Want more information about our programs? Chat with our team. It will be our pleasure to assist you!
CHAT TO US

A practical Master designed to optimize your career opportunities in the football industry

DOWNLOAD BROCHURE

How to apply

I Want More Information

8 MONTHS

OCTOBER 16, 2023

ONLINE

ENGLISH

7,500 €

Key Benefits

Live weekly online classes with top football industry experts

Networking opportunities

Personalized career development mentoring program

Corporate football tour & graduation dinner in Barcelona

Guaranteed internship in the football/sports industry

Exclusive group of professionals on WhatsApp

Join a global community

Image featured

Curriculum

– Introduction to the Business of Football
– Marketing in the Football Industry
– Sponsorship Management & Activation in Football
– Stadium Management and Club Operations in Football
– Commercial Disruption in Football
– Blockchain, Fan Tokens & New Partnership Initiatives
– Running a Sustainable Football Club
– Financial Management in a Football Sports Property

– Digital Marketing & Monetization in Football
– Digital Transformation in Football
– Innovation & Fan Experiences
– CRM and Data Analytics in Football
– Football Fan Engagement and Community Relations
– Social Media Management in Football
– Communications in Football
– International Strategy of a Football Club
– TV Broadcasting Rights

– Athlete Brand Management in Football
– Player Representation in the Football Industry
– The Role of the Sporting Director
– Sports Law and Legislation in the Football Industry
– FIFA Law
– Leadership in Football
– Final Project

* Please note that some program content may be subject to change

Guest Speakers

We believe in practical learning.
All of SBI’s guest speakers are working professionals at clubs, leagues, federations, media outlets, agencies, representation firms and other football stakeholders worldwide.
Learning virtually allows you to connect with experts with experience working for organisations such as FIFA, UEFA, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, among numerous others.
Our unique hybrid learning model allows you to learn and network with top level professionals working in football.
We rely on an agile methodology of live weekly virtual lessons and a learning experience that is complemented by a cutting-edge online campus.
Through our unique case study method, delivered by top executives in football, we seek to prepare you for real-life scenarios you will face in the industry.
Enric Ripoll - SBI Barcelona

Enric Ripoll

International Sports Lawyer & Arbitrator of the European Association of Arbitration

Enric is a licensed Spanish Lawyer since 2005 and US Attorney since 2023, specialized in International Sports Law and negotiation, advising Athletes, Clubs, Agents and Entities Governing Sports. As an International Sports Law specialized Lawyer, he gives legal advice to Clubs, Intermediaries, Athletes or Associations in contractual matters such as employment or image rights contracts, also in Disciplinary procedures regarding match-fixing, Financial Fair Play, and Doping.
Diego Valdes - SBI Barcelona

Diego Valdes

Director General at Sports Business Institute Barcelona

Diego is the CEO & Founder at the Sports Business Institute Barcelona. He established SBI in 2012 with the aim of preparing professionals to move into leadership positions in the football industry. Since then, SBI has trained over one thousand professionals across 83 countries providing them the tools to successfully prepare them and optimize their opportunities of success in the football industry.
Richard Lamb - SBI Barcelona

Richard Lamb

Senior sponsorship executive who worked with the likes of Manchester United, Inter Milan & West Ham United

Richard is an expert in sponsorships and he has worked with some of the biggest clubs in Europe. Manchester United, Inter Milan and West Ham United all worked with him over many years.
Juli Ferre Nadal - SBI Barcelona

Juli Ferre Nadal

Sports Marketing Consultant & Former Head of Partnerships at FC Barcelona

Juli is now working as a Sports Marketing Consultant. Previously he was the Head of Partnerships for FC Barcelona from 2013 to 2017. He then joined AS Monaco FC as Commercial Director, managing a team of 20 people with responsibility over all commercial revenue: Sponsorship, Ticketing, Hospitality, Merchandising plus Marketing.
Ornella Desirée Bellia - SBI Barcelona

Ornella Desirée Bellia

Director of Professional Football Relations and Development at FIFA”

Ornella is currently the Director of Professional Football Relations and Development at FIFA. She has a legal background and a truly international experience within the global sports industry, having worked for football clubs, leading law firms, and sports institutions in five different countries.
Markus Bartosch - SBI Barcelona

Markus Bartosch

Media Rights Consultant for UEFA & Former Head of Media Rights at DFB

Markus is a Senior Executive in the field of sports media, the sale of broadcast rights, the central marketing of professional football competitions and the organization of football events. Throughout his career he fulfilled different roles at media companies and football bodies which give him a deep insight into most areas of the sports business and football world.
Steve Antrobus - SBI Barcelona

Steve Antrobus

Former Partnerships Manager at Manchester City

Steve is a senior relationship manager and specialist in sponsorship activation.
He has led on some of the biggest sponsors in sport and managed and delivered against multi-year, multi-million pound agreements across multiple properties.
He has experience across the Premier League, La Liga, MLS, Liga MX, Formula 1, UEFA Champions League, Cirque Du Soleil and America’s Cup.
Simon Meehan - SBI Barcelona

Simon Meehan

Former Partnerships Manager at Manchester City

Steve is a senior relationship manager and specialist in sponsorship activation.
He has led on some of the biggest sponsors in sport and managed and delivered against multi-year, multi-million pound agreements across multiple properties.
He has experience across the Premier League, La Liga, MLS, Liga MX, Formula 1, UEFA Champions League, Cirque Du Soleil and America’s Cup.
Bas Schnater - SBI Barcelona

Bas Schnater

Founder of Fan Engagement Consultancy & Marketing Intelligence Coordinator at AZ Alkmaar

Bas is a Senior Consultant with experience in Data Analytics, Customer Experience & Fan Engagement. Industry experience in football, publishing, ecommerce and consulting. His main focus is in consumer analytics, membership acquisition and retention.

Malle Koido

Founder of Fan Engagement Consultancy & Marketing Intelligence Coordinator at AZ Alkmaar

Bas is a Senior Consultant with experience in Data Analytics, Customer Experience & Fan Engagement. Industry experience in football, publishing, ecommerce and consulting. His main focus is in consumer analytics, membership acquisition and retention.
Rebecca James - SBI Barcelona

Rebecca James

Founder and Director of Limitless Sports consultancy & Former Communications Manager at Arsenal

Rebecca is the Founder and Director of Limitless Sports Consultancy. Previously she was working as a Communications Manager at Arsenal FC. She is an experienced Communications and PR consultant with a demonstrated history of working in the sports industry.
Giel Kirkels - SBI Barcelona

Giel Kirkels

Captain Innovation & Knowledge Development at KNVB

Giel is working for the KNVB more specifically in the Innovation & Knowledge Development departments. He was the manager of KNVB Knowledge Center, including KNVB Academy and was leading the re-development of the KNVB Campus.
Amir Somoggi - SBI Barcelona

Amir Somoggi

Managing Director at Sports Value

Amir is the Managing Director at Sports Venue. He is an expert in sports marketing and branding, sponsorship and activation and brand valuation. He is currently operating out of Brazil.
Esther Huijsmans - SBI Barcelona

Esther Huijsmans

Venue Manager & Operations Consultant for FIFA World Cup & UEFA events

Esther is a driven, dedicated and enthusiastic professional with 20+ years of experience in international large-scale sports and entertainment projects/events such as FIFA World Cups, the Olympic Games and Tomorrowland Winter.
Her mission is to empower women and get more women into leadership positions in the sports industry.
Matteo Trevisani - SBI Barcelona

Matteo Trevisani

Digital Content Associate at CONCACAF

As a professional in the sports business Matteo’s objective is to always be well-informed. His multi-cultural background provides a unique tool that has proved to be an immeasurable asset to all organizations that he has worked for. His specialties include: Marketing, Stadium Operations, Game-day Operations, Public Relations, Sales and Customer Service
Mario Leo - SBI Barcelona

Mario Leo

General Manager at RESULT Sports & Director at Digital Sports Africa

Mario established RESULT in 2008. He’s highly intrigued and very passionate about Global Digital Business Strategies, Partnerships and Society Impact through Digital Transformation. He is the founder of Digital Sports Media Magazine & Digital Sports & Entertainment Conference.
Marc Brady - SBI Barcelona

Marc Brady

Program Director in Sports Management UCB & Former Head of Operations at West Bromwich Albion Foundation

Marc Brady is the Program Director in Sports Management at UCB and he was also the Head of Operations at West Bromwich Albion Foundation. At West Brom he was responsible for creating, implementing and monitoring a robust quality assurance model that incorporates all areas of the Foundation, along many other things
Cristian Martin Vidal - SBI Barcelona

Cristian Martin Vidal

Sporting Director at Leeds United

I needed a new challenge and SBI gave me the flexibility and support to achieve a Masters degree whilst maintaining a high standard at work and travelling up and down the country and Europe for work. The course was incredibly informative and helpful and I enjoyed studying with people from all over the world. I recommend the course for anyone currently working in football or aspiring to get a career in football.

SBI’s methodology is practical and based on real-life cases and scenarios. We will prepare you for the situations you will face in the real world. Our cases have been designed by professionals working in the football industry, therefore you will not have textbook theory.

At SBI we believe that in order to truly understand the business side of the game you must be taught by those who have direct and relevant experience. For this reason, each year we select the best executives from across top clubs, federations, governing bodies, brands, agencies and media outlets to act as guest speakers for the program. Our lineup regularly includes executives with experience working for FIFA, UEFA, Manchester United, Manchester City, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal, CONCACAF, APOEL, Adidas, Nike, among numerous others.

As an SBI student you will benefit from an exclusive network that will support you and collaborate with you during your academic studies and beyond. You will form part of the SBI network, comprised of numerous professionals and decision-makers in football.

The Master in Football Business & Management is academically recognized by Florida Global University, a multidisciplinary academic institution based in Miami, USA.

Through this partnership Florida Global University provides an academic endorsement for SBI’s Master in Football Business & Management playing an important role in establishing academic rigor for the master’s degree.

Mentors

Personalized Career Development Mentoring Program. Tailor career mentoring program based on each student’s goals, aspirations, age, geographical location, previous experience and motivations. We will map out a career plan together with you so you can begin building your network and setting the bases to start or advance your career as a football agent/intermediary

Diego Valdes - SBI Barcelona

Diego Valdes

Director General at Sports Business Institute Barcelona

Diego is the CEO & Founder at the Sports Business Institute Barcelona. He established SBI in 2012 with the aim of preparing professionals to move into leadership positions in the football industry. Since then, SBI has trained over one thousand professionals across 83 countries providing them the too
Richard Lamb - SBI Barcelona

Richard Lamb

Senior sponsorship executive who worked with the likes of Manchester United, Inter Milan & West Ham United

Richard is an expert in sponsorships and he has worked with some of the biggest clubs in Europe. Manchester United, Inter Milan and West Ham United all worked with him over many years.
Juli Ferre Nadal - SBI Barcelona

Juli Ferre Nadal

Sports Marketing Consultant & Former Head of Partnerships at FC Barcelona

Juli is now working as a Sports Marketing Consultant. Previously he was the Head of Partnerships for FC Barcelona from 2013 to 2017. He then joined AS Monaco FC as Commercial Director, managing a team of 20 people with responsibility over all commercial revenue: Sponsorship, Ticketing, Hospitality,

Our students work at

We offer the opportunity to carry out professional internships to obtain first-hand experience in numerous football organizations, to initiate or advance in the development of professional careers in the area of football and sport.

Graduation

The graduation ceremony takes place in Barcelona over a two-day period. Students learn about the successful business models of some of the top sporting organizations in Barcelona and network with industry professionals.
The program includes:

Graduation Ceremony – held at RCD Espanyol Stadium
Corporate visit to FC Barcelona – includes visit to FC Barcelona stadium, museum and case study
Corporate visit of RCD Espanyol – includes visit to stadium, museum, and marketing masterclasses
Sports Retail Marketing Experience – includes a sports marketing experiential visit to FC Barcelona’s Mega Store
Graduation Dinner – a typical Spanish gastronomic dinner with all delegates culminating the program

Dates: June, 2024
Location: Barcelona, Spain

Access Pass to World Football Summit

The World Football Summit is a global event held in Seville, Spain that brings together industry leaders, experts, and stakeholders from different countries and backgrounds. It will take place on September 20-21, 2023.

 

As a student of SBI’s Master in Football Business & Management you will have an access pass to the conference.

 

You will learn the latest trends in football business. You will also network with top football industry decision-makers.

 

As an SBI student,  you will participate in exclusive workshops under the program ¨Job Match¨ which will be helpful for building your professional network and finding potential internship or job opportunities.

The conference pass is included in the course tuition fee.

Testimonials

Gunter Peeters

Managing Director at FC Eindhoven I Former student: Master in “Football Business and Management”

Stéphanie Fortier

Senior Operations Coordinator at CF Montreal I Former student: Master in “Football Business and Management”

Ounsi Awit

Football Agent I Former student: Master in “Football Business and Management” and “Football Agent Certificate”

Christian Alert

Pre-Sales Manager at Sponsoo I Former student: Master in “Football Business and Management”

Jane McCarthy

U19 Women’s Lacrosse World Championships I Former student: Master in “Football Business and Management”

Ruth Corry

Academy Secretary at Charlston Athletic FC I Former student: Master in “Football Business and Management”

Wes Morgan

Professional Football Player of Leicester City FC I Former student: Master in “Football Business and Management”

How to apply

APPLICATION PROCESS 

  1. Click on ¨Apply Now¨ and complete the online application form
  2. Pay the 120 Euro application fee
  3. Send your updated CV and motivation letter to contact@sbibarcelona.com
  4. The SBI Academic Board will review your application. You will receive an admission notification within 5 business days after applying.
  5. Upon admission you will be provided instructions to pay the tuition fees via bank transfer

*Application fee is fully refundable for those candidates that are not accepted.

 

APPLICATION DEADLINES

 

July 15, 2023

Early Decision Application Deadline

October 6, 2023

Regular Decision Application Deadline

As the program is in high demand each year we trongly recommend interested candidates to apply before this deadline if they are seriously considering the Master’s and want to have a legitimate chance at securing a place.

 

 

TUITION FEES

Tuition fee for the eight-month Master in Football Business & Management is 7,500 Euros.

 

This includes teaching from our faculty of top football industry professionals, academic material and additional mentorship sessions. It also includes the 2-day graduation trip in Barcelona (airfare and accommodation excluded, and a pass to the World Football Summit in Seville).