“The FIFA Diploma in Club Management is aimed at providing club executives from all around the world with the latest practical know-how and insights from the industry, covering key areas in the successful management of football clubs." The words of FIFA President Gianni Infantino no less. The latest module for the current intake concluded after five days together in Tangier, one of the FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2022™ host cities. Ornella Desirée Bellia is FIFA’s Director of Professional Football Relations and Development, as well as the Director of the FIFA Diploma in Club Management. Outlining the focus of this module, she explained how it supports FIFA’s vision to create a more sustainable football ecosystem. “This programme hopefully inspires the participants to think about a long-term strategy, not just about winning the next game. Where do they want their club to be in five or ten years?”

Around forty participants came together, with the main target group being small and medium sized clubs from the around the world. “The FIFA President’s vision is to make football truly global, where not just a few but a larger number of clubs, players, national associations and fans can compete at the highest level and can dream big” continued Ornella. “We invite the best speakers, the best experts in the football industry to share knowledge with these club executives, CEOs, presidents, club owners from all around the world. It’s an opportunity to not only network, but also to learn from the best and bring their club to the next level.”

Darwin Jalil manages Balestier Khalsa Football Club in Singapore. Whilst his day-to-day experience may be a long way from that of FIFA Club World Cup participants Seattle Sounders and Flamengo, Jalil explained how valuable the knowledge exchange had been, following presentations by their club executives. “For us, it’s very much about understanding where global football is – the direction that it’s taking – and to have a reality check for us in terms of how far away we are from the rest of the world. Being a first world country in many things, this is a great opportunity for me to learn and bring the club to the next level.” The FIFA Diploma in Club Management is broadly split into six modules which encompass themes around Leadership and Management; Sporting Strategies and Youth Academies; Marketing and Communication; Club Operations and Stadium Management; Governance and Legal Matters, and Finance. Tim Cahill needs little introduction when he travels the world, yet after a stellar career on the pitch, he is now forging an equally successful one off it. Currently employed as Chief Sports Officer of Aspire Academy, what can a man who played at the very top of the game, including at four FIFA World Cups, learn from this?

“When you have such amazing speakers from around the world, from different backgrounds, you get to see the holistic approach that you have to take when you are an executive: running departments, learning – like today – about technology, innovation, leadership, structuring and organisation are really important” he said. “Today made me reassess some elements about leadership. What type of leader are you? How can you improve how you work with people. For me, being in this environment has helped me to grow, and the educational point of view is something that I’m really enjoying.” Piyush Neupane is a qualified financial analyst, an engineer and currently the owner of Sporting Ilam De Mechi FC in Nepal. Coming from a country which can claim to boast eight of the world’s ten highest mountains, how is he hoping the FIFA Diploma in Club Management will enable him to scale greater heights of his own? “As a club owner, the presentation by AS Monaco on strategic planning was one of the best for me. Learning how to build a strong club financially and sustainably was perfect, and the kind of thing I was looking for. I’m basically going to go back home and re-watch the videos of all the different sessions” he concluded.