you wish to apply for, inputting all information required for you to be accepted on to the course. There is a charge to apply at a cost of Standard Fee (Up to 5 Choices): £28.95 for 2026 entry or alternatively a Single Choice: £22.50 (*prices are subject to change*)
Lead contact details
Email: paul@grimsbytownfoundation.co.uk or alternatively office@grimsbytownfoundation.co.uk.
Useful Information
- Placements
In addition to your lectures, you will have the opportunity to undertake voluntary coaching and sports leadership work with local partners at your clubs and within your communities during the degree.
- Facilities at USW
A specially designed sporting performance facility that focuses on rugby and football coaching. It includes a specialist centre for strength and conditioning with 12 lifting platforms, providing a high performance environment for aspiring athletes. Our full-size indoor 3G pitch is built to the FIFA Pro standard and World Rugby 22 standard. It will guarantee training all year round for our rugby, football and coaching students. We are the only university in England and Wales to offer this facility.
You’ll also find a notational analysis suite and over 30 acres of playing fields, including five floodlit pitches. We have a sand-dressed ‘AstroTurf’ pitch, as well as a full-size FIFA approved 3G pitch. In addition to these all-weather pitches, there are six grass football pitches, three grass rugby pitches, and a large changing pavilion. Our facilities are regularly used by international professional teams, such as the Wales national football team and Cardiff City Football Club, as well as the touring New Zealand, South Africa and Australia rugby squads. This confirms the high quality of our pitches and the versatility of our equipment.
- Lecturers
The USW Sports Coaching and Development team are experienced staff all who have worked in the sports coaching and/or development industry, some of whom have even played and coached at a professional/elite level. Our staff have experience of coordinating and managing sport in both local authorities, sports clubs and national governing bodies of sport, and are able to bring this real-life knowledge and experience into the classroom to bring topics to life. Many of our staff are still active in the industry either coaching or representing sports organisations on boards and strategic groups.
- Chris Emsley – Course Leader FD in Sports coaching
- Dr Stuart Jarvis
- Robyn Pinder – Course Leader FD in Football coaching
- Rachel Murray
- Dr Adnan Haq
- Tom Cole
Fees & Funding
Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee will remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course.
August 2026 – July 2027 Fees
- Full time UK students – £9,250
- Full-time International: £17,200
Funding to help pay for (or cover) course tuition fees and living costs
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).
To learn about course fees, funding options, and to see if you are eligible for financial support, visit our Fees and Funding pages.
- Application tips for UK students
Apply via UCAS if you are a UK residing applicant, applying for year one of a full-time undergraduate degree, Foundation Year, Foundation Degree or HND and you have not applied through UCAS before. If you are applying to study part-time, to top up your Foundation Degree or HND, or to transfer to USW from another institution, please apply directly.
To make it clear which club you are based at, please ensure you indicate this somehow within your application. You can do this by making a direct reference to them in your personal statement, or by identifying a member of staff from your associated club as a referee to your application.