Overview
A sports coaching degree with West Ham United Foundation and the world-famous West Ham United Academy will push you closer to your desired career in football, sport and coaching. The sports coaching and performance degree combines practical, theory and work-based learning and has been uniquely designed to embed industry experts throughout the course.
You will:
- Benefit from a unique partnership between the University of East London and the West Ham United Foundation. West Ham United Foundation deliver half of the modules, with regular guest lecturers from their Academy.
- Complete your sports coaching degree at UEL’s SportsDock, West Ham United Foundation and West Ham United’s Academy.
- Learn the principles underpinning high-quality sports coaching and explore how to create an environment for high-performance athletes to thrive.
This course is in Clearing
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Moulai | Sports Coaching and Performance
Hear from Moulai, one of our Sports Coaching and Performance students, on his experience with his lecturers and how the course has impacted his ambitions beyond higher education.
What makes this course different

Exclusive industry partnership with West Ham United Foundation
Learn coaching from West Ham Academy staff and enjoy exclusive access to players and sports facilities at Chadwell Heath Academy and Rush Green.

Experiential learning
You will have access to exclusive networking opportunities with West Ham United Academy, international work experience in countries such as Iceland, prestigious work placement opportunities and more.

Funding towards extra vocational qualifications
Throughout the sports coaching course, you will have the opportunity to complete funded FA Level 1 and 2 Coaching certificates to complement your degree and help you to stand out from other graduates.
Course modules
The Sports coaching foundation year offers a foundation in sports and health sciences. There are six core modules, with a focus on sports coaching that introduce you to effective delivery methods and real-world learning. The sports coaching module helps you develop skills to become an effective coach through practical experiences. An optional work placement provides industry experience. This programme prepares you for the main degree by combining basic academic skills with knowledge in sports science and coaching practices.
From the first term of the first year of the Sports Coaching and Performance programme, you'll be introduced to the fundamentals of sports coaching and human performance. You'll learn the skills needed for a successful career in sports coaching and exercise.
In year two this sports coaching programme concentrates on many key areas to prepare you to work in the sports industry. These include: sports coaching, performance analysis, strength and conditioning, athlete management, talent identification and sport psychology.
You'll be introduced to various research methods in preparation for your third-year project, which will be on a subject of specific interest to you. For instance, one of our students shadowed a leading coach and examined the role that natural instinct and gut feeling play in modern sports coaching. Throughout the course, you'll also be provided with the opportunity to complete funded FA Level 1 and 2 Coaching certificates to complement your degree which will help you to stand out from other sports coaching graduates.
NOTE: Modules are subject to change. For those studying part time courses the modules may vary.
Download course specification
Your future career
Alongside the academic programme, you will do various work placements to help you put your learning into practice. These opportunities mean you can learn from leaders in sport. They will provide excellent networking opportunities for future paid work in sports coaching. You can work in the summer months, either on West Ham United Foundation's local programmes in East London and Essex or on some of our international programmes. In previous years, our students have travelled fully funded to Austria, Sweden, and Spain, working on a range of projects to enhance their employability skills.
Industry links
As well as our headline partnership with the West Ham United Foundation, you'll also benefit from links with:
- West Ham United Foundation
- Tapscott Learning Trust
- Essex Cricket Club
- East London Sport
- London Lions
- Leyton Orient FC
- West Ham United Academy
Graduate employers
Our most recent graduates on our West Ham United Foundation courses have achieved full-time and part-time positions at incredible sports organisations. This includes West Ham United FC, Manchester City FC in Abu Dhabi, Crystal Palace FC, Arsenal FC, London Sport, the FA, Essex Cricket Club, London Lions, London Basketball Association and more.
Job roles
Graduates from this sports coaching course have gone on to careers as sports coaches, school liaison officers, sports project officers and performance analysts.
Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.
Further study
Graduates may choose to move on to one of our postgraduate courses in Strength and Conditioning, Sports Psychology, Sport Analytics or Sport & Exercise Physiology. Some of our graduates also go on to a career in teaching via our PGCE Physical Education course with our School of Education and Communities.

On my degree with UEL and West Ham United Foundation, I was given so many opportunities and insights that I wouldn’t have gotten elsewhere. Getting the opportunity to see what the sports industry looks like and hearing from experts each week was priceless. I think my highlight was the work experience and placements, without them I wouldn’t be in my current role working in sport."Mo Ali
Second Year Student
How you'll learn
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, specialist facilities, such as game labs, the library, the full Microsoft Office software, including MS Teams, and Moodle: our Virtual Learning Environment.
Guided independent study
Our innovative Technology Enhanced Active Learning (TEAL) approach enhances face-to-face learning by providing students with scheduled on-campus contact hours and additional learning opportunities. Through our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), students can access course materials and resources beyond their scheduled hours. We offer access to industry-standard technology and specialised spaces to prepare students for their future careers.
Dedicated time for activities and development, along with a holistic approach to learning, fosters academic, personal, and professional growth. Students benefit from career support through on-campus and virtual Career Zones, personalised support services, and a dedicated online portal, Track My Future (TMF).
Academic support
Our sports lecturers are highly qualified, experienced and extremely committed to helping you succeed whilst you are studying with us and will continue to push you to excel in your subject area. We are proud that our staff have a background working in elite sport for multiple leading organisations like Manchester City FC, Liverpool FC, Everton FC, Rugby Football Union, London Lions, Essex CC, the Premier League, English FA and London Marathon.
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
Each year you will spend around 270 hours of timetabled learning and teaching activities. These may be lectures, workshops, seminars, and individual and group tutorials. Contact hours may vary depending on each module. The approximate amount for this course is:
- Year 1: scheduled teaching - 270 hours; guided independent study - 930 hours.
- Year 2: scheduled teaching - 270 hours; guided independent study - 930 hours.
- Year 3: scheduled teaching - 270 hours; guided independent study - 930 hours.
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
- Year 1 = Practical (20%), Portfolio (10%), Presentation (30%), Written (30%), Online Exam (10%).
- Year 2 = Practical (17%), Portfolio (17%), Presentation (33%), Written (33%).
- Year 3 = Practical (13%), Portfolio (37%), Presentation (25%), Written (25%)
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 School of Health, Sport and Bioscience
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.
- Course leader
Andy Preston
Department of Bioscience and Sport, School Of Health, Sport And Bioscience - Course leader
Michael Mullane
Sponsored Accounts, School Of Health, Sport And Bioscience - Course leader
Dominic Edwards
Sponsored Accounts, School Of Health, Sport And Bioscience - Course leader
Richard Mark Buscombe
Department of Bioscience and Sport, School Of Health, Sport And Bioscience - Course leader
Dr Alireza Monajati
Department of Bioscience and Sport, School Of Health, Sport And Bioscience
What our students and staff say

The University of East London and West Ham United Foundation consistently throughout my time have flooded us with opportunities - not just sport-specific but many different options where we can transfer our skills picked up throughout our course elsewhere. When I leave, I'll be taking much more than just a degree with me."
Moulai Elamine Benmoulai
Student

My best memories at university were taking part in all of the events we've been involved in and the placements we had available to us. I would advise anyone who wants to work in the field of sport to join the course for a more hands-on university experience."
Katrina Harris
Programme graduate