- Overview
- Course modules
- Entry requirements
- What makes this course different
- Accreditations
- What we're researching
- Your future career
- How we support your career ambitions
- Careers Guarantee
- What you'll learn
- How you'll learn
- How you'll be assessed
- Campus and facilities
- Who teaches this course
- Testimonial
- FAQs
Overview
The BA (Hons) Sport Business Management aims to develop your capabilities in technical, supervisory and managerial aspects of sports business. You'll experience the world of sports management in an engaging and real-life way and learn about sport-specific topics.
- Focus on developing business and professional skills through good communication.
- Gain strong consumer insight and an entrepreneurial mindset.
- Pursue opportunities in the sports business ethically and sustainably
With a sports business management degree, you'll be career-ready to work in the dynamic and competitive world of sport business management, whether that be football, athletics, sports journalism or marketing.
*Overall positivity using the Times Higher Education methodology, on student samples over 1,000 and out of all Universities UK members.
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Course modules
In the first year, you'll study the introduction of academic and research skills, undergo formative assessments to address study skills issues, and complete coursework to test your grasp of key business concepts, including sectoral structures, issues, management, and market dynamics. Employability and work-based skills are integrated and evaluated across all modules. Various teaching methods, such as lectures, guest lectures, sports field trips, and project work, supported by specialist guidance from support services, enhance your learning experience. This sport business management degree will equip you with essential skills and knowledge to excel in your academic journey and future career endeavours in the sporting arena. This will help you navigate the first year effectively and prepare you for the next modules.
In the second year, you will further develop your academic and research skills, particularly in report writing, logical thinking, and evidence interpretation. Exams will prompt you to apply theories to case studies. Throughout the second year, emphasis is placed on developing your employability in the sport business world and work-based skills and knowledge.
During your sport business placement, you'll get the chance to see how your modules relate to real-world situations, giving you a broader perspective on how your placement organisation and the sport sector as a whole operate. You'll have the opportunity to apply what you've learned in a practical business setting. Through self-reflection and critical analysis, you'll integrate your academic knowledge with your work experience, expanding and contextualising your professional skills. This placement is designed to boost your confidence and skills as you approach your final year, setting you up for success in your future career in sport business management.
In the final year, you will focus on self-managed learning, particularly through research and management reports, with possible connections to your sport work experience. Modules will mainly involve class-based activities, prompting you to use theory to critically analyse various issues and topics. This approach will enhance your analytical skills and prepare you for real-world challenges in sport business management.
NOTE: Modules are subject to change. For those studying part time courses the modules may vary.
Download course specification
Entry requirements
Degree:
112 UCAS pointsThis is the standard advertised entry requirement for most students applying to this course.
Degree with contextual offer:
96 UCAS pointsYou may be eligible for a reduced offer based on your personal, educational or socioeconomic background.
Missing some qualifications?
We have a range of pre-entry programmes to help you meet the entry requirements for this course.
Recognition of prior learning (RPL)
Your previous qualifications, uncompleted study or industry experience may mean you can start your studies at a later point in the course and influence your eligibility for entry
What makes this course different

Industry connections
Balance academic rigour with industry readiness, skills, knowledge, and experience. Benefit from our strong employer, industry, and trade association link including our membership with Global Sports.

Professional business skills
Our modules link the skills development required, the career paths open to you and the needs of sports employers – helping make you employable.

Your global sport network
You'll have access to the Global Institute of Sport network, including sports summit weeks in London and the chance to apply for funding to visit GIS campuses in Sydney, Toronto and Miami.
Learn about sports summits
Shortlisted for Business School of the Year
The Royal Docks School of Business and Law at the University of East London (UEL), has been shortlisted for Business School of the Year at the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards 2026
Explore the THE Awards 2026 shortlistCareers Guarantee
The UEL Careers Guarantee is the University’s commitment to supporting you with your career development during your studies and after you graduate. It brings together careers guidance, employability support and opportunities designed to help you prepare for work or further study.
What can I do with this degree?
Sport contributes £39 billion to the UK economy, and this degree gives you the business skills to build a career within it.
Graduates have gone on to roles including:
- Sports marketing manager
- Sports event manager
- Sports development officer
- Sports partnerships manager
- Community sports manager
- Sports data analyst
Alumni have found roles at organisations including Barn Elms Sports Trust and West Ham United. Further study at UEL includes an MSc in Sports Management.
How you'll learn
We pride ourselves on giving students a fantastic experience and great support from day one. We’re an inclusive university with a close-knit community of students and our teaching reflects that.
Teaching is delivered through a diverse range of methods, not only to develop your different skills but also to enrich the learning experience. As well as traditional seminars and lectures, you’ll have the chance to go on trips to sport businesses across London, learn from guest speakers and gain useful, practical experience. Our location in East London - near Canary Wharf in Docklands, the Olympic Park in Stratford, the London Stadium and multiple world-leading sporting venues - gives us incredible access to exciting business partners in one of the world's greatest cities.
Guided independent study
When not attending timetabled lectures or workshops, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This will typically involve skills development through online study, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects and preparing coursework assignments and presentations. Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, and specialist facilities, such as game labs, the library, the full Microsoft Office software, including MS Teams, and Moodle: our Virtual Learning Environment.
Workshops and internships
We deliver workshops and events in partnership with UEL. Students really benefit from the industry insight that these events provide, as well as the networking opportunities they present.
We encourage students to find internships during the course of their studies, offer a work-based learning module in the second year and allow you to arrange a year of work between years 2 and 3; through our Global Scholars scheme, you'll also be able to study abroad for a full year, enriching your CV and your own student experience.
Day-to-day teaching reflects the world of work to prepare you for your future career in sport business management. You'll work on projects, deliver presentations, maintain a portfolio and work on group tasks - all ways of working you will encounter after you leave university.
Dedicated personal tutor
If you need a bit of extra help with certain skills such as academic writing, English, maths, or statistics, academic tutors offer workshops, drop-in sessions, and one-to-one appointments to help you achieve your potential.
You can receive advice and guidance on all aspects of the IT systems provided by the university from our IT Service Desks located on all three campuses. Our Student Support hubs feature centralised helpdesks.
UEL provides support and advice for disabled students and those with specific learning difficulties (SPDs).
Workload
Here are some of the ways you'll learn throughout the course:
- Lectures, seminars, tutorials, and workshops.
- Practical tasks: e.g. designing, delivering, and evaluating some training.
- Independent study, supported by our specialist business library and a selection of digital materials, handbooks, notes, and other resources.
- Working in a team to share ideas and insights.
- Guest speakers representing a cross-section of sport business expertise.
Your timetable
Your individualised timetable is normally available to students within 48 hours of enrolment. Whilst we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week between 9.00am and 6.00pm. For undergraduate students, Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities, but there may be occasions when this is not possible. Timetables for part-time students will depend on the modules selected.
Class sizes
The size of classes can vary depending on the nature of the course, module and activity. This can range from large groups in a lecture theatre setting, to smaller groups taking part in seminars and collaborative work.
How you'll be assessed
Assessment tasks are mainly spread across the year to make the workload manageable. More details will be included in the student handbook and module guides.
You'll always receive detailed feedback outlining your strengths and how you can improve. We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 15 working days, although you will receive immediate feedback following many of our face-to-face assessments.
Campus and facilities
Docklands Campus, London, E16 2RD
Our waterfront campus in the historic Royal Docks provides a modern, well-equipped learning environment.
Join us and you'll be able to make the most of our facilities including contemporary lecture theatres and seminar rooms, art studios and exhibition spaces, audio and visual labs and a multimedia production centre.
Features include our 24/7 Docklands library, our £21m SportsDock centre, a campus shop and bookstore, the Children's Garden Nursery, cafés, eateries, a late bar, plus Student Union facilities, including a student lounge.
The University of East London is one of the few London universities to provide on-campus accommodation. Our Docklands Campus Student Village houses close to 1,200 students from around the world. We are well connected to central London and Canary Wharf, with London City Airport just across the water. We also run a free bus service that connects Docklands with Stratford campuses.
Who teaches this course
This course is delivered by the Royal Docks School of Business and Law.
The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.
What our students and staff say

I was given so many opportunities with UEL and West Ham. Getting the opportunity to see what the sports industry looks like and hearing from experts was priceless. My highlight was the work experience and placements, without them I wouldn’t be working in sport."
Mohammed Ali

What motivates and inspires me is helping to provide opportunities for students from a range of backgrounds. I was from a working-class town, and nobody expected me to go into further education. However, I was given an opportunity to study at a widening participation university and I fell in love with my subject area and eventually went on to do my PhD."
Dr Michael Palkowski
Senior lecturer, sustainable tourism and development





