Marjon students selected for Argyle placements

Released: 31.03.23

Four students from Plymouth Marjon University have been selected by Plymouth Argyle Football Club for integrated placements as part of their degrees.

Following a formal recruitment process, Jimmy Dickinson, Head of Recruitment at PAFC, selected the four Marjon students to work alongside the football club to support the completion of their degrees. The students will be working as Performance Analysts to assess the match and players and deliver support to the PAFC first team, whilst also working to support player recruitment.

Keaton Meagan, studying BA Football Coaching and Development at Marjon and one of the students selected by PAFC, commented: “This placement has been an amazing experience so far; I've loved every second and I've learned a lot about recruitment already. I love getting an insight into how professional football clubs work and run within recruitment. It has opened my eyes and it is something I'd definitely be interested in as a future career”.

The placement comes after the University moved to focus on an integrated approach to its football provision to include strong industry partnerships and networks. Students studying the BA Football Coaching and Development and BSc Football Science programmes at Marjon complete 100 hours of industry placements in their second year.

Marjon Lecturers, Dr Phil Brown and Chris Smietanka, said: ‘This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to engage in knowledge exchange, from academic learning to applied practice, by working with experts in talent recruitment and performance at Plymouth Argyle. This partnership offers our students industry experience to support their future careers in professional football once they have completed their degrees.’

Jimmy Dickinson, Head of Recruitment for Argyle, added:
‘Through working alongside the University we have created placement opportunities for students, and Argyle now has three Plymouth Marjon graduates working in first-team and academy performance analysis roles, with another currently in their second year of placement alongside their postgraduate degree. We are excited to be working closely with Marjon to provide opportunities for students, and for those students, in turn, to play a tangible role in taking the club to the next level.’

Marjon Football Alumni have been successful in securing employment with PAFC following their graduation from the University. The Alums are in Performance Analyst roles for the Club.

The University strives to promote industry involvement and support its students in applying science and theory into practice to support their education and professional development. This model of education increases the students’ employability and career prospects.

If you’re interested in studying for a degree in football or sports at Marjon, see more here.