Sports Academies

We provide world-class coaching, high-performance facilities and expert sports-science support alongside academic and vocational programmes.

If you live and breathe sports, love to mastermind victories or train others to excel, you need to be able to learn by doing.

There will be classroom-based assignments, but mostly you will work and train as an athlete. The majority of students undertake a BTEC in Sport and Exercise Science or Sport, but you can also study A Levels alongside your training.

In short, you’ll have the opportunity to pursue a professional sporting career whilst studying to achieve a recognised qualification at one of our colleges. Depending on your athlete development stage, you’ll have access to:

  • sports therapy and rehabilitation provision
  • strength and conditioning sessions
  • performance analysis
  • masterclasses
View Sports Academies programmes

Our alumni

Activate Learning has an excellent track record of developing international athletes and coaches within football, in partnership with Banbury United FC, Bracknell Town FC and Reading FC. In 2019, we expanded our sports academy offer, to include Rugby Union in partnership with Wasps RFC, now known as Activate Rugby Academy. Delivered out of the City of Oxford College, it has become one of only eight colleges in the country to be given England Rugby Partner College status.

Our students have gone on to have successful careers within professional sport, including Gareth McCleary and Matt Taylor who are both currently playing in the football championship for Reading FC and Bristol Rovers FC.

As of 2020, there were approximately 14,000 full-time sports players employed in the UK.

In total, there are over 300,000 people employed in the UK in sports-related job roles, with 12,500 new openings per year. These include roles such as sports coaches, instructors, and match officials.

Industry partnerships

Josh
Josh, Reading FC As an employed member of staff I have been given the opportunity to attend training courses at the Premier League offices which has been really special.
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