BSc Sports Performance and Coaching

Do you want to learn how to train athletes and teams effectively to enhance performance?

Our BSc Sports Performance and Coaching course integrates world-leading coaching research with practical application to prepare you for a successful career in sport coaching and education. You will also have access to our specialist sport, research and teaching facilities.

Throughout your time with us, you will become employment-ready by expanding your knowledge and skills though studying applied topics such as:

• socio-pedagogical principles of sport coaching
• talent identification and development
• techniques for analysing sport performance
• strength and conditioning
• technology-enhanced coaching

At Essex, your learning is enriched even further by our unique and valuable connections with several National Governing Bodies, including The Football Association, Volleyball England, Basketball England and Rugby Football Union. Our links to industry provide you with opportunities to gain real-world experience, access coach education courses, and work towards externally-accredited National Governing Body awards. You can also work with our on-campus Human Performance Unit for hands-on experience of helping athletes reach peak performance.

Study abroad

Your education extends beyond the university campus. We support you in expanding your education through offering the opportunity to spend a year or a term studying abroad at one of our partner universities. The four-year version of our degree allows you to spend the third year abroad or employed on a placement abroad, while otherwise remaining identical to the three-year course.

Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised.

If you spend a full year abroad you'll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. You won't pay any tuition fees to your host university

Placement year

Alternatively, you can spend your third year on a placement year with an external sporting organisation. These yearly placements allow students to gain much needed hands on experience that will set them apart in the job market.

We have close associations with many sporting clubs, examples of placement opportunities include:

• Essex Cricket. Our students have been involved in remote coding of the 2nd team and academy games from the ground at Chelmsford, live coding Women's XI and live coding some premier league cricket on Saturdays to assist the scouting department and identify local talent for the academy and EPP programme.
• Tottenham Hotspur. Our students have worked with the club as part of its academy sports science staff. Tottenham's staff also provide invited lectures to our students.
• Ipswich Town FC. Our students have had opportunities working with video analysis and GPS tracking data.

If you complete a placement year you'll only pay 20% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. Please check with the placement organiser as some of these placements can be arranged in 12 week blocks, allowing non-placement year students the same opportunities.

Our expert staff

We offer a lively, friendly and supportive environment with research-led study and high-quality teaching. We are 23rd in UK for research power in sport and exercise sciences (Times Higher Education research power measure, Research Excellence Framework 2021). Our course boasts a host of internationally recognised researchers and practitioners.

• Dr Ben Jones is a qualified Rugby Football Union and Strength and Conditioning Specialist with over 20 years coaching experience in both the UK and the US. Ben's research areas are in competitive engineering for coaching practice and sport-related concussion.
• Dr Jason Moran is a qualified Strength and Conditioning coach with over 15 years' experience in training athletes across a range of sports. Jason's research areas are youth athletic development, resistance training, and exercise in older adults.
• Dr Simon Quick is a qualified level four tennis coach and former secondary physical education teacher, Director of Sport and Deputy Headteacher. Simon is currently working with England Hockey to develop their coach education programme. His research explores the complex ethical realities of sport coaching employment.
• Dr Alice Harkness-Armstrong has extensive experience in applied performance analysis, having previously worked for Huddersfield Town AFC, Sunderland AFC Ladies Centre of Excellence and Northern Ireland Volleyball senior women's team. Alice's research interests are within sports performance, particularly female football.
• Dr Benedict Low is an AFC B qualified football coach with experience in different sport contexts and organisations. Benedict's research is in the analysis of tactical behaviours in football using player-tracking data.
• Dr Callum Morgan is a level three qualified football coach with over ten years of experience in youth grassroots, development and performance contexts. Callum's research critically examines the social processes within everyday coaching and coach education work, with an emphasis on interaction, collaboration and emotions.

Specialist facilities

Our specialist facilities include our Sport Arena, physiotherapy labs, six specialist sport and physiology labs, two dedicated sports therapy training labs, and an on-campus sports therapy clinic.

Our BSc Sports Performance and Coaching course includes a range of modules where both team, individual, and coaching performance is evaluated to identify strengths and weaknesses for feedback and talent identification purposes.

• Crucial to this is our Sport Arena, allowing real-time analysis of training and competition with our specialist IP 4K cameras, with footage streamed onto our 6x4 metre electronic display screen. This not only provides an indispensable feedback tool for both university and external sports teams, but allows opportunities for our students to gain hands-on experience of performance analysis processes.

• We also have a range of portable equipment to analyse performance away from the Sport Arena, including team and individual-level filming as well as quantifying workload via GPS technology. This proves invaluable for sports undertaken on our grass pitches as well as tennis courts situated around our campus. We also give you access to other technology, such as GoPro cameras, iPads and microphones, in order to develop your coaching communication and delivery, and to aid with feedback and assessment.

As a sports performance and coaching student, you will also:

• work in an open and friendly department, with shared staff-student social spaces
• gain valuable experience working with elite athletes in our Human Performance Unit
• use state-of-the-art research facilities including cutting-edge treadmills, 7-camera biomechanics systems, and gas and blood analysis systems
• take advantage of ourteaching facilities, including new undergraduate laboratories
• benefit from our Colchester Campus's beautiful green parkland, acres of sports fields, and a specialist tennis facility

Human Performance Unit

The Human Performance Unit (HPU) has been used by professional athletes and sports persons from a range of disciplines, including Team GB athletes participating in the London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and players from our local Colchester United Football Club.

The HPU supports student teaching and research across all degree types. Our undergraduates in sports therapy, sports performance and coaching, and sports and exercise science use the HPU for some of their modules, with both beginners and professional sports persons recruited to take part. This gives students experience in managing the practical physiological tests, as well helping them develop soft skills such as communication and teamwork.

Additionally the HPU supports a range of placement activities. Undergraduate students have the option to use the HPU during our optional Placement Year, while our Masters students can take a 12-week placement. Along with continuing the work with individual athletes, students who have a placement year as part of their course also assist with sports science workshops held at the HPU for local schools. These workshops are tailored to the National Curriculum for PE, and give our students experience of working with teachers and young people.

Your future

Our course enables you to pursue advanced study into sport coaching, forge a career in physical education through PGCE or SIGMA pathways, or immediately begin your sport-related career. Possible career paths include:

• Youth Sport Coach
• Community Sport Coach
• Sport and Exercise Activator
• Youth Development Officer
• Physical Education Teacher
• Talent scout or Identification Officer
• Performance Analyst
• Strength and Conditioning Coach

We also work with our University's Student Development Team to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities. Previous students have benefited from exciting opportunities at Essex Cricket, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Ham United.

Sport scholarships

Sport scholarship applications for October 2025 entry are now closed.

Our Performance Sport Scholarship programme has been created for talented athletes playing at regional, national or international level, and offers a range of benefits. We want students competing in our focus sports - basketball, volleyball, tennis and football - as well as other team sports and as individual athletes to contribute to our performance sport programme.

Our scholarships can include fee discounts of up to 100%, offered to athletes who demonstrate sporting excellence. Athletes who are awarded the scholarship may also receive a host of other benefits, including:

• free kit
• access to state-of-the-art facilities
• performance coaching
• the option to live in our Athlete Village (accommodation fees may vary)
• a support package valued up to £1,500

These benefits are designed to help athletes focus on their training and development, and to enable you to reach your full potential alongside your studies.

"I’ve always had an idea of what I wanted to do, but my degree has allowed me to specialise with the modules I’ve chosen. Whilst studying at Essex, I have had the opportunity to gain practical experience. I have been an Assistant Sports Scientist for the Human Performance Unit and an Assistant Coach and Performance Analyst for the Essex Rebels."

Callum Stevens, Sports Performance and Coaching student

Clearing entry requirements

We currently have places available in Clearing across a range of courses, with most offers at BBC–CCD (112–88 UCAS tariff points) or equivalent. Grade requirements may be lower in some cases, and some courses may also have subject specific requirements. We consider each application individually so get in touch if your grades are below those outlined here. .

English language requirements

English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 6.0 overall, or specified score in another equivalent test that we accept.

Details of English language requirements, including component scores, and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found here

If we accept the English component of an international qualification it will be included in the academic levels listed above for the relevant countries.

English language shelf-life

If you require a Student visa to study in the UK please see our immigration webpages for the latest Home Office guidance on English language qualifications.

Pre-sessional English courses

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

Pending English language qualifications

You don’t need to achieve the required level before making your application, but it will be one of the conditions of your offer.

If you cannot find the qualification that you have achieved or are pending, then please email ugquery@essex.ac.uk .

Requirements for second and final year entry

Different requirements apply for second and final year entry, and specified component grades are also required for applicants who require a visa to study in the UK. Details of English language requirements, including UK Visas and Immigration minimum component scores, and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found here

Additional Notes

If you’re an international student, but do not meet the English language or academic requirements for direct admission to this degree, you could prepare and gain entry through a pathway course. Find out more about opportunities available to you at the University of Essex International College

Course structure

Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The following modules are based on the current course structure and may change in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Placement

On a placement year you gain relevant work experience within an external business or organisation, giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market and providing you with key contacts within the industry. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.

Year abroad

On your year abroad, you have the opportunity to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.

Teaching

• Undergraduate students in the School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences typically attend a one-hour lecture and one-hour seminar for each module every week.
• Practical work is prioritised in your first two years of study.
• Learn through a combination of lectures, laboratory sessions, and coursework.
• Gain experience collating and interpreting data, and reporting findings clearly and concisely.

Assessment

• Degrees are awarded on the results of your written examinations and continual assessments of your practical work and coursework.
• You can contribute towards real-world research projects in your final year of study.