Everything You Need to Know About Our In-Person Sports Open Day

Assessing an athlete’s injury and supporting their return to sport. Planning a coaching session or helping young people build confidence through physical education. Helping individuals regain strength and movement. These are just some of the directions a career in sport can take.

Whether you already know the pathway you want to follow or are still weighing up your options, Portobello Institute’s in-person Sports Open Day gives you the opportunity to explore different routes into a professional career in sport.

You’ll be able to compare study options, understand where different programmes can lead, and get guidance on the pathway that best fits your ambitions.

During the Open Day, you can:

• Hear directly from programme leads, tutors, current students, and Portobello’s Enrolments team
• Explore our BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy, BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching & Physical Education, and MSc Physiotherapy (Pre-registration) programmes in more detail
• Learn about career opportunities in sports therapy, coaching, physical education, and physiotherapy
• See our classrooms and facilities and get a feel for the learning environment
• Ask questions about applications, entry requirements, progression, and next steps

Three Directions Your Career in Sport Could Take

The Sports Open Day at Portobello Institute’s central Dublin campus will focus on three key areas of study and progression: sports therapy, sports coaching and physical education, and physiotherapy.

Sports Therapy

Can you picture yourself assessing an injury, creating a rehabilitation plan, and helping someone return safely to the activity they love? If so, sports therapy could be the right path for you.

At the Open Day, you can learn more about our BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy and how it builds the practical knowledge and professional skills needed to work in injury prevention, assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation.

Programme Lead Cathal Brady will give an overview of the programme. Cathal brings extensive industry experience to his teaching, having spent 11 seasons playing semi-professional football in the League of Ireland before qualifying as a sports therapist and establishing his own sports injury clinic.

His career in sports therapy has seen him work with athletes and teams across soccer, rugby, and GAA. That combination of experience as both a player and practitioner has given him first-hand insight into injury, rehabilitation, and the demands of sport.

During the Open Day, you will discover:

• How this undergraduate degree combines academic study with hands-on, practical learning
• The core areas you will study, including anatomy, injury assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation
• How your skills develop as you progress through the programme
• The career pathways and opportunities open to sports therapy graduates
• Advanced-entry options for applicants with relevant previous qualifications
• How the degree can provide a progression pathway to postgraduate study, including Portobello Institute’s MSc Physiotherapy (Pre-registration)

Current student Nadine will also be there on the day to share her experience of studying sports therapy at Portobello and offer a first-hand perspective on the programme.

Sports Coaching and Physical Education

For those drawn to coaching, PE, sports development, or helping others become more active, the BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching & Physical Education opens up several possible career directions.

At the Open Day, you can take a closer look at how the degree blends coaching practice, physical education, sport science, and applied experience, while keeping both coaching and teaching-related options open.

Programme Lead Anthony Sheriff will talk through the programme and what students can expect from it. For Anthony, higher education opened up possibilities he had not initially imagined, turning an interest in PE into a career spanning teaching, coaching, and sport psychology.

He went on to qualify as a PE teacher, complete a master’s in Sport and Exercise Psychology, and work with high-level athletes, building a career that brings together education, psychology, and performance.

Topics covered on the day will include:

• How the three-year degree can be studied through in-person or blended learning
• The mix of coaching, movement, pedagogy, anatomy, exercise physiology, nutrition, inclusion, and leadership within the curriculum
• The role of placements in coaching and PE settings
• Career opportunities across coaching, sports development, physical activity, and education
• How the degree allows you to develop skills and experience across both coaching and PE before deciding where to focus
• Progression towards becoming a PE teacher through a Professional Master of Education in Physical Education (PME PE)

Current student Leah Tarpey will also share her experience of the BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching & Physical Education while balancing her studies with elite-level rugby. Leah plays for Leinster and Ireland and studies through the blended learning option, which has allowed her to continue pursuing her rugby career alongside her degree.

Physiotherapy

If you’re drawn to a career helping people restore movement, recover from injury, manage pain, and regain independence, physiotherapy could be the direction for you.

At the Sports Open Day, you can explore one pathway towards becoming a physiotherapist – progressing from Portobello’s BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy to the MSc Physiotherapy (Pre-registration).

Tutor and Practice Education Coordinator Sarah Goodwin will lead the physiotherapy session. Sarah plays a key role in the MSc Physiotherapy (Pre-registration) programme, helping to connect students’ academic learning with the practical experience that prepares them for professional practice. She works closely with Programme Lead Dr Courtney Feike.

During the physiotherapy session, you will learn:

• How the BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy provides a progression pathway to Portobello’s MSc Physiotherapy (Pre-registration)
• What the two-year MSc Physiotherapy (Pre-registration) involves, including its programme content, practical learning, and clinical experience
• What knowledge and practical skills you build at undergraduate level before progressing to postgraduate study
• What career opportunities are available in physiotherapy
• What ‘pre-registration’ means, how the MSc prepares you for professional registration with HCPC in the UK and provides an established route to apply for CORU registration in Ireland

What to Expect from the Day

The Sports Open Day is designed to give you a practical sense of each programme, the careers they can lead to, and what your next steps could look like.

Register for Our Open Day and Discover Your Pathway into Sport

Join us on 1st September to meet the people behind our sports programmes, ask your questions, and get a clearer sense of which pathway is right for you. Click here to register your attendance.

Visit Portobello Institute’s sports faculty to explore BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy, BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching & Physical Education, and MSc Physiotherapy (Pre-registration) in greater depth.