Aiming to impact football within the HE sector, our Football Development team work across core areas of participation and workforce.
Our work engaged:
- 64,005 Participants
- 89 Accredited Universities
- 345 Students attending workforce opportunities
The infographic below summarises the impact the team has made throughout 2025-26.
The programmes and opportunities to achieve this engagement is delivered by a team of four members of staff. This season, we welcomed Beth Edwards and Kelvin Newell to the team, who have been working alongside Sean Lofting and Alai Ayyakannu across various programmes. We sadly said goodbye to Maddie Massey and Dan Matthews, who achieved exceptional success in their time in the BUCS Football Development team. The video below features the team at our events across the season.
Women’s Leadership Programme
Cohort 7 of Women’s Leadership Programme supported 22 students in developing the behaviours, skills, confidence and network to achieve their ambitions of working in football, diversifying the football workforce. This season saw us enter a new partnership with Women in Football; they have led the delivery of the three residentials to empower the female students and connect them to their expansive network.
Students on the programme felt more prepared for a role in football, with 83% feeling ready comparted to 41% at the start of the programme. Similarly, awareness of opportunities in the game rose from 46% to 88% through the programme. 100% of students felt more confident and resilient because of completing the programme.
The impact report from CREAS Consulting details a more in-depth review of the programme’s impact this season.
Emerging Club Leaders
The second cohort of Emerging Club Leaders saw 54 students placed at Non-League of Women’s National League clubs in off-pitch roles throughout 2025-26, completing over 2,800 hours of volunteering. Students launched club TikTok accounts, grew attendances, ran charity days, launched sponsorship packages and created new marketing teams at their clubs.
The programme is supported by a Club Liaison Consultant and five mentors, who ensure the club and student experience of the programme is positive. A graduation event was hosted at Wembley Stadium as part of non-league finals day to celebrate the achievements of the cohort.
The impact report from CREAS Consulting details a more in-depth review of the programme’s impact this season.
Funded Projects
The BUCS Football Development team funded 12 projects across participation and refereeing in 2025-26, impacting 24 universities with a total of £21,500 distributed directly to institutions to deliver. This provided participation opportunities for 743 students, developed 57 student activators and qualified 66 new student referees.
This included a collaborative project in the Yorkshire region, led by Leeds Beckett University to provide female recreational football opportunities. The innovative new approach of a series of recreational festivals allowed new players, or those not wanting to participate in BUCS competition, a chance to play football with their peers and represent their university.
Credit - Andrea Thornton
We would like to thank The Football Association for their continued support of BUCS throughout this season, and in supporting with plans to evolve all our offer throughout the remainder of the current strategy. Additionally, thank you to all accredited universities for their continued engagement in Football Development programmes. The 2026-27 season starts with our Football Development Network Day in Coventry on Friday 11 September, which is open for registrations for staff until Friday 28 August.
