As part of World Football Summit Madrid, both organizations presented academic scholarships aimed at strengthening the leadership of women professionals in the football industry.
As every year, Johan Cruyff Institute and World Football Summit join forces to promote women’s presence in the football industry. In this latest edition, four professionals were selected as scholarship winners and will receive support to advance their careers: Eliany Escalante Luis, Chiara Bacigalupo, Lorena Cuevas, and Sandra Mulendema.
As part of World Football Summit Madrid, which celebrates the event’s 10th anniversary this year, Teresa Carví, professor at Johan Cruyff Institute, presented the scholarships to the winners. During the ceremony, Teresa, who works as an Executive Producer at Grupo Mediapro, highlighted the importance of women’s leadership in the sports industry: “Today, we celebrate another step toward equality in sports. The progress made has been enormous, but there is still much more to do. More and more women are taking their place in stadiums, on the sidelines, and in executive offices, although we remain underrepresented in decision-making positions.”
“These scholarships from Johan Cruyff Institute and World Football Summit are an opportunity to change that: to provide more opportunities, greater visibility, and a stronger voice to the women who will lead the future of sports.”
The winners received full or partial scholarships to enroll in programs focused on professionalizing the sports industry, including the Master in Sport Business Online, the Master in Football Business in partnership with FC Barcelona, and the Master in Football Business Online.
In addition to the scholarships awarded to the four winners, program finalists will receive a 30% discount on any Johan Cruyff Institute academic program, while all other participants will receive a 20% discount. Through these initiatives, both organizations reinforce their commitment to developing female talent in the sports industry.
Promoting women’s leadership in the sports industry
Reducing the gender gap in the sports industry is a shared commitment between Johan Cruyff Institute and World Football Summit. In 2025, Johan Cruyff Institute reached an important milestone in this regard: for the first time in its 26-year history, a campus-based program had a majority of female students. This was the Master in Sport Business and Marketing Blended Barcelona, with 13 women and 10 men enrolled.
WFS promotes this commitment through its Female Leaders Programme, an initiative aimed at advancing women’s leadership in football. Among other initiatives, the program includes a commitment to having women account for 30% of speakers at its events.
Albert Romans, General Manager of Johan Cruyff Institute, highlighted the scholarship program as an initiative to promote women’s leadership in the sports industry: “With this initiative, we aim to continue professionalizing sports through education. These scholarships reinforce our commitment to equal opportunities and to developing strong, well-prepared female leaders with a global perspective.”
