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What makes Sport Business Management at Worcester special?

The course has been designed to reflect the constantly evolving landscape in sport policy and provision from a national and international context. It explores the sport delivery environment in ways that is both intellectually and creatively challenging to enable you to understand the complex partnerships and interactions which create sport programmes and initiatives across all the sectors in sport.

Sport businesses are a growing and dynamic sector of the global economy. These range from the familiar sport facility manager, to the growing number of small, niche sport tourism operators who cater for the needs of travellers wanting to experience various sporting events that take place around the world. This growth has meant that there is a healthy demand for talented professionals in this field, who can project manage and deliver high quality sport services and products.

Overview

Overview

Key features

  • Professional placements in your 2nd year to build confidence, experience and enhance employability skills
  • Sandwich year option between 2nd and 3rd year of study enabling you to work in the UK or abroad
  • Excellent industry links, including Worcestershire County Cricket, Severn Stars Netball, Worcester Wolves basketball and Redpoint Worcester
  • Access to top-flight facilities including the University Arena which hosts international elite sports events, providing work experience opportunities

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Enter your details below and we will keep you up to date with useful information about studying at the University of Worcester.


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Virtual taster sessions

We have two virtual taster events available to learn what it is like to study Sport at Worcester.

Sport Q+A panel - Wednesday 13 November 2024 5:15-6:15pm

Book your place
Entry requirements

Entry requirements

112
UCAS tariff points

Entry requirements

112 UCAS Tariff points (for example, BBC at A Level).

Access to HE diploma is also welcome.

T Levels may be used to meet the entry tariff requirements for this course. Find out more about T levels as UCAS tariff points here.

Other information

An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) may be required for some modules.

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Sports Business Management degree graduate Beth Crumpton

Beth Crumpton

Beth Crumpton has graduated with a BA in Sports Management which she completed alongside training and competing in cyclo-cross. 

 "I feel really proud to have accomplished graduating alongside my cycling aspirations” said the 25 year old.

Beth was on the University’s sports scholarship programme, giving her financial and academic support, as well as access to specialist lifestyle advice.She represented England at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, finishing ninth, and won the Cyclo-Cross National Trophy in the 2018/19 season, retaining her title from the previous year. 

Andreas

Andreas Gopinas

"I selected this internship to gain knowledge that would be beneficial to my future career. My main goals were to have fun and utilize every opportunity that I get to showcase myself. 

During my internship in Valencia, I worked in the international operations department and assisted the administration manager with operational duties. In these positions, I wanted to observe and take part in different activities that would improve my communication and management skills.

The entire year for myself went slowly from 0 to 100, starting off super slow, not knowing what will happen, to when at the finish line, things started to go my way. I had chances to give a helping hand to the organization, the feeling was great. I enjoyed my life here, this is a place that will always be special to me, no matter the experiences I had. Good or bad. I matured as a person a lot. If I did not even come back home for a year, that must mean something that I was comfortable to be here."

Course content

Course content

Year 1

Mandatory

  • Introduction to the Sport Industry
  • Fundamentals of Sport Marketing
  • Sport Management Intrapersonal Skills
  • Financial Management

Optional

Year 2

Mandatory

  • Sport Business Professional Placement
  • Creating Successful Research to Inform Practice
  • Sport Tourism and Event Management
  • Management and Leadership in Sport

Optional

  • Sponsorship and Fundraising
  • Sports Journalism
  • Responsible Business

 

Sandwich year (mandatory if on 4 year full time sandwich course optional if on 3 year course) (Choose from 1 of the 2 options depending on placement location)

  • Study year or work year abroad
  • Work Placement Year in the UK

Year 3

Mandatory

  • Independent Research Project in Sport Business Management
  • The Sports Entrepreneur
  • Sport Strategy in Action
  • Event Project Management

Optional

  • International Sport Development and Volunteering
  • Group Dynamics in Sport
  • Brand Management

Deciding to study Sport Business Management BA (Hons) was the smartest academic decision I have made to date. I couldn't recommend it highly enough to anyone who is seeking a prosperous and successful career within sports business.

Sean Walsh, Graduating in 2015 with first class honours

Teaching and assessment

Teaching and assessment

Teaching and Learning

Our courses are informed by research and current developments in the discipline and by feedback from students, external examiners and employers. Modules do therefore change periodically in the interests of keeping the course relevant and reflecting best practice. The most up-to-date information will be available once you have accepted a place and registered for the course. If there are insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, this might not be offered, but we will advise you as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative.

Teaching

The University places emphasis on enabling students to develop the independent learning capabilities that will equip you for lifelong learning and future employment, as well as academic achievement. A mixture of independent study, teaching and academic support through the personal academic tutoring system enables you to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will enable you to flourish and be successful. You are taught through a combination of seminars, interactive lectures, tutorial groups and learning sets alongside various digital technologies such as Blackboard, Twitter and You Tube.

In addition, meetings with personal academic tutors (PATs) are scheduled on at least 4 occasions in the first year and three occasions in each of the other years of a course. The Sport Business Management course supports your PAT sessions throughout your time at University with a personal academic journal which you receive within induction week and you also have access to other resources within your year group Blackboard page.

You have an opportunity to engage in a number of modules where scenario and case study approach are utilised to contextualise theory and practice and students are encouraged to engage through discussion and group work. This interactive approach encourages an applied approach from theory to practical 'real-world' application which enhance academic and employability skills.

Contact time

In a typical week you will have around 12 - 16 contact hours of teaching. The precise contact hours will depend on the optional modules selected and in the second and third year you will normally have slightly less contact time in order to do more independent study or work within your professional placement.

Typically class contact time will be structured around 3-4 hours of interactive lecture/seminar or practical sessions dependent on module and year of study.

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time, you are expected to undertake around 24-48 hours of personal self-study per week. Typically, this will involve:

  • Completing specific module related directed study tasks
  • Engaging with online activities (e.g. twitter)
  • Topic reading and research
  • Working on individual and group projects
  • Preparing for assignments and learning experiences
  • Reflection and evaluation
  • Revision of class notes and engaging with blackboard

Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including the Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources.

Teaching staff

Students will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes academics and practitioners as well as guest speakers from the sport industry.

Teaching is informed by the research and consultancy, and the majority of course lecturers have a Higher Education teaching qualification or are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy. Students can learn more about the staff by visiting our staff profiles.

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or 'formative' assignments. Each module has one or more formal or 'summative' assessments which are graded and count towards the overall module grade.

Assessment methods include:

  • Exams and Essays
  • Formal Group, Paired or Individual Presentations
  • Project work
  • Student led seminar discussions
  • Reports
  • Infographics and marketing campaigns
  • Research Proposals

The precise assessment requirements for an individual student in an academic year will vary according to the mandatory and optional modules taken, but a typical formal summative assessment pattern for each year of the course is:

Year 1

  • Written work (e.g. essay, report, portfolio)
  • Exams or In-class tests
  • Presentations (e.g. groups, pairs)
  • Seminar discussion

Year 2

  • Written work (e.g. essay, report, portfolio)
  • In-class test
  • Presentations (e.g. group & individual)
  • Data collection and research proposal

Sandwich Year Placement

  • Reflective Portfolio

Year 3

  • Written work (e.g. report, business plan, journal article)
  • Student led seminar
  • Presentation (e.g. individual, poster)
  • Independent Research Project

Duration

  • 3 years full-time
  • 4 years full-time including one year placement
  • Up to 6 years part-time

Timetables

Timetables are normally available one month before registration. Please note that whilst we try to be as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week; and some classes can be scheduled in the evenings.

Feedback

You will receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback on examination performance is available upon request from the module leader. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate.

We aim to provide you with feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.

Programme specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest programme specification document.

Meet The Team

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course.

Paul Blakey 2024

Dr Paul Blakey

Paul is Senior Lecturer in Sport Business Management and joined the School of Sport and Exercise Science in November 2015. Paul has considerable experience within the higher education sector having previously been course leader for Sport MSc programmes at Northumbria University and the University of Chester. He is also Visiting Professor at NEOMA Business School in Paris.

Paul’s PhD thesis, from the University of Manchester, focused upon strategic marketing practices of small and medium-sized businesses in the leisure industry. Prior to embarking on a career in academia, Paul was employed by several sports, leisure and hospitality companies, most notably working as an Assistant Manager with a leading private sector entertainment company.

Paul is the author/co-author of several sport marketing textbooks including the first digital sport marketing book published by Routledge in 2020. He has worked on collaborative, and individual, research publications, conference presentations, in-field event impact studies for sports governing bodies and co-ordinated a nationwide research project for a UK-based leisure corporation. He has supervised PhD students on subjects including surf brands, sports volunteers and sport tourism destinations.

alexandru-radu

Alexandru Radu

Alexandru Radu joined the School of Sport and Exercise Science in May 2010 after lecturing at Northumbria University, where he gained an MSc in Sport Management UK/European and the APT Award (Applauding and Promoting Teaching Award). As well as teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students, Alex is actively involved in coaching basketball – Romania Women National Team, Romania U20 Women National Team, Worcester Wolves (BBL) men team, Cardiff Archers (WBBL) women team and Wales U18 Men's National Team are amongst some of the teams he coached (as either Head Coach or Assistant Coach).

The books Basketball Coaching - Putting Theory into Practice (2015); The Science of Basketball (2018) and Basketball: Skills, Drills and Session Plans (Technical Drills for Competitive Training) (2023) are three of his key publications.

Gill Renfree

Gill Renfree

Gill has been working at the University of Worcester since 2012 and teaches across a range of modules from sport business professional placement to event project management as well as mentoring students undertaking sandwich years in the sport industry and supervising research projects. Gill also teaches in modules related to her research interests such as sports tourism, event management and sports marketing. Gill has extensive experience of working on collaborative projects and continues to research in areas related to Generation Z, gender equity in sport as well as sport governance, leadership, and volunteering.

Jaime Guinan

Jaime Guinan

Jaime has been a member of the School of Sport and Exercise Science since 2005, teaching on various HND and undergraduate programmes. She has been working in education for the past 16 years within both further and higher education. Developing extensive knowledge of HND and degree programmes through leading, teaching and externally examining these programmes for a number of years. Within her role as Senior Lecturer, Jaime applies her experience to support student learning and transition within higher education.

Jaime is currently involved in the working project group Women in Sport and Exercise (@UoWWISE) and lead for the health and well-being strand to advocate gender equity in all areas of the sport and exercise domain. This will lead into personal research practice investigating the underrepresentation of women in sport and physical activity.

debra-price

Debra Price

Debra has been employed in the education sector since 1998, working at a partner FE college. During this time she had various roles within the sports department, both leading and teaching on a range of sport related HE and FE programmes. Debra held positions as a Programme Area Manager for Sport and Quality Development Manager and latter, a Teaching and Learning Coach, where she assisted others to raise the standards of teaching and learning across the college. Debra was previously the Course Leader for HND Sports Coaching, a collaborative course with University of Worcester and has taught several sport business modules for FdSc Football Business Management and Coaching.


Careers

Careers

The course provides a sound basis for careers in sports facility management, events management, sports development, health promotion, the fitness industry, outreach work, marketing, sports research and sports entrepreneurship.

It is also an ideal base for postgraduate study.

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Careers and Employability

Our Graduates pursue exciting and diverse careers in a wide variety of employment sectors.

Find out how we can support you to achieve your potential
Costs

Fees and funding

Full-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The standard fee for full-time home and EU undergraduate students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees in the 2025/26 academic year is £9,250 per year (subject to changes in the government tuition fee cap).

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

International students

The standard tuition fee for full-time international students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees in the 2025/26 academic year is £16,700 per year.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

Part-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The standard tuition fees for part-time UK and EU students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees in the academic year 2025/26 are £1,156 per 15-credit module, £1,542 per 20-credit module, £2,312 per 30-credit module, £3,083 per 40-credit module, £3,469 per 45-credit module and £4,625 per 60 credit module (subject to changes in the government tuition fee cap).

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

Additional costs

Every course has day-to-day costs for basic books, stationery, printing and photocopying. The amounts vary between courses.

If your course offers a placement opportunity, you may need to pay for an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

All Physical Education and Sports Coaching students are expected to wear School of Sport and Exercise Science branded sports kit. This includes a polo top, t-shirt and a hooded sweatshirt and costs approximately £85.

Accommodation

Finding the right accommodation is paramount to your university experience. Our halls of residence are home to friendly student communities, making them great places to live and study.

We have over 1,000 rooms across our range of student halls. With rooms to suit every budget and need, from our 'Traditional Halls' at £131 per week to 'Ensuite Premium Halls' at £228 per week (2025/26 prices).

For full details visit our accommodation page.

Sports Scholarships

At Worcester we are committed to supporting elite and talented sports performers who are dedicated to both sporting and academic success. Our sports scholarships are available for a range of team and individual sports. For further information, visit our sports scholarships pages.

How to apply

How to apply

Applying through UCAS

Sports Business Management BA (Hons) CN62
Sports Business Management BA (Hons) - with placement year CN65

UCAS is the central organisation through which applications are processed for entry onto full-time undergraduate courses in Higher Education in the UK.

Read our How to apply pages for more information on applying and to find out what happens to your application. 

Get in touch

If you have any questions, please get in touch. We're here to help you every step of the way.

Dr Paul Blakey

Course Leader