Perry Littman

BSc (Hons) Sports Performance Analysis

Since I graduated from the University of Suffolk, I have had a number of jobs in the Sports analysis and media industry.

My degree introduced me into filming sporting events, using filming equipment and coding software, this allowed me to get a job where I was traveling and filming a lot of the women’s football, providing the club’s analysts with footage from the games.

In my second year at university, one of the modules we had was to create a highlights show for a matchday in Spanish football, where we had to consider presentation and graphics. I now currently work as a Sports Graphics Operator for live TV, providing on screen graphics and Virtual Studio Operations for BBC, ITV and TNT Sports. Recent projects I have worked on have been Wimbledon, Olympics and UEFA Champions League.

My time at university helped prepare me for working in live sporting events, working with coding software and creating the best way to present data into a graphic. I have had an impressive and diverse journey in the sports analysis and media industry, especially with the mix of technical skills I’ve developed along with the hands-on experience in live events. The combination of filming, coding, and sports graphics clearly gave me a unique perspective and skill set.

The University provided opportunities to get work experience at professional football clubs while we studied our degrees. I spent a year with Southend United and then 3 years with Colchester United. Filming and providing analysis reports for the Academy and first teams. Putting what I was learning at the time and gaining experience at a football club.

Studying at the University of Suffolk gave me the opportunities and opened doors for me to enter the world of sports analysis and media. The hands-on experience I gained working with Southend United and Colchester United was invaluable, especially in terms of bridging the gap between academic learning and real-world application. It’s not every day that students get that kind of direct involvement with both the academy and first teams. It was a great opportunity to build connections in the industry early on.

My time at the University of Suffolk gave me a solid foundation and a clear path into the sports analysis and media world. The mix of theoretical knowledge and practical work experience helped set me up. At the university, we had the latest up-to-date equipment that was also being used at professional football clubs.

We had Lecturers’ who had a career background of working for a professional football club. We also had a number of guests from different football clubs come in and tell us about their roles. I always found something interesting from each person. My lecturer also pushed for my dissertation work to be published into a sports research journal.

Another strength I found the university offered was additional courses, I was able to complete a course in Sports massage, which help me qualify as a therapist where I got to work at a nearby Spa, offering treatments.

Having access to the latest equipment and learning directly from lecturers with real-world experience was incredibly beneficial. The University of Suffolk really set me up with not just

academic knowledge, but also valuable networking opportunities and exposure to industry professionals. It’s so helpful to have that practical insight from guest speakers and lecturers who have worked in the field—it’s a great way to connect theory to practice.

My student experience was all positive during my time of studying. My lecturers, classmates and the course I studied was all brilliant. I really liked the location, being in the heart of Ipswich and taking walks next to the waterfront during breaks. I also found a lot of help at the University Library.