General information

  • Qualification: Postgraduate Diploma in Football Business from the Johan Cruyff Institute
  • Duration: 7 months. 30 ECTS (weekly dedication of 10-12 hours)
  • Start: September 24, 2024
  • Modality: Online
  • Language: English or Spanish
  • Price: € 4.640,- (Fees for the academic year 2024-25)
  • Payment methods: Payment by installments available
  • Special conditions: Discount for alumni and members of partner entities
  • Enrollment: Registration open until the start of the program

The program may be subject to change.
The institution reserves the right to cancel the edition of the program if it does not meet the minimum number of students.

Introduction

Football is quite possibly the most powerful most popular sport in the world; linking communities, moving emotions and breaking down cultural barriers. Football has also become one of the most profitable industries, with significant economic impact to infrastructure development, sponsorships, TV rights and transfers of players.

The training of professionals engaged in football business and administration is key to greater professionalism in the sector. This postgraduate in football business program provides you with the appropriate tools and knowledge for your development as a professional in the world of football.

Objectives

The main objective of the Postgraduate Diploma in Football Business is to educate you in the proper use of management tools for organizations linked to football. You’ll develop abilities to recognize business opportunities, establish strategies, anticipate changes and optimize resources.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

  • To understand and apply the strategic, global and objective vision to the football industry from a business perspective.
  • To understand how the football industry works and who are the stakeholders.
  • To interpret the financial statements of a football organization and create financing strategies for new projects.
  • To know how to design a strategic plan for a football club of different sizes.
  • To understand and apply new marketing and sponsorship tools applied to football.

Aimed at

The Postgraduate Diploma in Football Business from Johan Cruyff Institute is for you, if:

  • You´re an (ex) footballer/ athlete who is looking for specialized education in football business to give your professional career a boost.
  • You´re working in a business environment and want to specialize in football business.
  • You’re passionate about football and you want to complement your education with a postgraduate diploma specialized in football business.
  • You are a professional in the football industry, with experience in the sector but without studies related to management and you want to improve and update your knowledge of the industry.

Those who have completed this Postgraduate program are currently working in:

  • Sports Competition (professional football clubs)
  • Governance (football federations and associations)
  • Football Facilities & Events (tournament organizers, sports clubs)
  • Community-based Football (foundations, municipalities)
  • Sports Consultancy (business initiatives)
  • Intermediation Services (agencies, player’s representation)
  • Sports Journalism (media)
  • Marketing & 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, which 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 program manager. One of our academic consultants will contact you within 72 hours.

Program

The Postgraduate Diploma 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 1 foundation module (Elective Core) and take the Elective Advanced.

Total Mandatory Credits 27Total Elective Credits 3
24 ECTS (Mandatory Core)ECTS (Elective Core)
3 ECTS (Mandatory Elective)

 

MANDATORY - 27 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

Introduction to Football Business- 6 ECTS

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

 

Mandatory Advanced
3 ECTS

Strategic Planning in Football – 3 ECTS

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

 

ELECTIVE - 3 ECTS
Elective Core
3 ECTS

CHOOSE ONE

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

 

Learning model

The Postgraduate Diploma 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 football business (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 Postgraduate Diploma in Football Business, you’ll have exclusive access to our learning platform which allows you to track your academic progress 24 hours a day from anywhere in the world. The virtual campus offers a collaborative environment between professors, tutors and students facilitating e-mails, chats, videos, books, articles, cases, simulations, experiences, websites, blogs and a video library. You’ll have a wide range of tools at your disposal so your learning experience can be interactive, enriching 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. Internships are an enriching learning experience for both organizations and for students. They contribute to the professional development of the company, and offer students the opportunity to access businesses related to sports, to 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 linked to sport. Organizations and companies in the sports sector with job vacancies contact us looking for “sports-minded” candidates. The Johan Cruyff Institute selects and contacts qualified profiles within our network. Jobs and new projects in the sports sector are also announced through our various channels.

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