Why you should study Sport in Birmingham

Whether you’re looking to pursue a career as a PE teacher, a football coach or a nutritionist, Birmingham is one of the best places you can study in these fields, and not just because of our state-of-the-art facilities and buildings. Keep reading to find out more about why you should study sport in the second city.

1.     Alexander Stadium

The Commonwealth Games lit up Birmingham in the summer of 2022, with the eyes of the world on the West Midlands during a spectacular festival of sport and culture. Now, one of the most iconic venues from the Games will become our latest specialist space - as our Sports and Exercise Sciences courses move into the world-class Alexander Stadium.

The Stadium is already home to professional sporting clubs and bodies such as UK Athletics and Birchfield Harriers, meaning you will get to study in an environment that athletes are using to train on a regular basis and also have the opportunity make valuable connections with potential future employers.

2.     Our top-flight football clubs (and other sports too!)

The West Midlands is the home of many historic football clubs including age old rivals Aston Villa and Birmingham City. If you take a trip further around the Midlands, you’ll find Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion, Coventry and more.

On top of that, we’re also home to Edgbaston Cricket Ground, the Priory Tennis Club and a handful of golf courses. This means that every weekend throughout the sporting season, the city comes alive with comradery. Check out this sports map of Birmingham to see all sporting venues around the city. Everything is within walking distance or a short train ride away, so you’ll never be too far from the action. 

3.     Plenty of outdoor space to get active in 

Birmingham has 8,000 acres of green space and over 500 parks and walking spaces, including Cannon Hill Park and Edgbaston Reservoir, both of which are short distances away from the BCU campuses on public transport. 

It’s well-known that getting active is good for your mental health, but if you want somewhere to practice your profession or hobby, there are plenty of options, including the free tennis courts available to hire at Cannon Hill Park, or one of many football pitches for a kick about. 

Don’t forget about our facilities on campus either, where students can get a Health and Fitness membership for just £7.99 that includes unlimited access to our Doug Ellis Sports Centre fitness suite and more.

4.     Impressive partnerships

We are proud to have strong links with many local sporting organisations, and some that are further afield. Here are a few we’re proud of:

• Warwickshire County Cricket Club have participated in nutrition sessions led by students from our sports courses. As well as this, BCU is an official partner of the club and the team visit the campus from time to time.
• Kidderminster Harriers FC have also visited our City South Campus for pre-season training.
• Solihull Moors FC have taken on several of our students on for placements, including Liam Davies.
• Luton Town FC have also worked with our students during their placement modules. 

Read more about our Sport partnerships

5.     Plenty of events to attend from near and far

There are plenty of sporting events that travel to Birmingham due to our large arena venues such as the Resorts World Arena and Arena Birmingham. International events such as athletics, boxing matches, The Ashes, WWE Live Tour, and Harlem Globe Trotters games pass through the city several times a year, giving you the chance to experience star-studded events first-hand.