Charlie Telfer

Studying with The Open University (OU) gave Scottish professional footballer Charlie Telfer the opportunity to continue pursuing his football career while gaining his Bachelor of Laws (LLB Honours).  

“Going to a ‘brick university’ would be much more challenging, and almost impossible, due to my full-time footballing schedule,” he says.

Charlie had the opportunity to play football full-time after completing his Standard Grades, but chose to stay on at school to complete his Highers. 

“After seeing all my school friends go off to university, I felt I was capable of doing a degree,” he adds.

“My goal was to get my five Highers and then pursue a career in football. As a result, university was always going to come second to football.” 

Balancing football and studies

Charlie was supported to study through the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Scotland, the independent trade union for professional footballers, which supports its members to access educational opportunities and prepare for a future career off the pitch.

I would say to other footballers or professionals to seriously consider it, and I would also actively encourage them to do it. There is such a wide variety of subjects to choose from and the OU is so flexible."

He highlights: “PFA Scotland helped me financially with my studies and provided a grant for each year of study. I also believe that they would have provided me with additional support if I was struggling with managing my degree.”

A midfielder at Scottish Premiership side Ross County, Charlie’s professional career has included stints at Rangers, Dundee United and Airdrie – where he was 2023-24 player of the year and players’ player of the year – as well as Greenock Morton, Falkirk and Dutch football club Almere City. It was while playing at Tannadice that Charlie began his OU law studies.

He explains: “Stuart Armstrong was the first person I knew who had studied with the OU. When I moved in with him at Dundee United, it showed me that it was possible to play at a high level whilst studying.

“This eradicated any concerns that I would not be able to balance football and my studies.

“I would say to other footballers or professionals to seriously consider it, and I would also actively encourage them to do it. There is such a wide variety of subjects to choose from and the OU is so flexible with how you do it,” Charlie says.

Options for the future

“The OU really does allow you to do it while focusing on football. Since starting my degree, I have seen more players take this on as soon as they see that it is more than possible to juggle football with studying. 

The OU has shown me that it is possible to balance your footballing career with other opportunities."

“On the few occasions where fixtures were rearranged or there were changes to the training schedule, the OU were very accommodating and often provided an extension if required.” 

He adds: “Continuing studying whilst travelling with football was usually straightforward. I was able to access all my materials online through my OU account.” 

The law graduate also welcomes the support he received from fellow students during his studies. 

Charlie found his university studies a helpful diversion when not playing, adding: “At times, football can be all-consuming and it can cause you to overthink. As footballers, we also have a lot of downtime, so doing a degree made me feel like I was putting that time to good use.”

When all football games were suspended during the first national lockdown in 2020, Charlie “had more time to cover materials and study during COVID than I had previously had”.

He successfully completed the six-year law course within five years. Since achieving his law degree, Charlie says: “It has shown me that I am capable of pursuing avenues outwith footballing.

Thinking about the future and putting yourself in the best position for life after football is important."

“I think sometimes the stereotype of being a footballer puts you in a certain box. However, the OU has shown me that it is possible to balance your footballing career with other opportunities. 

“Once my playing career has finished, I believe it will open more doors for me and give me additional options.

“We, as footballers, are all aware that you can't play football forever, so thinking about the future and putting yourself in the best position for life after football is important.”