BSc (Hons) Football Studies
The course is designed and tailored for those individuals passionate about football, enthusiastic to learn from the game in order to reach their aspirations to work within it....
Biography
Kevin is an ex-professional footballer that has represented Northern Ireland at youth levels at European tournaments. Upon completion of a professional playing career, Kevin has been employed full-time in a variety of coaching, scouting and recruitment roles at premiership level for clubs ranging from Southampton FC, Liverpool FC, Newcastle United FC, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and Stockport County FC. During this period at Southampton FC in the role as
Senior Academy Coach and 1st team specialist coach, Kevin achieved the highest coaching award in world football, the UEFA Pro licence diploma.
Kevin continues to draw upon these advanced industry experiences and professional qualifications to continue to work within football and is currently head of scouting and recruitment for the south of England for Stockport County who play in league 2 in the English football league.
Kevin completed his MSc in football coaching and analysis from New Bucks University, PG cert in Research at Birmingham University and has the FHEA. Attaining these academic qualifications supported the previous role as Programme leader for the MSc in football coaching in the UK and USA at UCFB.
Alongside the positions within industry and academia, Kevin is a current student on a PhD doctorate pathway and is an active researcher and author with publications focused on coaching, talent Identification and the barriers, challenges and opportunities of female coaches within football.
Kevin continues to be a consultant and industry expert, presenting at conferences and across media where he discusses his research interests around female coaches and football coaching across the player pathway from academy to professional.
Kevin is also an external examiner for St Mary's University on the MSc Performance Football Coaching pathway.
In his current position at Solent University as Course Leader for the BSc (Hons) Football studies course, Kevin supports an elite team of staff in developing and delivering a research-informed degree course, focused on knowledge exchange and preparing students towards meeting their aspirations of accessing employment opportunities within football.
Further information
Kevin has achieved industry experiences and competencies within professional football in the roles as an Academy and specialist individual coach at Southampton FC, regional and National senior scout at Wolverhampton FC, Newcastle and current head of southern scouting for Stockport County FC, which covers player and opposition profiling, reporting and data collection.
Working at the Premier League level across the player developmental pathway has provided an in-depth understanding and appreciation of the demands of elite performance, which is now being transferred to the students at Solent University. Through achieving the roles within football, Kevin continues to support, consult and present at a range of conferences to align research and the football industry.
Upon an invitation to complete his UEFA Pro licence diploma in 2008 as one of the earliest cohorts to achieve the highest coaching level in football, Kevin brings an industry reputation at the highest level which benefits the students in the BSc football studies course and across Solent University.
Courses
