As part of the Complementary Curriculum,  you will have the opportunity  to plan, implement and evaluate your own retail and merchandising projects. This will  be done in partnership with industry leading practitioners within Wembley Stadium and beyond.

Modules will focus on sports business and also the foundations of merchandising and retailing and how they relate to the global sports business and surrounding industries. You will also develop an understanding of range selection, visual merchandising and the financial aspects of merchandising and retailing. These themes provide cornerstones of a successful retail business. This wide range of modules will help you apply theory to live projects to develop your employability skills and provide you with a balanced undergraduate degree in Sports Business, Retailing & Merchandising.

Degree content

Football and sports merchandise and retail, alongside TV and radio broadcast income and match day tickets, is one of the major income streams for the sports industry. Beyond sports clubs, leagues and associations, the manufacturers and retailers of sports clothing and footwear, such as Adidas and Nike, are some of the most successful, fast changing, fashionable and technologically advanced businesses in the world.

The course provides the fundamentals of retailing such as range selection, visual merchandising, supply chain management, store location and multi-channel shopping. Your studies will be undertaken within the context of consumer buying behaviour, especially one which is fan based, within a club setting. As retailing becomes more sophisticated there will be an increasing need to understand the opportunities available.

The success of sports businesses is inextricably linked to their ability to maximise their merchandising and retailing opportunities and the ability to control the whole value chain and product life cycle. A key component to the course is understanding the unique tribal nature of sports consumers when compared to other retail markets. Therefore you will also cover logistics, perishability and the product life cycle.

Read the benchmark statement for this course

First Year

  • The Role of Marketing in Business
  • Understanding Sports Business
  • Managing Money
  • Introduction to Retail Operations

Second Year

  • Managing Sports Organisations
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Store Design & Visual Merchandising
  • Elective (1 of 2):
    • Financial Reporting
    • Digital Technologies for Marketing

Third Year

  • Elective (1 of 2):
    • Football Brand Strategy
    • International Finance
  • Dissertation
  • Leadership & Management
  • Supply Chain & Category Management

* Modules listed above may vary depending on changes to the syllabus.

Applications are welcomed from students with a genuine passion and ambition to work in the football and sports industries. Please see the individual degrees for our UCAS tariff point score entry criteria.

The minimum academic requirement for this degree course is a 240-280 UCAS Tariff point score.

Other minimum requirements

Applicants will normally have achieved one of the following:

  • A minimum of 2 A Levels or equivalent
  • International Baccalaureate (minimum of 24 points)
  • A National Diploma or Certificate in an appropriate subject at Distinction level
  • An Advanced GNVQ in an appropriate subject at Distinction level
  • An Access Course: minimum of 60 credits, including at least 45 at Level 3
  • An equivalent level 3 qualification

Applicants should have a strong GCSE profile, including English at Grade C, or equivalent and Maths at Grade C (specifically for Football Business & Finance, Sports Business & Sports Law and Sports Business & Psychology).

Other qualifications, including overseas, may be considered. Applicants for whom English is a second language should have achieved IELTS 6 or equivalent for entry into Level 4.

We also welcome applications from mature students who may not possess the above qualifications but may have relevant experience.

All applicants will be expected to demonstrate a specific interest in their preferred area of study and should have a commitment to engaging with the subject through the academic programme and our complementary curriculum involving high profile guest speakers, master classes and short course opportunities.

Entry with advanced standing

Students are normally expected to start at Level 4, but can be admitted to any level of the course which is considered suitable, after portfolio review and interview, using the Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS). Under this arrangement, a student may apply to have previous academic credits or other learning or experience taken into consideration. Such applications are considered by the Faculty CATS committee and must be supported by the Academic Department.

The UCFB Bursary

A limited number of bursaries are available for eligible fully enrolled UK students who are progressing to UCFB from a partner college/sixth form, and can be used towards studying costs.

The UCFB bursary amount is not paid to the student directly but is allocated for payment towards studying costs for eligible students.

The UCFB Scholarship Award

A limited number of scholarships will be available for 2015. Information will be announced soon. Contact us on 0843 208 2222 or mail scholarships@ucfb.com to register your interest.