Sport and Youth Leadership
Sport and youth leadership is a degree that takes seriously the transformative potential of sport as a vehicle for reaching and developing young people. Sport creates opportunities for learning, belonging and resilience that formal education sometimes cannot, and professionals who can work with young people through sport, combining coaching, mentoring and youth development skills with an understanding of child development, equality and community, are in sustained demand across schools, charities, sports organisations and local authorities. At Manchester Metropolitan University, this three-year full-time degree was developed in partnership with Manchester United Foundation, giving it a real-world grounding and professional connections that are unusual in higher education.
A sandwich year and work placement are included.
You will study the science and practice of coaching, child and adolescent development, safeguarding, inclusion and equality, the psychology of motivation and the organisational and policy contexts within which youth sport operates. The applied dimension is central: you will work with young people in real settings throughout the programme, developing your leadership practice alongside your academic understanding. The Manchester United Foundation partnership brings professional expertise and placement opportunities that connect your learning directly to what sport-based youth development looks like in a leading professional sports context.
A typical tariff of around 120 points is expected.
Graduates work as sports coaches, youth workers, community sports development officers, school sport coordinators, programme managers in sports charities, youth mentors and sport for development practitioners in the UK and internationally. The combination of sport expertise and youth development skills opens doors in local authorities, national governing bodies, Premier League foundations, community organisations and school settings. Many graduates proceed to postgraduate study in sport development, coaching science, education or youth work, while others move directly into professional roles through the networks built during their placements.