Adam Pringle

For professional badminton player Adam Pringle, the flexibility offered by The Open University (OU) in Scotland has made it possible for him to compete across the world and simultaneously gain new knowledge to support both his athletic and coaching career.

Adam, aged 25 and living in Glasgow, first heard about the OU in Scotland from fellow athletes on the Scottish national badminton team, who had found studying at the university fitted perfectly alongside training.

He explains: “I chose to study the Certificate of Higher Education in Sport, Fitness and Management as I thought it would be a useful tool alongside my own sporting career.

“It offered lots of information about training, recovery and nutrition, which are all extremely relevant to my own training. 

“I also coach alongside my training and it has been helpful to apply the knowledge I’ve taken from the course too.”

Adam was able to undertake the qualification as his fees are covered by the Part-Time Fee Grant and top up funding from the OU.

He adds: “This allowed me to put more money towards my sport for the year, which has been a massive help.”

He was also awarded a scholarship from Winning Students, which supports 100 of Scotland’s most talented athletes studying in Higher and Further Education across the country.

“Winning Students has helped greatly throughout my studies with their financial award, as this helps to cover the costs of competitions, which involve a lot of travel,” Adam says. 

“It means that I can work less and focus on my training and studies. They also provide kit and some equipment to use for studying.”

‘Time to plan’

Having previously graduated with an undergraduate degree in chemistry at a bricks and mortar university, Adam found studying online with the OU in Scotland “a totally different experience”.

“It’s allowed me more flexibility, especially when travelling and competing, which is great! 

“I can also learn at my own pace and the OU study notes keep me on track with what week of study I should be on,” he comments.

Competing in badminton competitions across the world and currently with a world ranking of 66 in Men’s Doubles, Adam regularly travels to Europe to compete as part of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour and the European Badminton Circuit, while he has also had the opportunity to play in Thailand and Malaysia.

Over the summer, he will be playing in Canada, followed by the BWF World Championships in India.

Balancing his professional sports career with completing his OU studies, Adam comments: “It allows me to study whenever I’m free. 

“Although my schedule is very busy with training, competing and working, I’m generally able to find time to study even if I fall a week or so behind.

“The details of each assignment are given well in advance, so I have plenty of time to plan and complete them within my schedule.”

‘Fantastic option for sports professionals’

Now that he is close to gaining his qualification in sport, fitness and management, Adam shares: “My OU studies have definitely made me more conscious of my choices outside training, such as my recovery and nutrition. 

“I’ve also used some knowledge for coaching junior players in the pathway sessions.”

If you are a professional athlete looking to study alongside a busy training schedule, then the OU is a fantastic option.”

Having played badminton for most of his life, joining the national team when he left high school, and being inspired by his own dad’s career as a badminton coach and competitor at the 1986 Commonwealth Games, coaching is an area that he is considering, with the knowledge gained from his course opening up opportunities to complete a relevant sports-specific course in the future.

After successfully completing this year’s module, he plans to continue studying with the OU next year and is thinking about doing a course in economics or personal finance. 

To any other sportspeople thinking of studying, Adam concludes: “If you are a professional athlete looking to study alongside a busy training schedule, then the OU is a fantastic option. 

“It offers flexibility of study that is vital in allowing you to complete your studies in your own time and to the best of your ability. I’m looking forward to completing the rest of my studies with the OU in Scotland, alongside my full-time badminton career. 

“I hope to see more athletes taking the opportunity to learn more through the OU!”

Photos by Lucas Noyon at Badminton Photo.