Inaugural cohort graduates
Course comprised debate and exchanges with industry experts on key football topics
Programme in line with FIFA’s vision of making football truly global
The inaugural edition of FIFA’s Diploma in Club Management came to a successful end this week at the Home of FIFA as the 32 participants, including club executives and former internationals from all around the world, received their certificates from FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
In line with FIFA’s vision of making football truly global, the Diploma in Club Management is part of FIFA’s efforts to professionalise football, enabling a larger number of clubs from every region of the world to compete at the highest level on and off the pitch.
During the 13-month course, the participants debated and exchanged views with industry experts and leading voices within football in relation to club operations and stadium management, finance, marketing and communications, youth academies, governance and legal matters, as well as leadership and negotiation. All students also devised a strategic plan for their respective clubs.
“A rewarding experience” Commenting on the FIFA Diploma in Club Management, three of the participants highlighted how much they had enjoyed the experience and the number of takeaways from the programme.
Joshua Simpson (the President of Canada’s Pacific FC) said: “The content covered in the different modules throughout the course has been really diverse, focusing on the latest industry trends, which are extremely valuable insights for all of us in our respective roles as club executives.”
For his part, Philippe Senderos (the Sporting Director of Swiss club Servette) noted: “The FIFA Diploma in Club Management has been a great experience and a useful course, especially for me in my role as a sporting director, enabling me to use all the knowledge and best practice from around the world in relation to successful club management.”
First Edition of the FIFA Diploma in Club Management
Joel Raffo Olcese (the owner and President of Peru’s Sporting Cristal) echoed these sentiments: “Learning from and networking with some of the best in the industry has been a rewarding experience and one that will hold myself, and my club in particular, in very good stead as we strive for excellence in all facets of our club’s overall management, both on and off the pitch, including by creating an impact beyond football.”
Information on the application process for the second edition of the FIFA Diploma in Club Management will follow soon.
You can find out more about the diploma here.