English university cities and their football clubs
FC Chelsea fan by Aleksandr Osipov, CC BY-SA 2.0, modified
When you study in England, you cannot get away from football - nor should you. Immerse yourself in the local football culture, watch games at the pub with your fellow students, or better yet: Go to the stadium!
Ready for kickoff? Below is a certainly incomplete selection of some of England’s most cherished F.C.s in some of the country’s most popular student cities. We’ll go by population size, starting with the largest:
The country’s capital is home to five teams in the Premier League: Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Crystal Palace and West Ham United. That means that when you study in London, you could concern yourself with nothing but football. But we only recommend that if football is actually part of your curriculum - as, for instance, in the specialised Sport Management degree offered by Birkbeck, University of London.
Two of the best teams in England - and the world - come from Manchester. The historically more successful club is Manchester United. The “Red Devils” have won the championship 20 times, more than any other club.
While Manchester City, its fierce local rival, cannot compare to such long-term statistics, they have been eye-to-eye with ManU in recent seasons. Local derbies are tough, and sometimes violent - but mostly there is a friendly, competitive atmosphere when Red meets Blue. Much alike the friendly rivalry between the city's two large universities, the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan.
Two of England’s most successful football clubs of all time are based in Liverpool: Liverpool F.C., “the Reds”, and Everton F.C., “the Blues”. Against this famous backdrop, the University of Liverpool offers a renowned specialised Football Industries MBA, parts of which are offered in cooperation with UEFA.
Nottingham, in the heart of England, is home to the world’s oldest professional football club, Notts County. While their men’s team currently plays second league (the Football Championship), the Notts County Ladies F.C. plays in the top tier.
The city’s other club, Nottingham Forest is known for its loyal followership. The club enjoyed a lot of success in the 1970s and 80s but fell from grace in the mid to late 90s and has since then not played the Premier League.
Southampton F.C. is not necessarily one of the shining stars in England’s Premier League - undeservedly, though. The team, known by their moniker “the Saints”, had consistently played in the first tier for decades until 2005, when it was relegated. But in recent years, they have fought their way back up from the third tier and have most recently belonged to the top third of the Premier League.
And you may get to experience the Saints’ fighting spirit first-hand if you choose to study Football, Development and Business Management at Southampton Solent University. The Master programme prepares students for key business roles in the football industry.
