“Best First Day of School Ever”: GIS Welcomes Inaugural Toronto MBA Cohort at BMO Field

“I heard a few times that this was the best first day of school ever,” said GIS Director Barry MacLean.

He was describing the reaction of GIS’s inaugural Toronto cohort to last week’s welcome event at BMO Field, as the Global Institute of Sport’s newest campus officially launched.

Delivered in partnership with Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University, students began their MBA Sports Management studies with an immersive welcome event at BMO Field, the home of Toronto FC.

Combining Wilfrid Laurier’s highly regarded MBA with GIS’ industry-embedded approach, the programme exposes students to a variation of core modules, from Business Analytics to Marketing, as well as sport-specific learning focused on areas such as Sports Fan Engagement and Sports Media Management.

Beginning their immersion before stepping into the classroom, students at the welcome event heard from six leading guest speakers from the local sports industry, including:
— Luke Wileman, Soccer Host and Commentator
— Dwayne De Rosario, former Canada International and FIFA World Cup 2026 Ambassador
— Steven Caldwell, former Scotland International and Pundit
— Jason Hernandez, former Puerto Rico International and General Manager of Toronto FC
— Chris Shewfelt, Vice President of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
— Anton Wimmer, Vice President of Partnerships at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment

Alongside insight from these speakers, students also heard from executives at Wilfrid Laurier as well as GIS president Sharona Friedman, before heading to a private box to watch home side Toronto FC beat Nashville SC as they rounded off a day of exclusive insight into the local sports scene.

Discussing the launch, GIS Director Barry MacLean said:

“This gives the students a clear pathway to opportunities in the sporting realm, and it puts them into the network where they can meet future employers and start to build relationships with them while they’re in the programme.

“The programme itself is housed at BMO Field, so they’re going to have constant access to different people who are in and around that building, which is the home of Toronto FC as well as the Canadian National Soccer Programme, so it’s a great situation for them to get linked into that whole network.”

“The overwhelming attitude towards the night was that it was an exceptional experience,” he added.

With applications for the 2027 intake opening in early October, you can learn more about the programme on our MBA Sports Management course page.