Stockport County Football Education recognises that a performance pathway as a football player is not the only route for college students who have a desire to pursue a career in the sports industry. Through our partnership with Stockport College, we are now delivering a range of Level 3 Sport courses that are tailored to a specific career pathway in sport including Sports Rehab, Strength And Conditioning, Analysis, Coaching and Officiating.
Each unique pathway will enable students to get first-hand experience in a variety of professional and academy environments to gain knowledge and expertise in the workplace and develop the relevant skills and attributes to prepare them for working in their chosen field. Staff who work in the different areas across Stockport County Football Club will support a high-quality enrichment programme that will be delivered alongside the Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma in Sport, which is equivalent to 3 A-Levels and allows progression on to industry specific university courses. The Stockport County teaching staff will deliver the courses and co-ordinate all the different aspects of the programme, including a meaningful work experience placement each year.
Is this course right for me?
This course is ideal for students who are interested in pursuing a career in sport/football or want to gain real-world knowledge in one of our specialist departments for future roles. Working in a professional environment, our aim is to give students the guidance from expert tutors/coaches in each department to excel their learning in a real-world setting. Each of our departments (sports rehab, strength and conditioning, analysis, coaching and officiating) aim to combine classroom learning with hands-on experience to maximize the learner’s potential to give them advanced knowledge going into university and future roles.
How will the course be structured?
The course will be 50% classroom based and 50% hands on learning in a professional setting. In each department students will have 4×2 hour sessions with their experienced tutors, with 12–15 hour lesson time. The students will be working with players from different age groups, from the first team to the junior academy, and will have a minimum of 4 training sessions and 1 game a week to be involved in. The units covered in lessons have been tailored to each department to maximize learners’ knowledge in their specialist area.
What opportunities will this course open?
In each department, students will study a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sports Coaching and Development or Sport, Fitness and Personal Training. This is the equivalent of 3 A-Levels and enables you to achieve UCAS points, as detailed below, and learners can expect to move on to Higher Education courses in ‘Sports Coaching,’ ‘Sports Rehabilitation,’ ‘Sport and Exercise Science’ and more! Students will be able to gain entry to university with CV boosting experience from working in a professional environment with extensive opportunities in their chosen pathway. Those not wishing to progress to a university course will be able to utilise their new knowledge, skills and expertise to enter into employment in related fields and Stockport County will be able to assist in making the next steps to embarking on a career in sport.
