WHY RIASA SHOULD BE YOUR #1 CHOICE
Choosing where to study and play football is a major decision. At RIASA, you do not have to choose between a high-quality education and a serious football environment — you can pursue both.
RIASA offers a unique US/UK-accredited university experience, combining an internationally recognised education with a full-time football development programme designed around ambitious student-athletes.
An Education That Gives You More Options
One of the biggest advantages of studying with RIASA is flexibility.
Our Liberal Arts approach allows students to build a broader academic foundation and explore a wider range of career pathways after graduation, rather than being restricted by an overly narrow curriculum.
The US element of the degree also provides excellent transferability. Credits earned during your studies can be transferred back to the United States for continued study where required, while students joining RIASA may also be able to transfer existing college credits into their programme and enter at different stages of their degree.
Whether you complete your full university journey with us or your circumstances change along the way, your education has been designed with flexibility in mind.
Two Cities. One RIASA Experience.
RIASA now operates from two of England’s most exciting cities: Leeds and London.
Both locations offer their own distinctive experience, while sharing the same philosophy: creating an environment where student-athletes can train, study and develop without having to compromise.
RIASA Leeds: A Football-First Environment
Our Leeds programme is based around the historic Weetwood Hall Estate, a former 17th-century manor house set within a semi-rural location just outside the city centre.
Accommodation, academics, training and fitness facilities are all located within minutes of one another, creating a close-knit atmosphere that has become a defining part of the RIASA experience.
The programme is supported by a dedicated team of academic staff, academy personnel, sports specialists and peer leaders, providing a high level of pastoral support throughout your time with us.
RIASA Leeds is intentionally different from the traditional university experience.
Rather than football being an additional activity built around university life, your environment is structured around what matters most to you: training, playing and studying.
It is an experience designed to feel closer to a professional UK football academy than a conventional university campus.
Develop as a Footballer
Our UEFA-qualified coaching staff bring a modern, progressive approach to player development, creating a demanding but supportive professional environment.
Players train at the outstanding facilities at Bodington Football Hub, giving them access to high-quality pitches and a setting built for serious football development.
Away from the pitch, students receive full gym membership at Village Hotel Leeds North, with access to its extensive fitness and recovery facilities, alongside a structured Strength & Conditioning programme.
Every aspect of the programme is designed to help players become stronger, fitter, more intelligent and more complete footballers.
RIASA London: Study and Play in One of the World's Great Cities
RIASA London brings the programme to one of the most exciting and internationally connected cities in the world.
Based in Chiswick Park, our London campus provides a modern university environment within easy reach of central London while retaining the benefits of West London’s greener surroundings.
Students have access to on-site fitness facilities at Virgin Active, with football training taking place at King’s House Sports Ground, just a short distance from campus.
Academically, London provides even greater choice, with a wide selection of undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes across areas including Business, IT, Fashion, Psychology and more.
For students who want greater academic variety while continuing to pursue football at a high level, RIASA London offers an exciting alternative.
An International Experience
Studying with RIASA is about more than what happens in the classroom or on the pitch.
London alone is home to communities representing more than 200 nationalities and hundreds of languages, while both Leeds and London provide students with the opportunity to experience life in the UK, meet people from around the world and immerse themselves in English football culture.
You are not simply travelling overseas to earn a degree.
You are joining an environment designed to challenge you academically, athletically and personally.
Train. Study. Play.
RIASA was created for student-athletes who want more.
More football. More opportunity. More flexibility. More support.
Whether you choose the close-knit, football-first environment of RIASA Leeds or the academic variety and international experience of RIASA London, you become part of a programme built specifically around helping ambitious players maximise their potential on and off the pitch.
Your football career and your education should work together — not compete with each other.
That is the RIASA difference.
