University of Brighton teams up with Ringmer AFC to give students football industry experience

The partnership means that students will be able to shadow members of Ringmer AFC’s coaching and support staff throughout the 2023-24 season and beyond.

The University of Brighton’s sport-based placement lead, Dr James Wallis, said: “All of our sport degrees include real-world experience to boost our students’ employability after graduation, which is why so many of our graduates go on to rewarding and successful careers. The sport and physical activity sector is rapidly changing so it’s incredibly important that we can offer so many hands-on, real-world experiences to our students and help put them in an excellent position for their careers after university.”

“We’re really pleased to have the opportunity to partner with Ringmer AFC, who are a forward-thinking, ambitious and dynamic club where our students can thrive and build momentum towards a career in sport.

Dr James Wallis

Ringmer AFC’s first team is currently operating in the Mid Sussex Football League (MSFL) Premier Division – the 11th tier of English football – and the club has five senior teams, two U18s teams, a veterans’ team and walking football sides.

Ringmer AFC first-team manager Tommy Haddon said: “We are excited to give back our collective knowledge and experience to young people looking to make their way in sport and we are excited to get this long-term partnership underway.”

Chairman, Mark Hutchings, said: “It is great to see such a partnership evolve with the University of Brighton.

“Our focus is to do things right both on and off the pitch and this partnership is one of those steps we are taking in our young life as a club.

“Not only would I like to thank the university for this opportunity, but also our first-team management duo of Tommy and Jon, who have worked hard behind the scenes to see this partnership to fruition.”

The partnership comes as the School of Sport and Health Sciences prepares to move into new facilities on the University of Brighton’s Falmer campus from September 2024. Expanded and improved facilities will include state-of-the-art labs and equipment for staff and students.

Sport science at the university is currently ranked 5th in the UK and 1st in the Southeast (Complete University Guide 2024) and in the top 7% for graduate earnings three years after graduating (Longitudinal Education Outcomes 2022)