Student Blog

This is a guest blog by Leah Jordan-Cooper, who is studying BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy.

My name is Leah, and I am currently on my sandwich placement year as a Sports Therapy student at semi-professional football club, Swindon Supermarine FC.

I’ve known since an early age that I wanted to work in sports. I knew Sports Therapy was the perfect degree for me because I’m so passionate about sports and have a keen interest in injuries and rehabilitation. When considering where to study, Bournemouth particularly stood out to me because of the possibility of a placement year, the excellent location, and the overall friendly atmosphere at the university.

My first two years studying at Bournemouth University have been great, despite my first year being online due to COVID-19, we were finally able to get stuck into the practical side in second year and put all of our theory into practice. A unit I particularly enjoyed was Soft Tissue & Therapeutic Modalities because we got to use various pieces of equipment as forms of treatment like, ultrasound, interferential and TENS machines which were all really interesting and good to get familiar with for future use.

During my second year I started to contact a range of professional and semi-professional football clubs to do a potential placement year with. I managed to secure a placement with Swindon Supermarine FC, and so far, it has been a great experience and taught me a lot. As a semi-professional club, they have a small number of staff, with just one sports therapist, which has provided me with a very personable experience. This has enabled me to have greater involvement in the medical department and has granted me more responsibilities and tasks, which has ultimately improved my confidence.

After I finish my placement year, my goal will be to complete my final year to a high standard and to provide first aid for a sports team to gain additional experience. As women’s football has advanced so much, particularly since the Lionesses won the Euros, working in women’s football is what I could potentially see myself doing in the future. Women’s football has broken numerous attendance, broadcast, and social media engagement records, and it is growing in popularity and creating more job opportunities.

I would recommend a placement year to any student because it provides numerous benefits like, providing an insight into what working life is like, adding invaluable work experience to your CV that is appealing to future employers, and allowing you to develop your skills while also learning new ones.