Qualifications and labels explained

Qualification levels

Certificate

A certificate as named by the provider or a national system. It may be a university certificate, a vocational qualification or a provider-issued award. Not a degree.

Diploma

A diploma as named by the provider or a national system. It is a degree only if the awarding body is degree-granting and the award itself is a degree; otherwise it is not.

Associate degree

A two-year undergraduate degree awarded by a degree-granting institution (mostly in the United States and Canada).

Foundation degree

A UK-style foundation degree (for example FdSc), shown only where the provider uses that award.

Bachelor’s degree

An undergraduate degree such as a BSc, BA, BS, BKin or national equivalent such as a Licence or Laurea. The exact title is always shown.

Graduate certificate

A short postgraduate-level academic certificate. It is not a master's degree.

Postgraduate certificate

A postgraduate certificate (PGCert). It is not a master's degree.

Postgraduate diploma

A postgraduate diploma (PGDip). It is not a master's degree.

Master’s degree

A postgraduate degree such as an MSc, MA, MS, MEd or LLM, or a verified national equivalent. Each is shown as published.

MBA (sports specialization)

A Master of Business Administration, listed only when it has an explicit sports specialization. A generic MBA is not listed.

Research doctorate (PhD)

A research doctorate (PhD, Dr. rer. nat. and equivalents) with a verified sport or exercise focus.

Professional doctorate

A professional doctorate relevant to sport. It is not the same as a licence to practise.

Professional qualification

A credential from a professional or governing body, for example a coaching licence or practitioner certification. Not an academic degree.

Continuing education

A university or college continuing-education award. Not a degree.

No formal award

A structured course, camp or program with no formal award. A completion certificate, if any, confirms attendance only.

We keep the official award name in its original language and never convert an international award into another country's equivalent. A national framework level (for example EQF or AQF) is shown only when a source states it. Qualification level is separate from course duration: a short course can be postgraduate and a long one can carry no award.

Who issues the award

Academic award

Awarded by a degree-granting institution.

Vocational qualification

A vocational qualification listed in a national system or issued by a national awarding body.

Provider-issued award

Issued by the provider itself. It is not an academic degree; check separately whether any authority recognises it.

Professional-body credential

Issued by a professional or governing body (for example a coaching licence or practitioner certification). It is not an academic degree.

No award

The course or program does not lead to a formal award.

Credential types

A professional certification, an attendance certificate, a coaching licence and an academic degree are different things. Professional programs are labelled with one of these:

Academic degree

A degree awarded by an academic institution. It is a qualification of study, not by itself a licence to practise a regulated profession.

Academic certificate

A university or college certificate or diploma. It is not an academic degree.

Professional certification

A credential issued by a professional body after assessment. It is not an academic degree and is not a licence unless the body says so.

Coaching licence

A coaching licence or badge issued by a governing body. It is not an academic degree.

Attendance certificate

Shows attendance only; no assessed competence is implied.

Provider certificate

Issued by the provider. Check separately whether any authority recognises it.

No credential

No credential is issued.

Recognition labels

Verified in official record

The provider, program or award appears in an accreditor's, regulator's or awarding body's own register or document that we fetched, and the record is cited.

Stated by the provider

The provider says it holds this status on its own website, but we could not confirm it in an official record. Treat it as a claim to check with the body concerned.

Not verified

We could not establish the status from either a record or the provider. It is flagged for review. This is not a negative finding.

Sources conflict

Sources disagree. Both are shown and the record is flagged for review.

Kinds of recognition

Accreditation

Institutional or program accreditation by an accrediting body or authority.

Licence to operate or award

Authorisation from a government body to operate or to award qualifications.

Registration

The provider is registered with an authority, which is not the same as accreditation of a course.

Qualification listing

The award appears in a national qualification register or framework.

Quality mark

A quality label from a body that reviews providers. Check what the review covers.

Association membership

Membership of an association. Membership is not accreditation.

Partner-awarded degree

The qualification is awarded by a partner institution rather than by the provider.

Professional-body endorsement

A professional body endorses or recognises the course for its own purposes. Check what that body’s recognition allows.

Governing-body licence

A national federation or confederation licenses the provider or the course (for example UEFA coaching licences).

Association membership is not accreditation, and we never use “recognised worldwide” badges. Recognition matters most where a degree, a licence or funding is involved.

Club relationships

For every football program linked to a club we show who actually operates it and the evidence for the link:

Operated by the club

The club itself (or its own foundation) organises the program, as shown on an official club page.

Officially licensed

An outside operator runs the program under a licence the club itself documents.

Official partner

The club names the operator as an official partner for this program.

Independent provider

The provider has no club tie we could establish, or operates in its own right.

Relationship not confirmed

A club is named but the relationship could not be established from official sources. A logo, shirt, visiting coach or rented stadium is not an affiliation.

How places are allocated (training)

Open paid enrolment

Anyone can book and pay for a place, subject to availability and the published age rules.

Application-based admission

Places are allocated after an application; being accepted is not guaranteed.

Trial or selection

Entry depends on a trial or selection process. Attending a trial does not guarantee a place.

Invitation only

Only invited players can join. Listed for information.

Not currently accepting applications

Public information about a program that is not currently accepting applications.

Enrolment method not published

The provider does not publish how places are allocated. Contact the provider.

Missing information is never read as open enrolment. A club's professional youth squad is not a publicly enrollable program and is not listed.

Regulated professions

Athletic training, physiotherapy, sports psychology, nutrition, sports medicine, physical education and sports law touch regulated roles or protected titles. A course in these subjects is academic study or continuing education; whether it leads to registration is decided by the regulator in your country. Each program says who it is for, whether prior registration is required, and links to current official requirements where we found them.

What status is not

• It is not a quality score or a ranking.
• It is not a promise of admission, selection, scholarships, trials, contracts or a career.
• It does not establish visa eligibility or credit transfer.
• Providers and sponsors cannot buy or award themselves a verified status. Only research and review set it, with an audit trail.

See also the research methodology and the guide coaching qualifications vs academic degrees.