Free courses for the football community in NI
We're providing a selection of free training courses to enhance your career prospects and opportunities. You can do these short courses at any time and at your own pace. These courses are designed to help you gain new skills and boost your CV. You can gain a digital badge or certificate for completing them.
The athlete's journey
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The athlete’s journey: transitions through sport
The athlete’s journey through sport can be characterised by several transitions and periods of change. This course is designed to help you understand that journey, whether in reference to a professional or recreational athlete, and the nature of support they may need at different times. The course also provides practical guidance, whether ...
Free course
24 hours
Level: 2 Intermediate
Free courses
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Personal branding for career success
This free course, Personal branding for career success, considers what a personal brand is and whether you currently have one. You’ll look in detail at theories and examples of personal branding, and relevant marketing processes and practices. You’ll identify the values, skills, knowledge and expertise that you want to promote to employers, and ...
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Managing my money for young adults
This free course, Managing my money for young adults, will help you start to think about managing your finances. You will learn how to budget effectively, and will be encouraged to start thinking about your financial future.
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Learning from sport burnout and overtraining
Sport can place high levels of stress on athletes, coaches and others involved. If unable to cope with these stresses they may be vulnerable to developing burnout. This free course, Learning from sport burnout and overtraining, examines burnout in sport from various perspectives including both the coach’s and athlete’s perspective. Drawing on ...
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Coaching others to coach
Are you responsible for supporting sport and physical activity coaches to become inspirational and excellent in their practice? This course is designed for coach developers, educators, mentors and tutors who support coaches to improve. You will explore how people learn, what are the skills and qualities of an effective coach of coaches, as well ...
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Exploring the psychological aspects of sport injury
Have you ever experienced a sport injury? Have you ever thought there could be a psychological dimension to sport injuries, as well as a physical one? Sport injury is relatively common among sport and exercise participants, and while the physical impact of injury is often easy to recognise, the psychological impact is less obvious. In this ...
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Communication and working relationships in sport and fitness
This free course, Communication and working relationships in sport and fitness, explores the personal skills that underpin so much work in sport and gyms. We often hear employers refer to the importance of these interpersonal relationships or ‘soft skills’ in sport and fitness, and in this unique course you’ll build valuable insights into ...
Study a degree
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BSc (Honours) Sport, Fitness and Coaching
If you're an aspiring or practising leader of sport or fitness activities, this degree will develop your skills and understanding of sports science, psychology, training, coaching and leadership. It will enhance your awareness of your own role, increase your effectiveness at work and develop your communication and analytical skills ? boosting ...
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Testimonial from Bobby Burns
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Productive down-time for professional footballer Bobby Burns
Bobby Burns may only be 21 but he has his mind firmly set on the future. Currently on downtime with a double leg break sustained back in October, the professional footballer is planning for his future. Now halfway through an Open University degree, he flexibly balances his studies and his football career, now currently on loan to Glentoran from ...
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Mental health and wellbeing
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Exercise and mental health
Each year thousands of pounds are spent on medications to treat conditions such as anxiety and depression. These medications often have negative side effects. Exercise is an alternative treatment that is low cost and has few side effects. In this free course, Exercise and mental health, we will look at the links between exercise and improved ...
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Making sense of mental health problems
Over the past century there has been a radical shift in responses to people who experience mental health problems. In this free course, Making sense of mental health problems, you will learn about how key perspectives in the field have made sense of mental health problems. By directly relating key perspectives to a case study, you will reflect ...
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Panic attacks: what they are and what to do about them
Panic attacks: what they are and what to do about them is a free course that should be helpful to anyone who experiences panic or panic attacks, for their family and friends, and anyone more generally interested in mental health and mental health treatment. The course starts by exploring formal definitions of panic and panic attack. These ...
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Supporting children and young people's wellbeing
This free course, Supporting children and young people's wellbeing, looks at some of the broader concerns regarding wellbeing and the idea that children and young people today are increasingly reporting feelings of unhappiness. By completing the activities, you will be introduced to different ways of understanding children and young people’s ...
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Challenging ideas in mental health
Take a new and different look at mental health. This free course, Challenging ideas in mental health, invites you to think differently about life's dilemmas by taking account of the views of all concerned, especially people experiencing mental distress. It explores ideas and practice in mental health, and will appeal to a wide range of people.
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Work and mental health
Although being at work during periods of mental illness can be difficult for those with mental health problems, most people with these difficulties could take paid employment if it were not for numerous barriers in the workplace and the wider community (Centre for Mental Health, 2013). In this free course, Work and mental health, you will look ...
Safeguarding in sport
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FIFA Safeguarding in Sport Award
The FIFA Guardians Safeguarding in Sport Award is a series of five online courses designed to support the work of safeguarding professionals throughout sport.
External link
Introduction to English and Maths
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Everyday English 1
This free course, Everyday English 1, will develop and improve your essential speaking and listening, reading and writing skills for work, study and everyday life.
Free course
48 hours
Level: 1 Introductory
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Everyday English 2
This free course, Everyday English 2, will inspire you to improve your current English skills and help you to communicate more effectively in everyday work and life.
Free course
48 hours
Level: 1 Introductory
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Everyday maths 1
This free course, Everyday maths 1, is designed to bring your learning to life, inspiring you to improve your current maths skills or helping you to remember any areas that you may have forgotten. Working through the examples and interactive activities in this course will help you to, among other things, run a household or make progress in your ...
Free course
48 hours
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Everyday maths 2
This free course, Everyday maths 2, will build on your existing maths skills and help you to feel more confident tackling the maths you come across in everyday situations.
Free course
48 hours
Fees and funding
All undergraduate and postgraduate courses with The Open University can be found here and there's information on fees, funding and bursaries here.
Nearly all of our undergraduate courses have no pre-entry requirements. The PFA NI can support you through degree level study, even without the need to have studied or completed GCSEs/A-Levels (or equivalent).
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Access courses
The OU offers innovative and unique ways for people to return to formal education and work towards gaining a diploma or degree. Join the thousands of people who have studied with us.
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Skills for life
In everyday life, life skills help you to find new ways of thinking and solve problems. They can also build your confidence both in spoken skills and for group collaboration and co-operation
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