Sports students at the University of Wolverhampton are gaining first hand insight on working in professional football thanks to a partnership with Wolves.
For the last three years the University has been the main sponsor of the club’s academy, based at its Compton training facility in the city.
As part of the partnership students from the University’s Institute of Sport have been involved in undertaking placements and internships in various roles within the academy, which was recently rated as one of the top academies in the country.
Currently PhD sports students, Sofie Kent and Rikesh Patel, are working with the academy on the areas of sports psychology and physiology and MRes Sports and Exercise student Ben Czerepaninecis providing sports science support.
And three University of Wolverhampton MRes Sports and Exercise graduates who completed placements with the club last year have now gone on to full-time jobs at the academy.
Graduate, Sean Miller, now works full-time as part of the academy’s sports science team. He said: “I really enjoy my role. There’s a good few of us who work here now who are all University of Wolverhampton graduates and we have gone on to develop the program for the academy significantly.”
Dr Chris Sellars of the University of Wolverhampton’s Institute of Sport said: “It is fantastic for our students to take what they learn in the classrooms and labs at university into an elite sports environment.
“For students to get an insight into what life is like working at a professional football club like Wolves on a day-to-day basis is invaluable. Not only does it give them great practical experience but it gives them a far greater opportunity of securing a job in the future.”
Gareth Prosser, Wolves Academy Manager, said: “We are delighted with the relationship Wolves and Wolves Academy has with the University of Wolverhampton.
“First and foremost, from the sponsorship and the support the University provides and support to the Academy and club as a whole, and secondly, with the opportunities we are then able to provide to the students both at postgraduate and undergraduate level.
“They bring with them new ideas and up-to-date research, and in return pick up some valuable experience which hopefully improves their job prospects.
A number of students have already progressed from being here with us on a placement to full time employment with the club. That is terrific for us, terrific for the student and terrific for the University to supplement the quality courses that they have in place.”
