Sport – Integrated Foundation Year Welcome Pack
Welcome to Integrated Foundation Sport pathway 2026.
Congratulations on receiving an offer to study with us. The information provided below will give you a brief insight into the degree you’ve chosen to study, and what to expect for the year.
We are really excited to offer this sport specific foundation year that has been developed to provide you with the skills required to thrive in your degree, developed by lecturers who are highly experienced teaching on the sport degree pathways.
The course blends theory with real-world application, covering a range of topics tailored to your degree choice, with lots of hands-on learning in our state-of-the-art labs.
Your year is structured in the following way:
Semester 1:
- Foundations in Sport (Matt Carpenter, Lee Waters)
- Professional and Academic Skills for University Study (Matt Carpenter, Lee Waters)
Semester 2:
- Applied Learning Project: (Matt Carpenter, Dr Mairi Mulvenna)
- Professional and Academic Skills for University Study (Matt Carpenter, Dr Mairi Mulvenna)
Course leader
Matt Carpenter, Lecturer in Sport, Exercise and Health
Matt.carpenter@northampton.ac.uk
Your course leader has an overview of the running of the course and can offer guidance and support throughout the year. I am also happy to signpost if you need support from any other service that we offer at the University of Northampton. So, if you’re not sure who to email, don’t hesitate to reach out to me and ask.
Additional staff
- Mairi Mulvenna, Senior Lecturer in Sport Psychology
- Lee Waters, Senior Lecturer in Sport Psychology
In preparation for your course starting in September, we hold an online session beforehand so you can meet your Academic Team and other students studying the same course. These will be held on 16 September at 10am, If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Matt Carpenter: Matt.carpenter@northampton.ac.uk.
Integrated Foundation Year (Sport) – New Starters
- Date: Wednesday 16 September
- Time: 10-11am
- Location: Online
- Link: TBC
When you arrive at the University of Northampton, there’s plenty to get involved with during Welcome Week. However, there are specific sessions taking place as part of your course induction that’ll help you settle in and prepare for teaching to start the following week:
Welcome Session
- Date: Tuesday 22 September
- Time: 1pm-2:30pm
- Location: SZ Lab 1
Preparation and Pre-Arrival tasks
We recommend that you create a LinkedIn profile and join our University of Northampton Sports Network as this can help you with placement positions, jobs and future employment. We regularly share information and extra-curricular opportunities here.
It is not compulsory, but it will help. You will need to provide a profile picture on your account and a title explaining that you are Northampton University Student (including the course you’re enrolled on). You can then join the group.
In addition, we recommend that you search and find the following tutors – Lee Waters, Matt Carpenter and Mairi Mulvenna on LinkedIn to kick start this journey!
Equipment & Uniform
Students are not required to buy any mandatory kit or textbooks to start this course.
Since this is a very hand on, practical course, you will require sportswear for many of the modules. We’ll kick things off by giving you your very own course-branded t-shirt—perfect for all the hands-on, practical sessions you’ll experience in our labs and sports facilities.
You can grab extra branded gear from Kit Locker, but it’s totally up to you. We do recommend having an extra pair of tracksuit bottoms or leggings, especially for work placements or when representing our course at events.
Bonus Perks: At the start of your first term, you could choose from awesome welcome offers—like a free laptop or £500 off halls accommodation. We strongly suggest picking the laptop, since you’ll use it throughout your degree for everything from research to running specific software.
