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Ex-professional footballer realises her goal of becoming a sports lecturer
01/09/2023
A University of Wolverhampton School of Sport graduate and record-breaking women’s footballer is joining her Alma Mater after realising her goal of becoming a lecturer.
Former Lioness footballer and Champions League semi-finalist, Kerys Harrop, studied on the Postgraduate Research in Sport course at the University's Walsall Campus where she gained vital skills in leadership, communication and teamwork as part of her Master’s degree.
After recently announcing her retirement from football, she has revealed that she’s all set to become a Lecturer on the Football Coaching and Performance degree course in the School of Sport at Walsall Campus. She starts in her new role on 1 September 2023.
She recently made the news after breaking the record for most Women's Super League (WSL) appearances by playing 183 games in the competition.
The former Tottenham Hotspur defender, who was part of the Great Britain team to win Gold in Kazan at the 2013 World University Games, completed an internship at one of the University's partner professional football clubs.
Harrop made her WSL debut in 2011 for Birmingham City, where she played 135 league games. In her nine years there, the former England Under-20 defender helped Birmingham to two second-placed league finishes and FA Cup success in 2012.
Harrop joined Spurs in 2020 and has since played 43 times in the competition.
Talking about her new career, she said: “My main aim coming onto the course and the degree full-time is to hopefully improve female recruitment, I definitely want to see more females coming through the door. Also sharing my knowledge and experience in the WSL as a professional footballer. I've got a lot of experience not just as a player but also being coached by some fantastic coaches. So just definitely want to share that knowledge I have with the students.”
Rus Smith, Football Coaching and Performance Lecturer at the University, said: “Having Kerys here adds massive value not only as a Master’s degree graduate, former Lioness and FA Cup winner but, more importantly, as a role model to help inspire more women into studying with a view to getting careers in sport in the future. She is our signing of the summer and one that we hope to see the impact for many years to come.”
As part of their curriculum, students studying for the Football Coaching and Performance degree course get real life, hands-on experience in a number of key roles – Earning and learning to embed coaching, analysis and leading a team in a range of settings and partners such as Wolves, WBA, Walsall and other clubs/teams is essential. Key skills learned on placements and work experiences offer students the skillset they need to pursue a career in football and coaching in future careers.
Find out more about the degree courses offered in the School of Sport or visit one of our forthcoming Open Days.
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