Study Sport Guide by University of Wolverhampton

STUDY SPORT YOUR GUIDE TO SPORT AT WLV

TAKE YOUR OPPORTUNITY Thank you for your interest in the University of Wolverhampton, and in particular our courses in the Department of Sport. We’re really proud to be part of the University of Opportunity, with a history of delivering sector-leading sports courses in partnership with all of the major sporting organisations of the Black Country and West Midlands.

Who will you become? We know that studying for a degree can help launch your career in the sports industry. Whether you’re interested in sports coaching, exercise science, physical education or sport development, it can provide the platform for an exciting career in a sector which has great demand for highly-skilled graduates.

Studying a sports related subject is a great investment in your future, and we believe we offer a great experience at the University of Wolverhampton. We’re really proud that, according to the Destination of Leavers from Higher Education report, 99% of our sports Class of 2017 gained employment or went on to further study within six months of completing their course. To find out more visit: wlv.ac.uk/sport, or come and see us at one of our upcoming Open Days.

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Participating in sport, at any level, develops your leadership and communication skills in a way that very few other subjects can claim.

Dr Richard Medcalf Director, Institute of Human Sciences

WHY WOLVERHAMPTON? Where do we start..?! At the University of Wolverhampton, we’ve got masses to offer our students – whether they’re based at our city centre campus in the heart of Wolverhampton, in Walsall, Telford, or across the world!

99% graduate employability in sports* Our students get jobs!

We’re commended! We’ve been awarded a commendation – the highest accolade – in our most recent assessment by the Quality Assurance Agency.

Biggest ever investment! £250 million of investment generation making a real impact for our students, with new buildings, courses, skills and training.

Low cost of living Make your money go further compared to other cities in the UK^.

Long and successful history We’ve been providing opportunity and academic excellence for 190 years.

TEF silver rating We were awarded a Silver award as part of the Teaching Excellence Framework assessment in 2018.

Great transport links Travel the UK easily thanks to our central location.

Student Scholarships We awarded over £2.5 million in scholarships to our 2016/17 new students. World-leading research All Research Centres submitted in the most recent Research Excellence Framework exercise had world-leading elements.

Award-winning student support#

*Destination of Leavers from Higher Education. ^numbeo.com* Times Higher Education Award 2016 for Outstanding Support for Students.

Which courses are available? • • • • • • • •

Exercise and Health Physical Education Sport and Exercise Science Sport Studies and Development Sports Coaching Practice Sports Coaching Practice (Combat Sports) Sports Coaching Practice (Football) Strength and Conditioning

INSPIRATIONAL TEACHING Helen Keane An accomplished teacher and coach with experience of working in Italy, the USA and the UK, including delivery of the International Baccalaureate and the UK national curriculum, Helen is a senior lecturer in physical education while also currently studying for her Doctorate in Education. In her spare time, Helen trains and plays rugby for Wolverhampton Ladies RUFC.

Mark Niemz Mark is an experienced strength and conditioning coach with a background of working within high performance sport, including supporting Olympic sports programmes such as GB triathlon, GB canoeing, GB cycling and GB water polo. Mark is a strength and conditioning lecturer and applied practitioner with the Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sports teams.

Dr Kath Leflay Senior lecturer and course leader for the sports studies and development programme, Kath’s background is in community sport and sport development. She’s passionate about tackling social exclusion and is currently working with West Midlands Police on projects that use sport activities to engage hard-toreach young people and tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.

Dr Ross Cloak

Katrina Hull

Martin Longworth

As a lecturer in Exercise and Health, Katrina has over 15 years’ experience working in health improvement roles with a particular focus on the benefits of physical activity, a healthy diet and healthy lifestyle in promoting good health. Katrina is proficient in applying health data and insight to develop strategies and commission targeted interventions to improve health and wellbeing. Katrina uses her experience to design and deliver relevant lectures to aid student experience, engagement and employability.

Martin is the Men’s UEFA A Licensed Football 1st Team head coach and Sports Coaching (Football) course lead. He heads up our advanced performance analysis suite as well as bringing a blend of research and practice in football coaching, which inform our teaching practice. His recent research has explored power relationships within a coaching context, and how practitioners manage the dilemmas that arise.

An experienced sport and exercise scientist, Ross has supported professional football teams and elite level combat sportsmen and women, including GB judo, with fitness testing and movement analysis. Senior lecturer in sport and exercise science, and an applied practitioner and researcher, Ross recently hosted a conference at our Institute of Sport on sports science in football which included contributions from leading international sports scientists.

Dr Ian Lahart Ian is senior lecturer in exercise physiology and researcher at the University of Wolverhampton. Ian run experiments for and appeared on the BBC television programme, Trust Me I’m a Doctor and appeared on the Guru Performance and Food for Fitness podcasts. He has provided exercise testing and sports science support for elite level runners, triathletes, cyclists, Gaelic footballers and worked with players at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

MOTIVATING COACHES Dave Elmore Sports Manager (Judo) Current Level of Coaching: British Judo Association Level 2 UKCC coach award and European Judo Union Level 4 Performance Judo Coach Award (Foundation Degree in Sports Coaching European Judo Union) Dave started judo from the early age of five and has won many national and international events as a junior. Dave won the World Masters Gold medal in 2000 as a veteran and then decided to focus his attention on coaching. Dave then went onto study for three years at Bath University and Anglia Ruskin University to complete the EJU level 4 Performance coaching award and has gone on to oversee the WLV Sport Judo programme for over 10 years and has seen many students develop from a beginner all the way through to elite level competition. Dave was also awarded the ‘outstanding contribution to sport’ award by the University of Wolverhampton in 2016.

Clive Allen Sports Manager (Basketball) Current Level of Coaching: Level 3 in Basketball Coaching Other Jobs: Head Coach for Dudley College Basketball team and Basketball Coordinator for WBA Basketball Foundation Clive has played professional basketball for Birmingham Bullets and represented England for the national side. Clive has coached at the highest level in basketball with Milton Keynes Lions and Birmingham Panthers who are both part of the National BBL league. Clive currently heads up the partnership between WLV Sport and WLV Albion which sees players compete in BUCS for WLV Sport and then compete in the National basketball league for WLV Albion. Clive’s family have also seen basketball success as both of his daughters have played professional basketball and Dominique, Clive’s eldest daughter, has won a commonwealth bronze medal at the commonwealth games in Australia. Clive often invites Dominique into training for BUCS and WLV Albion sessions to provide coaching advice and support for team players.

Darrell Edwards Lead Sports Coach (Rugby) Current Level of Coaching: Level 3 in Rugby

Lesley Blair Sports Manager (Netball) Current Level of Coaching: Level 3 Netball Coach, working in Performance for England Netball Leslie has been involved in netball for 22 years having been guided as a player and coach by ex-England coaches. Leslie has played at county, regional and national league level and still currently plays for a local club where she is head coach. Leslie has worked on the performance side of netball for over 10 years in the West Midlands and seen a number of girls come through the programme to represent at national level or are now representing Super League franchises. Leslie is currently the head coach for WLV Netball and the WASP’s U19’s super league coach and oversees the performance pathway for Netball at WLV Sport.

Darrell has been a successful rugby coach for 30 years alongside working as a Rugby Union Development officer for the national governing body for rugby. Darrell also has experience in working with European rugby unions as he has worked in Wales and Ireland alongside coaching the Welsh Women’s Rugby National team for two years. Darrell is also a qualified tutor for the RFU and works with all of the above national governing bodies delivering coaching courses. Darrell joined the University in 2017 and has transformed the Men’s rugby team in that time. He has created a platform for rugby to grow and has already pieced together a Men’s 2nd team while keeping a close eye on the new developments of the women’s rugby team.

Martin Harrison

Ikhlaq Hussain

Sports Manager (Football)

Lead Sports Coach (Futsal)

Current Level of Coaching: UEFA A

Current Level of Coaching: Level 3 in Futsal

Martin has spent the past 15 years working in elite level football both in a coaching capacity and coach development. Martin spent 10 years working with Aston Villa to develop their ladies programme which included him being a coach, the technical director and eventually the general manager while leading the team to super league level. Alongside his current University role, Martin is also a FA coach mentor and delivers FA coaching courses across the Football Association spectrum. He is also part of the talent ID programme and a scout for England under 18’s, 19’s and 20’s women’s teams. Martin currently oversees the football programme at WLV Sport which includes BUCS male/female teams along with our men’s team which competes in the Total Motion Football League Division 3.

Ikhlaq has worked in futsal for over 20 years and has been a driving force behind the development of futsal in the West Midlands. Ikhlaq currently oversees futsal and has been instrumental in the development of futsal at WLV Sport which has the following: BUCS team, Women’s Futsal league team, junior futsal section. WLV Sport also hosts Birmingham UTD futsal – Ikhlaq is their team manager, and they play their FA National Super League games at WLV Sport.

ALUMNI SUCCESS STORIES

Desmond Duffus Strength and conditioning coach, Walsall Football Club Desmond was always keen to investigate how sports science and training can improve performance on the football pitch. Since completing his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Activity, Exercise and Health, he has gone onto complete a Master’s in Sport and Exercise at the University, and is now leading strength and conditioning and sports science at Walsall FC’s academy. His tasks include planning and delivering progressive conditioning sessions to academy players, and working towards developing athletic ability.

Craig Parkes Assistant professor, University of South Alabama

Kerys Julia Harrop Footballer, Birmingham City Ladies English footballer and Champions League semi-finalist, Kerys studied on the postgraduate Sports and Exercise Science course where she gained vital skills in leadership, communication and team work. The current Birmingham City Ladies defender, who was part of the Great Britain team to win Gold in Kazan at the 2013 World University Games, completed an internship at one of our partner professional football clubs.

Craig graduated from the University with a physical education degree and continued his learning onto a postgraduate programme. Whilst the degree provided him with the knowledge and skills to be a successful teacher, the course also allowed him to gain positions in American universities. Craig is currently assistant professor at the University of South Alabama, having spent the past six years delivering courses in PE at Pennsylvania State University.

Tom Male

Matt Belcher

First team analyst, Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club

Recruitment analyst, West Bromwich Albion Football Club

Tom graduated with a distinction in his sport and exercise science qualification. His career ambition was to work in sports science, within an elite sports environment. He gained valuable experience whilst working at Exeter City Football Club, before becoming first team analyst at Wolverhampton Wanderers. His role provides pre and post-match analysis services for the first team manager, coaching staff and players. Referencing the club’s playing philosophy, Tom also creates high quality presentations using video and objective data to aid the feedback process.

Football enthusiast Matt left University determined to gain experience in professional football. His sports coaching degree provided him with the necessary skills in sports science and training performance to become an influential part of the backroom staff at West Bromwich Albion Football Club. As a recruitment analyst his skills in team and statistical analysis, based on the club’s philosophy, help to support individual players and the team’s overall development plans.

Rudy Robinson Gym owner Entrepreneur and Aero-kick gym manager Rudy completed his sports studies degree before starting his own business, which specialises in martial arts and fitness training. The centre, located in Birmingham, doubles up as an educational hub for various schools and community providers, with the aim of promoting positive youth development through sport and martial arts.

Anittah Poselay Trainee clinical scientist/ specialist cardiac physiologist Anittah was always interested in the clinical side of physical activity, exercise and health. During her time at the University she utilised our range of sector partnerships to gain work experience within the field of cardiac rehabilitation at Action Heart, based within Russell’s Hall hospital. As a specialist in cardiac physiology, Anittah’s role involves the diagnosis and treatment of adults and children with heart disease.

WLV SPORTS Providing the perfect environment You’ll study in a dynamic learning environment with experienced and accredited staff who work with elite athletes (eg. Olympic judo players; academy players from professional football clubs), NHS patients, community based sports organisations and school groups. Our excellent sporting, teaching and research facilities include: • state-of-the-art flood-lit 3G pitch • redeveloped and well-equipped sports centre • strength and conditioning weight training facility used by Olympians and students • specialised laboratories; monitoring; body composition, lung function and gait assessment; performance analysis and video editing; EMG muscle activity monitoring • bone density and body composition suite used by elite sports and health organisations.

We have hosted international sports events and Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Our body composition and bone density suite is used by British Gymnastics, British Judo, Aston Villa Football Club and Birmingham City Football Club.

On board with industry We have partnerships with organisations including West Bromwich Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Walsall football clubs, West Midlands and Wasps Netball, Worcester Warriors Rugby Club, Action Heart at Russell’s Hall Hospital, British Judo, Streetgames, Sport4Life, Black Country Consortium County Sport Partnership, and a wide range of schools and colleges. These organisations input to our teaching, offer placements, internships and projects for students to engage in. Our courses have been developed with, and are endorsed by, professional bodies such as The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences and The Register of Exercise Professionals. Our BSc Sports Coaching Practice (Football) course is endorsed by both Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and West Bromwich Albion FC.

Research recognition The research profile of our staff includes outstanding work from Professor Andy Lane, who has been involved in a £2.2 million Economic and Social Research Council project that included the development of an online test for BBC Lab UK’s biggest ever experiment. The Can You Compete Under Pressure? Project is presented by Olympic legend and performance expert Michael Johnson. Our staff has also worked with the BBC on an experiment called: Can I Boost My Metabolism? for the Trust Me I’m a Doctor series.

Game on! If you’re looking for something more challenging, you can compete for your University in a chosen sport. We have a number of teams competing in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) leagues and invite you to Welcome Week trials to represent your University in sports including: badminton, basketball, football, futsal, netball, rugby union, swimming, table tennis and volleyball. We also send students to BUCS Individual Competitions such as athletics and judo.

Play with your peers in a social setting, by getting involved with our exciting social sport programme. Expanding each year on both City and Walsall campuses, you can try your hand at something new – from netball and ultimate Frisbee to judo, you’ll be spoilt for choice.

Achieve your goals Whether youre ultimate goal is to work in sport or not, we offer some great opportunities for you to gain valuable work experience. Employment and volunteer positions at our Sports Centres help us to facilitate our performance and social sport programmes, while we also run a number of sport, fitness and lifeguarding courses throughout the year. If you’re outstanding at sport, we want to help you achieve your potential. A scholarship may be the thing for you – there are three levels of support available, ranging from senior international athletes to county athletes.

WLV SPORTS SCHOLARSHIP The sports scholarship is here to help you develop in your sport while studying for your degree at the University. This includes financial support; as part of the scheme, you may be able to claim up to £4,500 across the three years of your degree towards helping you succeed in sport. The scholarship not only means financial support but also that you’ll be supported to balance your workload and future planning. As a WLV Sport Scholar, you will be assigned a mentor, usually a member of staff or someone with a keen interest or experience in sport. You will then arrange regular meetings with your mentor to discuss your progress and manage your time and deadlines effectively.

Benefits of the WLV Sport Scholarship

• Free community gym membership and access to gyms at both Walsall and City Campus. • Free BUCS membership/ competition entry – scholars will receive free team membership and individual scholars will receive paid entry into individual BUCS competitions. Sports insurance is also covered via Endsleigh. • Free WLV Sport Scholar sports kit including a specific tracksuit and sports pack. Competitive sport not your thing? Our full recreational programme lets you join in with new sports and make friends in a relaxed, fun environment. Alternatively, you can also volunteer or help our performance teams in a range of support roles, such as: • Coaching

• Financial bursary paid directly into your account of choice (amount decided by mentor and panel) to the value of £4,500 across three year undergraduate degree.

• Strength and conditioning

• Master’s or MRes students can claim up to £1,000 per course year (maximum two years).

• Sports journalism

• Sports science support, i.e. sports laboratory testing, biomechanics support and cardiac screening. • Strength and conditioning support, including 1-2-1 support and group drop-in sessions. • Physiotherapy support – bookable slots with head of physiotherapy degree, Troy Douglin, including sports massages. • Mentor support including professional and experience-based support from highly qualified sports coaches and members of the sports development team.

• Sports analysis • Sports science

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