This content is associated with The Open University's Sport and Fitness courses and qualifications.
Euro 2022
Read our football content on the women's game, offering an insight into the challenges faced by females playing the beautiful game.
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Growing the popularity of women’s football in the UK
England's three group games at the 2022 UEFA European Championships are a sell-out and Alex Twitchen looks at the how women's football in the UK can become even bigger.
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How inclusive is women’s football?
Despite it being an important site for gender equality, not everyone’s experiences in women’s football are the same.
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Why do female footballers experience knee injuries and what can be done?
A study in 2019 found female footballers had more than double the incidence rate of an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury compared to male football players. Nigel Wright looks at the reasons behind this.
Fanatical about sport? Try one of our free courses
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Supporting female performance in sport and fitness
Do you support women’s performance in sport or fitness as a coach or parent? Are you a female athlete who wants to optimise your performance using recent research insights? If so, then this free course is for you. It addresses the problem of sports science research traditionally being male dominated and the assumption that if it works for men ...
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The business of football
This free course, The business of football, was produced by The Open University working in partnership with The English Football League Trust. If you are fascinated by men's and women's football and interested in discovering more about business and management, then this engaging and stimulating course is for you.
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Sporting women in the media
The mass media (e.g. radio, TV, internet) has become one of the most powerful institutional influences in society. This free course, Sporting women in the media, explores whether gendered inequalities exist in sport by evaluating the media coverage. The media can be highly influential in shaping perceptions about gender in sport and headlines ...
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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 ...
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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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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 ...
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Exploring sport coaching and psychology
This free course, Exploring sport coaching and psychology, investigates how scientific and management ideas contribute to success while also taking you on a journey through unique sporting case studies and insights that will change how you view and study sport. You will consider how the mind, the body, the environment and training techniques all...
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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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The football World Cup: where sport and politics collide
Occasionally, controversies arise that remind us of the link between sport and politics. It was once common for leading figures in the sporting world to declare that sport was, effectively, a politics-free zone. Sport was cast as the perpetual innocent party, liable to be corrupted by any connection with politics. However, it has become ...
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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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Training for endurance in sport and fitness
In this free course you will explore an important aspect of strength and conditioning which refers to the physical preparation of athletes: endurance. You will look at the physiological factors that underpin endurance and assess how endurance can be developed relative to performance in a range of sports.
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Training for speed and power in sport and fitness
In this free course you will explore two aspects of strength and conditioning in sport and fitness: speed and power. Strength and conditioning is the physical preparation of athletes and in this course you will explore the physiology of speed before looking at training methods to develop speed. You will also look at power which is a concept ...
Women in sport
Discover a series of articles on women in sport, such as the challenges faced when returning to compete after becoming a mother, plus learn about the new course Supporting female performance in sport and fitness, which will be released soon.
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Women in sport
Ever thought about sports and wondered, but what about for a woman? These articles cover specific topics concerning women in sport, considering questions such as, what if Eliod Kipchoge was a woman? Are women leaders the key to growing women’s sport? What about motherhood, what are the challenges in returning to sport or starting up a new sport?
Article
Level: 1 Introductory
A game of two halves
Read more football related content, including can you train for penalty shoot-outs?
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Can you train for penalty shoot-outs?
England has one of the worst records for penalty shoot-outs in international football competitions - could purposeful practise end this?
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Concussion in football: Is it time to get ahead of the game?
Recently concussion in football has become a serious issue for debate, and with the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 and FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 coming-up, it's likely to be in the spotlight once again.
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Highs and lows and highs again: How football has changed in the past 50 years
Money has had a huge impact on football in the previous 50 years. Simon Rea investigates the key changes over this period to our national game.
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Stefan Szymanski on the business of football
When it comes to the business of football, you get what you pay for. Stefan Szymanski provides an insight into the professional side of the sport.
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Football culture: the use of banners
What role do team banners play in the wider context of football culture?
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Technology in sport since 1969
Ben Langdown looks at the impact technology has had on the sporting World in the past 50 years. From drug cheats to how we watch sport - it's all covered.
The beautiful game(s)
Coach an athlete to sporting glory in our Medal Quest game, or discover your perfect sport in our Olympisize Me interactive.
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Medal Quest: Can you guide a promising young athlete to championship success?
Can you help a talented child athlete make it all the way to the Olympic finals based on the choices you make for them at key stages in their development? Try our game and find out.
Activity
Level: 1 Introductory
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