Master in Football Business Online

Introduction

Football is the world’s most popular sport and perhaps the most powerful; it links communities, moves emotions and breaks down cultural barriers. Football has also become one of the most profitable industries, with a significant impact on economic development through infrastructure, sponsorship, television rights and player transfers. The football industry, however, is constantly evolving and requires its managers to be well trained to meet the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

That is why the education of professionals involved in the management and business of football is key to a greater professionalization of the sector. The Master in Football Business is a program that offers you the tools and knowledge necessary for your development as a professional in the world of football.

Objectives

The main objective of the Master in Football Business Online is to educate you in the proper use of the business management tools of organizations linked to football, as well as to provide you with an extensive and updated knowledge about the football industry. We will analyze the main theories and practical cases, allowing you to visualize the behaviour of the football industry in all its areas.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Understand and apply the strategic, global and objective vision of the football industry from a business perspective.
• Master the knowledge necessary to obtain the best results from the management of professional football teams.
• Interpret the financial statements of a football organization and create financing strategies for new projects.
• Understand and apply new marketing and sponsorship tools applied to football.
• Create new market opportunities by applying an entrepreneurial spirit and a culture prone to innovation in the football industry.
• Optimize the planning and management of football entities.

Aimed at

The Master in Football Business from the Johan Cruyff Institute is for you, if:

• You are a (former) footballer/athlete and you are looking for an education and qualification in football business to give your career a boost.
• You are working in business and want to specialize in the football industry.
• You are passionate about football and wish to complete your education with a master’s degree specialized in football business.
• You are a professional in the football industry, with experience in the sector but without management-related studies and you wish to improve and update your knowledge of the industry.

Those who have completed this Master are currently working in the areas of:

• Sports Competition (professional and semi-professional football teams)
• Governance (football federations and associations)
• Facilities and Sports Events (championship organizers, sports clubs)
• Community Sports (foundations, municipalities)
• Sports Consulting (own business initiatives)
• Intermediation Services (agencies, player’s representation)
• Sports Journalism (media)
• Marketing and Sponsorship (private and public companies)

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

To be admitted, you must meet one of the following requirements:

• Have a Bachelor’s degree, diploma or equivalent.
• Have at least 3 years experience in the football world.
• Have developed a career as a professional football player, coach or referee.

ADMISSION PROCEDURE

Please complete the pre-enrollment form if you are interested in studying this program. Your form will be submitted to the Admissions Committee, who will evaluate if your achievements as well as your aspirations and motivations in pursuing this degree, are in line with the objectives of the program. The admission procedure may include a personal interview with the academic director. One of our academic advisors will contact you within 72 hours.

Program

The Master in Football Business Online is composed of an introductory module, mandatory modules and elective modules. The mandatory modules are divided into foundation modules (Core) and specialization modules (Advanced), linked to this specific program.

Within the elective modules you will have to choose between foundation modules (Elective Core) and specialization modules (Elective Advanced).

MANDATORY - 33 ECTS

Mandatory Core
24 ECTS

Strategic Management in Sport Organizations – 6 ECTS

• Introduction to the strategic management
• Elements of the internal analysis
• Tools for work team management
• Elements and Tools of the external analysis
• Diagnosis
• Strategy formulation
• Competitive strategies and their evolution
• The Balanced Scorecard
• Customer focused strategy
• From strategy to execution
• Innovation in strategy

Financial Management in Sports Organizations – 6 ECTS

• Finance and sport management
• Interpretation of financial reports
• Analysis of financial statements
• Financial planning
• Project investment and assessment
• Financing

Sport Marketing – 6 ECTS

• Introduction to sport marketing
• Sport markets
• Sport consumers and stakeholders
• Research in sport marketing
• Sport services
• Sport marketing opportunities
• Marketing strategy: objetives and segmentation
• Marketing strategy: positioning and value proposition
• Marketing mix
• Communication plan
• Marketing plan

Master’s Degree Final Project – 6 ECTS

• Business plan development

 

Mandatory Advanced
9 ECTS

Introduction to Football Business – 6 ECTS

• Football and knowledge
• The framework of the football business
• How to understand a football club

Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Sport Organizations – 3 ECTS

• Innovation: What are we talking about?
• Innovation strategies
• Innovative business models
• The organization of innovation
• Innovation and the customer
• Open innovation

 

ELECTIVE - 27 ECTS

Elective Core
12 ECTS
CHOOSE FOUR

Football for Managers – 3 ECTS

• Introduction. Understanding the game
• Roles of a manager
• Long term strategic planning
• People’s management. Coaches, trainers and other staff
• Players. Scouting, recruiting, trading and care
• Operations. Academy, Tools, Training methodology

Strategic Planning in Football – 3 ECTS

• Strategic Planning in Football
• Understanding of a club inside and out
• The club’s strategy

Commercial Management – 3 ECTS

• The distribution of revenues/liabilities on the balance sheet of the a sports entity
• Sports Sponsorship
• Companies that do not want to be sponsors (but can offer revenue to the sport entity with different approaches)
• Ticketing
• Retail (distribution of official products)
• Audiovisual rights
• Current opportunities and challenges

Data Analytics in Sport – 3 ECTS

• Data in sport VS other industries
• Fan Engagement data & analytics
• Performance analytics
• The role of IoT in sport
• Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence in sport to predict/prevent outcome (match results, injuries)
• Blockchain potential cases and uses in sport (sport passport for athletes, medical records, smart contracts)
• Build your own analytics

Leadership in Sport Organizations – 3 ECTS

• Leadership: a definition
• Leadership styles
• Personal effectiveness
• The psychology of leadership: ‘getting things done’
• Leading a team
• Conflict management

People Management in Sport – 3 ECTS

• The annual human resources cycle
• Organization
• Development and performance evaluation
• Project management & talent identification
• Compensation and benefits & internal communication
• Human resources strategic plan

Sport Media – 3 ECTS

• Introduction: sport content in media
• Analysis of the different media companies
• Globalization of sport
• Sport consumer
• Audience research and advertising market
• Audiovisual consumption and digital migration
• Management of broadcast rights

Fan Engagement – 3 ECTS

• Introduction to Fan Engagement
• Key Concepts of Fan Engagement
• Understanding the Fan
• Fan Engagement Strategy
• Best practices of Fan Engagement
• Actual & Future Trends of Fan Engagement

 

Elective Advanced
15 ECTS

Sportbiz Europe (Barcelona) – 3 ECTS

Digital Transformation and Revenue Generation – 3 ECTS

• Revenue Department of a Sports Club
• Sales Strategy
• Management of Major Events
• The Digital Fan
• Digital Transformation in the Sports World
• Trends

Communication in Football – 3 ECTS

• History of media in football
• Sports journalism
• Media rights
• Content creation
• New technologies
• Case studies

Venue Management and Operations – 6 ECTS

• Introduction
• Venue Management
• Working with stakeholders
• Sustainability
• Safety and security
• Event operations
• Managing risk
• Compliance
• Alternative uses of stadiums
• Accessibility
• Fans
• FIFA world cups

Branding – 3 ECTS

• Transformation of the sports sector
• Brand strategy
• Brand management and control

Digital Marketing in Sport – 3 ECTS

• The digital revolution and its impact on the sports industry
• Digital strategy: much more than just marketing
• Content and platforms: the power of social networks to create fan engagement
• From content generation to monetization
• Designing a digital marketing plan
• How do we implement our plan?

 

Learning model

The Master in Football Business puts you at the center of your education through a learning by doing methodology. We encourage collaborative work and transfer the content to specific situations in sport marketing and sponsorship (connective teaching methodologies and social constructivism). Our faculty of expert professors and tutors will guide you in the learning process, providing high quality training combined with the flexibility of online study.

PERSONALIZED TUTORINGThe academic team will support you throughout the program, helping you to expand your knowledge and keep pace with the program requirements and content. For each module, you will have one or two professors, depending on the particular module, and they will give you support so you are able to achieve the learning objectives. You will also have the support of a coordinator who will monitor your performance and learning throughout the academic program.

Communication and queries will be handled by:

• E-mail: reply within a maximum of 24 hours.
• Support via chat / call / video conference.

BENEFITS

• Learning 3.0: flexible schedules, different learning environments and technologies.
• World-class faculty: interaction with expert faculty and industry professionals.
• Collaborative tools, teamwork, communication and debate.
• Sports-industry oriented: training that approaches the business sector of the sports industry.
• Learning from experience: designed for professional improvement.

Faculty

The Johan Cruyff Institute teachers are experts from the sports sector and combine research and consultancy with teaching. Through their experience and knowledge, they have developed a broad variety of cases and concepts to work with.

Learn more about our Faculty pool.

Student services

VIRTUAL CAMPUSAs a student of the Master in Football Business, you will have exclusive access to the learning platform which allows you to monitor your academic progress 24 hours a day, from anywhere in the world. The virtual campus offers a collaborative environment between teachers and students facilitating e-mails, chats, books, articles, case studies, simulations, experiences, websites, blogs and a video library. You will have a wide range of tools at your disposal to make your learning experience interactive, rewarding and complete.

NETWORKING & ALUMNI CRUYFF INSTITUTEJohan Cruyff Institute offers students, alumni, faculty and members of our network the opportunity to connect and collaborate, to share their passion for sports and their professional expertise.

The Alumni Cruyff Institute provides a means of interconnection that will enable the whole community not only to re-establish contact with fellow students, but also to create new links with people from the sports sector throughout the whole network who can offer new experiences and initiatives to keep growing in the profession.

CORPORATE INTERNSHIPSOur Corporate Training Program is the natural result of the global network of the Johan Cruyff Institute. The practices are an enriching learning experience for both organizations and for students. They contribute to the company’s professional development, and offer students the opportunity to access businesses related to sports live the reality of a sport organization and acquire new practical skills and knowledge.

CAREER SERVICESThe Johan Cruyff Institute allows a bridge between potential candidates and the corporate sector involved in sports. Organizations and companies in the sports sector with vacancies contact us when looking for sports-minded candidates. The Johan Cruyff Institute selects qualified contacts within our network profiles. Employment opportunities and new projects in the sports sector are also announced through our various channels.

Ask for information