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What does a Software Engineer do?
Software engineers build the digital products, platforms and tools that modern football clubs and sports businesses run on. From club apps and websites to ticketing platforms, analytics tools and internal systems, software engineering is what makes the modern game work. It’s one of football’s fastest growing careers, and increasingly one of the most critical.
What is a Software Engineer?
A software engineer designs, builds and maintains software products and systems. In football the role covers club-facing products (apps, websites, fan zones, ticketing systems), internal systems (CRM, recruitment platforms, analytics dashboards) and the wider technology platforms that clubs increasingly depend on.
Software engineering sits inside digital, IT and football operations teams, and increasingly works across the whole club. Some engineers are generalists working across the full stack. Others specialise in a particular area such as front-end, back-end, mobile, data or platform engineering.
Who do Software Engineers work for?
Football clubs employ software engineers across in-house digital teams, particularly at Premier League level where fan engagement, commercial systems and football operations support full development teams. EFL clubs increasingly employ engineers, often through smaller digital teams covering web, app and internal systems. National governing bodies including the FA, the Premier League and the EFL employ software engineers across their product and platform teams.
Beyond clubs, the football and sports technology industry has grown into a substantial career destination. Companies like Stats Perform, Hudl, Wyscout, Catapult, StatsBomb, Genius Sports and Twenty3 build software products used across the football industry. Broadcasters and sports media platforms (Sky Sports, TNT Sports, DAZN, BBC Sport) employ software engineers across their digital and streaming products. Sports betting operators and fantasy football platforms also employ large engineering teams.
You can also work as a self-employed or freelance software engineer with clients across the sport industry, building products for clubs, agencies and sports technology businesses.
If you’re interested in the infrastructure that software runs on, take a look at our systems engineer career guide. If protecting that software is where your focus lies, our cyber security guide covers that in detail.
What Does a Software Engineer Do Day-to-Day?
The day-to-day work depends on the team you work in and the specialism you focus on. A typical role might involve:
- Writing and reviewing code – building features, fixing bugs and reviewing the work of other engineers
- Designing software systems – working out how new features should be built and how they fit into existing systems
- Working with product and design – collaborating with product managers and designers to turn ideas into working software
- Testing and deploying software – running automated tests, deploying releases and monitoring software in production
- Maintaining existing systems – keeping live products running, fixing issues and managing technical debt
- Collaborating across the engineering team – reviewing code, pairing on tricky problems and contributing to the team’s technical direction
- Continuous learning – keeping up with frameworks, languages and tools across a fast-moving industry
What Skills Does a Software Engineer Need?
- Programming languages (Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, Swift, Kotlin, Go)
- Web frameworks (React, Next.js, Node.js, Django)
- Databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB)
- Version control and collaboration tools (Git, GitHub)
- Cloud platforms (AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud)
- Testing and continuous integration tools
- Understanding of software design patterns and architecture
- Clear communication of technical work to non-technical stakeholders
- Collaboration across product, design, data and operations teams
- Curiosity and a commitment to continuous learning
What is the career path for a Software Engineer?
Your career path as a software engineer typically starts in a graduate or junior engineer role at a club, sports technology company or a wider technology business. With experience you progress into senior engineer, staff engineer or technical lead roles, before moving into engineering management, principal engineering or technical leadership positions such as Engineering Director or Chief Technology Officer.
Software engineering skills are highly transferrable across sport, broadcast, technology, finance and any sector that builds digital products. Many engineers build careers across multiple sectors and product types.
What Types of Software Engineering Work Are There?
Software engineering covers several distinct specialisms. Here’s where engineers typically focus:
- Front-end engineering – building the user-facing parts of websites and apps that fans, players and staff interact with.
- Back-end engineering – building the APIs, databases and services that power digital products.
- Full-stack engineering – working across both front-end and back-end.
- Mobile engineering – building the iOS and Android apps that clubs and sports businesses depend on.
- Data and platform engineering – building the data platforms and infrastructure that analytics and product teams depend on.
- DevOps and site reliability engineering – keeping software running reliably in production.
How Do You Become a Software Engineer in the UK?
A degree in computer science gives you the technical foundation you need for a modern software engineering career. You study programming, algorithms, data structures, software design, databases and the wider principles of how software systems are built and operated.
Practical experience is essential. Many engineers build their first portfolio through side projects, open-source contributions and university coursework before they secure their first paid role. The BSc (Hons) Computer Science at UA92 combines technical depth with applied work, giving you the foundation for a career across the sport industry, broadcast, technology and beyond.
Where can you study computer science?
UA92’s campus is in Old Trafford, at the centre of one of the most digitally active regions in the country. Greater Manchester is home to a substantial technology and broadcast cluster, plus a network of football clubs and sports technology businesses that all employ software engineers. Through industry partnerships including Salford City FC, you have access to opportunities in real digital product environments while you study.
Computer Science BSc (Hons)
Develop the technical, analytical and applied skills to build a career in software engineering across the sport industry and beyond. Co-developed with industry and degrees awarded by Lancaster University.
Explore Course
Cyber Security BSc (Hons)
For students focused on protecting the systems and data that modern organisations depend on.
Explore CourseDo you need a degree to become a software engineer?
Not legally, but most professional roles require either a relevant degree or equivalent industry experience. A degree gives you the academic foundation in computer science, the network and the credibility that are very difficult to build from outside, and is the most direct route into the profession for most people.
What is the difference between a software engineer and a systems engineer?
Software engineers build the software products and applications that organisations depend on. Systems engineers build and maintain the technology infrastructure that software runs on. The two roles work closely together. Take a look at our systems engineer career guide for more.
Which programming languages should I learn?
Most modern software engineers learn at least one general-purpose language (Python, Java, JavaScript) plus the framework relevant to their specialism. The specific languages matter less than developing strong fundamentals in programming, software design and problem-solving. Once you have those, picking up new languages becomes much easier.
Can you work as a freelance or contract software engineer in football?
Yes. Many clubs, agencies and sports technology businesses work with freelance engineers on specific projects, particularly for app development, web builds and analytics platforms. Freelance and contract work is particularly common in front-end, mobile and data engineering.
What is University Academy 92 and where is it based?
University Academy 92 (UA92) is a higher education institution based in Old Trafford, Manchester, co-founded by members of Manchester United’s Class of 92 and Lancaster University. UA92 offers degrees specifically designed around careers in the football and sport industry, alongside broader degrees including the Computer Science BSc (Hons) and Cyber Security BSc (Hons). Degrees are awarded by Lancaster University.
