Do you want to turn your passion for rugby into a rewarding career? An ever-increasing workforce of skilled professionals is needed to help rugby players reach their full potential. Strength and conditioning, coaching and performance, fitness testing, team and player analysis, nutrition and psychology are all becoming vital to performance.

This rugby coaching course offers a unique opportunity to work towards industry-recognised World Rugby/Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) rugby coaching awards. This means you can be confident you’ll graduate with enhanced employment prospects in the field.

This rugby coaching degree course is supported by the WRU and professional rugby regions in Wales. It has been designed in consultation with WRU Coach Education Managers, Cardiff Blues, Dragons, Scarlets, and Ospreys coach educators, Hudl Performance Analytics experts, and United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA) strength and conditioning experts, and many of these staff contribute to the course.

You can work towards your Rugby Union Level 1 and 2 Children’s and Senior UKCC/WRU Rugby Coaching awards, Level 1 and 2 Refereeing qualifications, and gain relevant experience within Performance Analysis and Strength and Conditioning modules, which provide experience of working in those areas.

You will gain an understanding of the varied, dynamic and constantly changing nature of rugby development. From grass roots community projects that engage people to take up rugby, to working with elite players who are at the top of their game.

Your studies will integrate theory and practical lectures with community rugby experience, so you’ll develop coaching, leadership and enterprise skills, and gain experience of working in the professional rugby industry.

You’ll study rugby coaching, sport psychology, strength and conditioning, performance analytics and fitness testing and evaluation. You will also have the opportunity to gain industry-recognised IRBUKCC coaching awards which are embedded into the practical coaching modules.

Year One: Rugby Coaching Course

Your first year will provide you with the underpinning theory and practice of coaching young athletes via practical lectures and classroom-based lectures. You will gain knowledge of how grass roots rugby is organised and managed in the community, and you will have the opportunity to lead school and club activities and events like Tag festivals.

You will explore the fundamental principles of how young children learn sports skills.The different stages of the sports development continuum will help to inform your industry work-based learning experience which you will undertake in years one, two and three. You will also have the opportunity to undertake coach education qualifications to boost your CV.

Children’s Level 1 Coaching and Level 1 Refereeing qualifications are built into double rugby modules and paid for by the Welsh Rugby Union.

Year Two: Rugby Coaching Course

You will further develop the skills and knowledge gained in year one with regards to understanding coaching and leadership principles and approaches to developing and managing rugby with adolescent groups. You will enhance your breadth of knowledge by studying barriers to rugby and you will have experience of running enterprising events and completing a community rugby placement, which will enable you to put your ideas and knowledge into practice in the rugby industry. This year will, therefore, expand your understanding of the world of rugby development and the different career options available to you.

Year Three: Rugby Coaching Course

Your final year of study will help you to consolidate your previous years’ learning and start to specialise your work-based learning experience in line with the career path that you would like to take on graduation. You will develop your confidence and communication skills through debating key issues in rugby development and performance and you will undertake a research project examining a rugby development or performance related issue. During this year, you can choose to undertake a placement for one or two days a week working with one of our partner sports organisations. Some of our current students are working with organisations such as WRU, Welsh Cardiff Blues, Newport Gwent Dragons, the Ospreys and the Scarlets, Sports Development departments, schools and other sports organisations. This experience will enable you to enhance your CV and create a strong network within the rugby industry in the UK and overseas.