Matthew Rodney

BA (Hons) Sports Coaching, 2010

When Matthew Rodney started his degree in Sports Coaching he was a 28 year-old mature student in full-time employment and with a new-born child. He was also a man determined to set up his own business. Today, and with his degree successfully completed, he has achieved his dream and now runs Sport4alluk as a freelance sports coach.

Matthew’s decision to study at Wolverhampton was based primarily on it being his local university and he was quickly pleased with his decision.

“When I called up to enquire about the course I was really impressed with the response of the staff. They showed a true interest in me and in what I had previously achieved. Conscious that I was a mature student this made me feel comfortable and wanted.”

Matthew also joined the University at a time of major development and witnessed first hand the £50 million improvement to facilities.

“I saw the transformation of the Walsall campus – the new buildings were very modern and were a great place to learn.”

During his studies Matthew took the opportunity to do brief stints working abroad in Germany, Finland and Poland to add to his work experience and his CV.

“I’d recommend to everyone to do as much travelling as possible as it not only broadens your knowledge and learning capacity but it also ignites creativity.”

Setting up Sport4alluk

It was also in his final year that Matthew set up Sport4alluk.

“I used the coaching skills and knowledge that I was learning to set up Sport4alluk and this gave me another way of earning money to support my family”, he explains. “I also had a Saturday morning junior soccer school where I was able to obtain professional coaching qualifications.”

When Matthew graduated in 2010 he was able to turn his full attention to his company and today, as his own boss, he enjoys the challenges of a busy day.

“I get up at 6am every day and after training in the gym, walking the dogs and taking my daughter to school I start work. Being my own boss requires a lot of discipline and I spend time every morning responding to enquiries and keeping on top of the paperwork.

After that I can focus on the more exciting things like training sessions and planning for the next game. I also make time each day to investigate new investment or investor opportunities as it’s important to always think about where the money will be coming from!”

And Matthew recognises how his degree has helped him achieve his career.

“My degree gave me the capacity to think at a much deeper level than before and really raised my awareness of the sport and coaching industry. It has also given me a much needed boost to my self-esteem as I now know that I can focus and work on a project for a length of time.”

“I have some great memories of being at Wolverhampton, obviously the greatest was actually graduating as it meant I had achieved what I had set out to achieve and all the hard work was worth it!”

Matthew has the following advice for prospective students.

“View your degree as an investment and treat it as a growing stock that gets better the more effort you put in.“

As part of Sport4alluk Matthew also runs a Football Academy for 16-19 year olds based in Birmingham. For more information contact: info@matthewrodney.com