At Worcester you’ll gain hands-on experience through work placements with professional and community sport businesses. With opportunities to study abroad, field visits to iconic venues, and guest lectures from industry experts, you'll graduate ready for careers in sport marketing, event management, and business development.
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Overview
Our Sport Business Management BA (Hons) is about more than learning how successful sports businesses operate. It's about putting your ideas into action. With a focus on learning by doing, you'll explore everything from sports marketing and fan engagement to event management and commercial strategy while developing your own sport business ideas and tackling real industry challenges.
Throughout your degree, you'll work alongside our sports partners on live case studies, industry projects and practical activities. You'll learn from experienced professionals, build your network and gain valuable industry experience through placements, work-based learning and mentorship opportunities.
From your first semester, you'll develop and test new ideas, build a professional portfolio and gain hands-on experience that prepares you for a career in the industry. Whether you aspire to create your own sport business, work in sponsorship for a professional sports club, deliver major sporting events or shape the fan experiences of the future, you'll graduate with the skills, confidence and real-world experience to take the next step.
Placements
Work-based learning runs throughout your degree, so you'll start building experience and industry connections from your first year.
In Year 1, you'll gain hands-on experience through work-based learning opportunities within the University. This could include working with the University Arena, our 2,000-seat venue that hosts major sporting events and is home to the Worcester Wolves Basketball Club. In Year 2, you'll complete two placements with a sports organisation, giving you the chance to get a first-hand understanding of how sports organisations operate.
Throughout the course, you'll benefit from the University's Sport Business Network, which connects students with organisations including Worcestershire County Cricket Club, Worcester Wolves, Worcester City Women FC and Malvern Town FC.
Sport at Worcester | student led tour
Course content
We regularly review our courses to reflect the latest research and developments in the subject area, as well as feedback from students, employers and the wider sector. As a result, modules may change to ensure the course remains current and relevant.
Careers
When you graduate you’ll be ready to step into a variety of exciting careers within the sports industry. Whether you see yourself managing events, developing marketing strategies, or working in business development, this course gives you the practical experience and industry insights to succeed.
This degree could be the first step toward your career as a:
- Event delivery manager
- Sponsorship executive
- Commercial partnerships officer
- Sports marketing officer
- Sports entrepreneur
- Fan engagement executive
- Sport facility manager
- Founder of your own sports business
Course highlights
Teaching and assessment
Our course has been designed by academics and industry specialists to prepare you for a career in sport business management.
You’ll learn through a combination of seminars, interactive lectures, and practical activities including industry projects. Your assessments will help you prepare for your careers, and include report writing, presenting, group discussions, creating a portfolio and developing a business plan.
Teaching and assessment contents
Through a combination of independent study, teaching and support from the Personal Academic Tutoring (PAT) system, you'll build a portfolio of skills, achievements and experiences to support your professional development.
You'll be taught through a blend of interactive workshops, seminars, tutorials, project work and challenge-based learning activities, supported by a range of digital technologies. The course explores contemporary issues shaping the sports industry, including commercial innovation, fan engagement, digital transformation and the growing influence of data and technology in sport business.
Personal Academic Tutor meetings are scheduled on at least four occasions in the first year and three occasions in each subsequent year, providing ongoing support for your academic progress and personal development.
Through live industry projects, case studies, problem-solving activities and teamwork, you'll apply theory to real-world sport business challenges while developing valuable professional and employability skills.
Work-based learning is embedded throughout the course. In Year 1, you'll undertake work-based learning activities within the University. In Year 2, you'll complete a professional placement with an internal or external organisation, helping you build industry experience and professional networks before graduation.
Meet the team
A small selection of the Sport and Exercise Science lecturers who teach on this course.
Alexandru Radu
Alexandru Radu has a background in coaching and sport management. In addition to 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).
Dr Paul Blakey
Paul is Senior Lecturer in Sport Business Management and joined Worcester 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.
Gill Renfree
Gill 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. She 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.
Alexandru Radu
Alexandru Radu has a background in coaching and sport management. In addition to 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).
Dr Paul Blakey
Paul is Senior Lecturer in Sport Business Management and joined Worcester 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.
Entry requirements
UCAS tariff points required: 112
| Qualification | Grade |
|---|---|
| A-level | BBC |
| BTEC National Extended Diploma | DMM |
| T-level | Merit |
We do accept Access to HE Diplomas and other qualifications which may not exactly match the combinations above. Work out your estimated points with the UCAS tariff calculator.
Any questions?
If you have any questions about entry requirements, please call our Admissions Office on 01905 855111 or email admissions@worc.ac.uk.
Fees
Fees contents
UK and EU students
The standard fee for full-time home and EU undergraduate students on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees in the academic year 2027/28 is £10,050 per year.
Tuition fees are reviewed annually and may increase each year for both new and continuing students.
For more details on course fees, 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 academic year 2027/28 is £17,700 per year.
Tuition fees are reviewed annually and may increase each year for both new and continuing students.
For more details on course fees, please visit our course fees page.
How to apply
How to apply contents
Applying through UCAS
UCAS is the central organisation through which applications are processed for full-time undergraduate courses in the UK.
Read our how to apply pages for more information on the application process, or if you’d like to apply for part-time study.
Sports Business Management BA (Hons) - CN62
Contact
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 for BA (Hons) Sport Business Management, Senior Lecturer in Sport Management/Development
p.blakey@worc.ac.ukAdmissions Office
admissions@worc.ac.uk01905 855111More to explore
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