Alfredo Loaeza Martínez is a student in the Master in Sports Business and Marketing Blended Barcelona. An engineer by training, he decided to change the direction of his career and enter the sports sector
Despite having a solid professional background, Alfredo Loaeza Martínez was looking for new goals for his career. An engineer by profession, he had worked in the financial industry, joining BBVA in Mexico, his country of origin. However, his vocation for sport led him to pursue further education at Johan Cruyff Institute, where he is currently enrolled in the Master in Sports Business and Marketing Blended Barcelona.
Making the leap into a new industry was not without its challenges. Today, Alfredo works at Alta Soluciones, a company focused on providing comprehensive athlete care. In this interview, he explains how he experienced the transition into the sports sector and shares his academic experience at Johan Cruyff Institute.
What motivated you to choose the master’s program at Johan Cruyff Institute, and what expectations did you have before starting?
One of the main reasons I chose Johan Cruyff Institute was its prestige. I researched online and learned that it was ranked among the top 10 universities in Europe for studying sport management, and among the top three worldwide.
That really caught my attention, so I started looking into it more deeply and discovered Cruyff’s philosophy, which can be summed up in the phrase “Go out and enjoy.” I really liked that approach, and honestly, that’s exactly what I did from the moment I arrived in Barcelona to study.
I expected to learn, to broaden my knowledge of the sports industry, which is my passion, and to be able to apply that knowledge in a professional setting.
What was your professional and academic background before studying at Johan Cruyff Institute?
I studied industrial engineering, and in Mexico I worked in the financial industry. I worked as a consultant and then moved on to work at BBVA.
However, it wasn’t something I enjoyed; I couldn’t find the motivation. I started reflecting on what I truly liked, because I firmly believe it’s important to enjoy your work.
“That’s when I realized that my passion was sport, and that I really liked the idea of working in something related to the sports industry.”
That’s how I discovered this master’s program at Johan Cruyff Institute.
Thanks to this program, I had the opportunity to join Alta Soluciones. I now work as a marketing specialist, and I’ve been given the freedom to put into practice what I already knew and what I’ve learned in the master’s program.
One of the things I like most about this company is that they make you feel part of the team: they listen to your ideas and opinions and take them into account when making decisions. It’s a different turn in my career; in some ways, it’s like starting from scratch to learn new things.
What has the process been like for you, moving from an engineering background to developing professionally in the sports sector?
When I decided to take this step, I knew it was a radical change. Having studied engineering and now being more focused on marketing and sport management is a very significant shift.
However, I think both areas complement each other very well. Industrial engineering gives me a very strong analytical foundation. The ability to analyze data, go deeper into it, and work with it comes from that engineering background.
Thanks to the master’s program, I’ve also realized that creativity, for example, is one of my weaker points — and that it can be developed.
After starting the master’s program, I stopped seeing sport only as a fan and began to approach it from a professional perspective. Working in and understanding sport from the inside really changes the way you see it.
“So I believe it’s about combining what I studied — engineering — with my current role in sport marketing”.
What was your experience like participating in the Step Day, and how did it influence your entry into your current role?
The Step Day was a very interesting experience for me, and I think for everyone who took part. It helped us understand what the sports industry is currently demanding in the job market. Many of us arrive with the idea of working in football, but without knowing in which area or department.
“The Step Day really helps you understand the companies in the sector, because there are many that I wasn’t familiar with before”.
In my case, Alta Soluciones focuses on football, but works in the area of player care, which was something I had never heard of before. As students, Step Day allows us to get to know companies from different sports fields.
There were many companies from different areas — golf, padel, football. It was very helpful for me in joining Alta Soluciones. I met José Martín, who gave me the opportunity to start my internship. He also gave me the freedom to apply what I’ve learned in the master’s program, as well as what I already brought from my previous experience.
What learnings from the master’s program have you been able to apply directly to your current job, and how have they impacted your professional performance?
So far, with the subjects I’ve taken, I’ve applied a lot of what I learned about people management. Knowing how to relate to different people — since everyone has a different personality — is extremely important.
I’ve also applied the financial side: analyzing the financial situation of an institution or organization. Through the strategic management and marketing subjects, I studied concepts that I now apply in my daily work.
For example, implementing a CRM system to generate leads, which is something we covered extensively in class, in relation to the market and the product or service the company wants to sell.
What would you recommend to a professional from another sector who wants to take their first steps into the sports industry?
Based on my professional experience, I would recommend pursuing your dream. I believe that anyone who wants to enter the sports industry needs to be sure that this is truly their passion. It has to be something you’re willing to work on all year long — 365 days, 24 hours a day.
So my recommendation would be to clearly identify your dream and your passion, and work toward it. I really like a quote by Walt Disney that says: “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
