Level 3 BTEC Elite Football Programme

Course Code: Q100192

Key Information

  • Course type

    Vocational

  • Campus:

    Sixth Form Campus

  • Start Date:

    08 Sept 2025

  • Duration:

    1 year

  • Attendance:

    Full-time

  • Fees:

    Free

COPC Hampshire cup final winners 2022-23

This programme is designed for footballers who are looking to progress as a player onto a Pro-club, a Scholarship in the USA or onto a University degree course in the UK. We also support students who are looking for a career within football.  The whole programme is two-years long and combines lessons with training and fixtures so that the work that you are studying will be a part of your development as a player.

What will I study

After the first year you will achieve a Level 3 BTEC National Foundation Diploma in Sport, which is the equivalent in size to 1.5 A Levels. It comprises of 6 units where 5 are mandatory but all units are internally assessed. After completing the second year, you will achieve a Level 3 BTEC National Extended Diploma in Sports Coaching and Development, which is the equivalent of studying 3 A Levels and carries forward the grades achieved from the first year to combine them with a further 6 units.

Trips & visits:

We regularly organise trips to local sports centres and external sports providers.  We annually also visit America to help promote scholarship opportunities for players. Each year we visit Boston or Philadelphia for a ‘College Showcase Tour’. Players stay with host families, visit university and play football in state of the art facilities against american teams in front of college recruiters.

Apply

Did you know?

This course can be combined with additional A Levels or a Sixth Form vocational course.

Our Level 3 courses require five subjects graded 4 or above at GCSE level (we accept Merits or higher from BTEC subjects). Level 3 courses require English to be one of the five grade 4s. Spaces on this programme are limited so you will have your footballing ability assessed as part of your application, but with a number of teams we will be able to find an appropriate team to match your ability.

You are expected to have an attendance of 90% or above.

You will have a 9.55am start, one lesson in the morning, one in the afternoon and a guaranteed 4pm finish. You will also have at least one morning and one afternoon per week free for private study.

You will be assessed through practical and theory assessments within a range of topics within sport with examples of units including ‘Sports Development’, ‘Applying Coaching Skills’ and ‘Anatomy and Physiology’, 'Technicial and Tactical' and many more. 

Alongside the lessons, you will have high-quality football training sessions to develop your ability as well as the opportunity to work with Personal Trainers to improve your physical attributes.

School Leavers under the age of 19 do not have to pay fees on any full time courses, though may have to pay for their second year if turning 19 during their studies. If you’re aged 19 or over you might qualify for an Advanced Learner Loan. It’s easy to apply for and you won’t have to pay anything back until you’re earning over £25,000. If you are studying a part-time course and you receive one of the following benefits, or you depend financially on someone who does, you may be entitled to have your tuition fees waived: Job Seekers Allowance, Income Support. You will, however, have to pay any awarding body/assessment fees (unless you are on a first full level 2 course). * If you are in receipt of Working Tax Credit or receive other allowances, you may be eligible to claim concessionary rates. If you are entitled to a fee concession you will be asked to provide proof of your entitlement. It is essential that you inform us if your entitlement changes at any time during your course.

On completion of this course, you can progress to higher education, a degree level course or an apprenticeship/job in the sporting sector. The course is diverse enough to develop you towards careers in coaching, teaching, sports psychology, sports therapy, sports science or nutrition.

City of Portsmouth College ladies 2023 football team

Did you know?

We have our own specific social media pages for our Sports Academy. So, click below to find out more about the open training sessions, matches and everything else associated with the Sports Academy.

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