UK’s ‘football university’ merges with pop music school

The UK’s first “football university” is to merge with a leading provider of creative arts education.

In the latest consolidation of institutions in UK higher education, the University Campus of Football Business (UCFB) has announced it will become a college of BIMM University, a multi-campus organisation which teaches courses in pop music, performing arts, creative technology and film to more than 8,000 students.

Founded in 2011, UCFB was billed as the world’s first higher education dedicated to football business with its original campus based at Burnley FC’s Turf Moor stadium. It later moved its north-west operations to Manchester and opened a second site opening at Wembley Stadium in London.

Among its initial advisors was Alastair Campbell, the former Downing Street spokesman under Tony Blair and a high-profile Burnley fan, while several ex-Premier League stars including Joleon Lescott, Wes Morgan and Jason McAteer are among its alumni. It has frequently hosted talks by leading Premier League managers and players – both past and present – including Michael Carrick, Neil Warnock and Dion Dublin.

Under the new tie-up, UCFB’s 2,400 students will continue to study at its campuses in London and Manchester, with degrees now awarded by BIMM University. Previously its degrees were accredited by Bucks New University and later the University of East London.

The new collaboration covers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes spanning football business, sports management, coaching, performance analysis, sports psychology, journalism, broadcasting and related disciplines.

Brendan Flood, chief executive officer at UCFB, said the merger “marks an important next chapter for UCFB” with both institutions sharing a “commitment to specialist education that connects academic learning with the skills and experience students need to build their careers”.

“This partnership provides a foundation for UCFB’s continued development, building on our industry relationships and the specialist learning experience we offer in Wembley and Manchester,” said Flood.

BIMM University has been one of the UK‘s fastest-growing private universities over the past decade. Owned by private equity firm Sovereign Capital, it has grown from a single music college in Brighton with around 1,000 students in 2010 to more than 8,000 students spread across the UK, Ireland and Germany.

Olivier Robert-Murphy, chief executive and vice-chancellor of BIMM University, which comprises BIMM Music Institute, MetFilm School, MetStudios, and Performers College, also welcomed the move, stating the merger was “an important step in our development as a specialist university”.

“UCFB brings expertise in football, sport and media, with strong industry relationships and a clear focus on preparing students for their careers,” he said, adding: “These strengths complement our approach to education and open opportunities to work together across disciplines, particularly where sport connects with business, media and entertainment.”

The mergers is the latest tie-up between existing UK higher education institutions in recent years, with the universities of Kent and Greenwich joining forces to operate as a single university this autumn, while the postgraduate-only Cranfield University is set to become a faculty of King’s College London by August 2027.

Last month the London Interdisciplinary School, the first UK higher education institution to be given degree-awarding powers at inception in 2021 since the University of Warwick in 1965. announced it had been acquired by French business school EMLyon.

In 2024 the Clerkenwell-based City University of London merged with the stand-alone south London medical school St George’s, also then-part of University of London, with the new institution rebranded as City St George’s University of London.

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com