鈥淪port changes lives and to be the person who鈥檚 creating those interventions 鈥� it鈥檚 not only a big responsibility, but it鈥檚 something I鈥檓 really proud of.鈥�
With the 2019 Women鈥檚 World Cup capturing the nation鈥檚 interest and reaching record audiences, BU graduate Clare Daniels is at the forefront of inspiring the next generation of female football talent.
In her role as the Women鈥檚 National Development Manager for Workforce and Innovation at the Football Association (FA), Clare is responsible for workforce development which is essential in helping to support the FA鈥檚 aims to double participation by 2020 and get football on the curriculum for girls by 2024.
Within her innovation remit, she also creates modern fit-for-purpose programmes and projects that are provided by the FA for everyone from young children to adults, inspiring and enabling them to play and enjoy football.
鈥淔or the first time people can have now have real aspirations to be a full-time paid professional in women鈥檚 football, which is generating an interest in a whole new range of people,鈥� said Clare, who graduated from BU鈥檚 BSc (Hons) Sports Development and Coaching Sciences degree in 2006.
鈥淭hey are wanting to play, they are wanting to coach, they are wanting to referee and we have to deal with that big demand across all areas of the game.
鈥淭his is just the beginning and it鈥檚 a great time to be involved. I suppose the thing that gets me out of bed in the morning is knowing that, with the programmes we are implementing, we could potentially change the lives of a generation of inactive kids through the power of sport.
鈥淪port changes lives and to be the person who鈥檚 creating those interventions 鈥� it鈥檚 not only a big responsibility, but it鈥檚 something I鈥檓 really proud of.鈥�
Clare has worked for the FA since graduating from BU, after starting听as an administrator at Dorset FA.
She credits the practical aspects of her degree for giving her the head start she needed to get a foot in the door of the competitive football industry.
鈥淭he best thing about the course was that it involved experiential learning from day one 鈥� so by the time I graduated, I had four years of coaching experience under the guidance of some really good coaches.
鈥淚 also had the academic support and understanding of why we were doing what we were doing, seeing those principles academically but then also practically.
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 really powerful, because you understand why you鈥檙e doing things, which is really important when you鈥檙e trying to develop young people.鈥�
Clare had taken a year out after completing her A levels and initially wasn鈥檛 sure if university was the right path for her. But after hearing students from the Sports Development and Coaching Sciences degree talk about their course at her swimming club, she decided to apply.
鈥淭hey were just talking about how good it was, and the more they spoke about it, the more this spark inside me ignited that I didn鈥檛 know I had,鈥� she said. 听
鈥淪o I thought I鈥檇 have a go, put my name down and got accepted and it is probably the best decision that I鈥檝e ever made 鈥� coming here and growing and developing over the course of four years.鈥�
鈥淕etting that experience on the ground with AFC Bournemouth, with Dorset County Football Association 鈥� when I finished university, I was lucky enough to be in full-time work from the September in sport, in football, which was unheard of.鈥�
Her advice to those who wish to follow in her footsteps and make it in the sports industry is to look beyond the academic qualifications to additional experiences and development opportunities that can help you stand out in the crowd.
鈥淵ou need something different, you need somebody who鈥檚 shown the determination and the resilience to manage not only their studies but also tried to find other things that benefit their long-term development within sport,鈥� said Clare.
鈥淒ream big, take risks and you鈥檙e only going to get out what you put in. Just like in sports performance 鈥� if you want to be an international athlete, you train hard, you work hard, you find every possible marginal gain you can to be the best you can be. You have to apply that mentality to working in the sports industry and your academic studies.
鈥淚f you want to work in sport, it鈥檚 tough but once you鈥檙e in, you can make a huge impact on thousands of young people and adults.鈥�
We no longer offer BSc (Hons) Sports Development and Coaching Sciences, we now offer BSc (Hons) Sport Coaching.听Find out more about studying BSc (Hons) Sport听Coaching听at 成人直播.