Last year, we launched our Advanced Management (Sport Business and Leadership) Masters programme at Swansea University. With our first cohort halfway through their course, here’s what they make of it so far…
Joseph Thomas, Head Coach at Swansea RFC & Co-founder at ScrumR:
“I came into the MSc having spent most of my adult life in professional rugby, first as a player with the Ospreys, Leicester Tigers and Wales Under 20s, and now as Head Coach of Swansea RFC in Super Rugby Cymru. I had plenty of practical experience, but I wanted the academic grounding to match it, particularly as I’d moved into leadership and management roles and was looking to develop myself beyond the playing side of the sport.
“The course has been genuinely useful rather than just theoretically interesting. Being able to apply frameworks around innovation, change management, and business strategy to real challenges. Be it how I lead a squad through a difficult season or how I approach decisions in my role at Swansea RFC, it has made the learning feel immediately relevant. It has also given me a language and structure for the decisions I was already making intuitively, which has boosted my confidence considerably.
More broadly, the MSc has reinforced that the skills developed through elite sport resilience, stakeholder management, high-performance culture, and leadership under pressure are genuinely transferable, and has helped me articulate and apply those skills in a wider business and leadership context. I’d recommend it to anyone looking to strengthen the professional foundations behind their coaching career.”
Jordan Evans, Duty Manager at Swansea Bay Sports Park:
“‘I have thoroughly enjoyed the course and have greatly developed my knowledge of management theory and the concept and applications of innovation and entrepreneurship. I seek to develop and integrate these skills and knowledge into my professional career. I would recommend this course to anyone, especially those with full time personal and professional commitments due to the flexible structure of the course”.
James Beech, Recreational Assistant at Freedom Leisure:
“I am thoroughly enjoying the process of learning and developing my knowledge and experience on the advanced management, sports business and leadership programme. I have particularly found the process of learning about strategy and entrepreneurship very beneficial. Learning these modules has given me the extra knowledge and experience that I desire to progress further in my career.
“I hope to continue progressing through this course to further understand where to look for future career opportunities, and how to exploit them. The modules have been spaced out nicely with added flexibility for individuals like myself who work full time, which has allowed me to continue studying while I work. I highly recommend this course for anybody considering.”
Interested in applying for our MSc in Advanced Management (Sport Business and Leadership) at Swansea University?