Orientation
We are excited to welcome you to the start of your journey with GIS, which starts here with your Orientation.
Orientation Week offers you the perfect opportunity to get acquainted with our GIS learning platforms, meet fellow students, and sets the foundation for your academic success. The sessions and information are designed to help you get organised for the year ahead and hear about all the amazing opportunities available exclusively to GIS students.
We recommend taking some time to explore the resources on this page. Here, you’ll find essential information including programme overviews, details about GIS support services, and helpful videos — all designed to help you prepare for a successful academic experience. These tools will provide you with the knowledge and support you need to make the most of your studies.
To help you navigate the enrolment and onboarding process, we’ve also created a handy Getting Started Checklist and an enrolment and onboarding video. We recommend reviewing the information within these pages and using the checklist and video to ensure you’re ready to hit the ground running when teaching begins.
Welcome from our President and CEO
Welcome to the Global Institute of Sport (GIS), a truly global community of aspiring and established leaders shaping the future of the most dynamic and inspiring industry on the planet.
At GIS, we’re proud to be the leading destination for sports degrees and executive education. But what truly sets us apart is the strength of our community… a diverse, connected network built on entrepreneurship, partnership, impact, courage, and curiosity (our EPICC values). These values guide everything we do, from our teaching and mentoring to our global summits and every event we host or interaction we have with our students, partners and the industry as whole.
With access to iconic stadium campuses, leading sports organisations, and world-class faculty from across three continents, GIS offers more than just a degree. You’ll experience a learning journey that’s driven by sport, powered by industry, and deeply connected to the real world of global sport.
Our Global Industry Advisors, faculty, and leadership team bring decades of international experience in sport and education. We’re here to support your growth, challenge your thinking, and open doors you may not have imagined possible.
I look forward to hopefully being able to welcome you in person or online. Please do connect with me on LinkedIn — I’d love to hear your story and follow your journey.
“Once you see the scope of the world, you begin to understand the extent of what’s possible.”
I hope you can join us at a live or online summit soon to see what I mean!
Welcome!
Sharona
Sharona Friedman
President & CEO, Global Institute of Sport
Orientation Week for the January 2026 intake will take place week commencing 19th January 2026 for students on distance or distance with attendance programmes. For those studying on campus in Brussels, this will take place week commencing 12th January 2026.
All new and returning GIS students will be invited to join the orientation activities and welcome events on offer. The sessions provided will cover introductions to your academic course leaders and provide you with an overview of what to expect from the coming year.
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE ORIENTATION WEEK SCHEDULE
Be sure to register in advance to join your sessions, in person activities and speaker webinars.
GIS Course Overviews: Access via the links below:
- MSc Performance Analysis in Football
- MSc Sports Marketing Media
- Postgraduate Diploma in International Football Business
Be sure to register in advance to join your sessions, in person activities and speaker webinars.
Once you have successfully enrolled for the upcoming academic year with GIS, you will receive a GIS student email account (12345@edu.gis.sport) and Microsoft365 access. Your account information and instructions on how to login for the first time will be emailed to you as part of the enrolment processes.
It’s important you complete this set up as soon as possible so that you have access to your course material and applications to begin your studies. The GIS systems you will have access to include:
- GIS Central is your go-to resource where you will have access to your courses, events, key policy information, and services to support your academic and professional journey.
- GIS Collab is your new innovative learner management platform, designed to centralise all academic digital learning resources and tools in one accessible location to enhance and support your learning journey.
- GIS Connect will enhance student-tutor connectivity as well as provide space to communicate with your fellow students in our MS Teams platform, fostering collaboration and community through seamless communication.
We have created useful resources to help you navigate our platforms:
- Navigating GIS Collab module pages
If you experience any technical issues when trying to access the GIS systems, Microsoft365 or your student email account, you can contact the IT Helpdesk at assist@gis.sport.
The start of term and teaching begins on Monday 26th January for students on distance or distance with attendance programmes. For those studying on campus in Brussels, teaching will commence on campus from Monday 19th January. You can follow the link to our term dates page on our website.
The live session schedule for students enrolled on Distance or Distance with Attendance programmes can be found within your module pages on GIS Collab. For guidance on how to access these, you can watch our short help videos. Live sessions are scheduled twice – once in the morning and once in the evening (UK time) – to accommodate students in different time zones.
At GIS, we’re committed to supporting you throughout your student journey – from your first day through to graduation and beyond. This section brings together key orientation resources and videos to help you get familiar with the wide range of support services available to you.
We encourage you to explore each resource to gain a clear understanding of how we can support you during your time at GIS – and to make the most of your university experience from day one.
Here, you’ll find information on:
In addition, we’ve highlighted community initiatives and tools to help you stay engaged and supported, including:
- GIS Virtual Book Club. Our virtual book club offers a great way to connect with fellow students, explore a variety of thought-provoking reads, and take part in engaging discussions – all from the comfort of your own space. You can find more information on our GIS Central pages
- Health Assured Wisdom App. We recommend downloading the Health Assured ‘Wisdom’ App, to access health and wellbeing advice, 24/7 support, student discounts and take part in fun challenges we’ll set throughout the year. You can download the App via iTunes or Google Play and entering the code MHA297177 for access
- FC Urban Discounts. Play amateur football anytime with FC Urban—no teams, no try-outs, just pure fun. Exclusive Student Discount: 20% Off FC Urban Memberships for 6 months! Download the FC Urban app (fcurban.com), choose your membership and use code GIS2025 at checkout. Find our more here: www.fcurban.com
Follow GIS on our Social Media channels to stay up to date with news, events, and student life. You can follow us on:
GIS Women in Sport Society – SPARK
- Be part of the GIS SPARK Women in Sport Society, an empowering space to connect with like-minded peers and industry leaders. This vibrant community for female students and allies, is committed to supporting, empowering, and advancing women in the sports industry. Gain access to exclusive networking events, inspiring guest speakers, and career development opportunities designed to help you thrive in the world of sport. Whether you want to connect, collaborate, or help break barriers, we welcome your involvement! If you’re interested in joining us, or have any ideas or initiatives to help drive change, email us at studentexperience@gis.sport.
- Follow GIS SPARK’S Instagram.
Frequently Asked Questions
Orientation Week, otherwise known as induction or welcome week is one of the most important weeks in the academic calendar. Designed to give you the best possible start to your academic journey and providing you with information and tools to help you navigate university life. Welcoming new and returning students, providing an opportunity to meet your fellow students as well as academic and support staff, and learn about all the exciting activities and events that will be happening during your studies. We’ll prepare you with the necessary information and experience to hit the ground running when teaching starts.
Your academic induction explains the expectations and standards of your course, helping you become familiar with the requirements, as well as getting you used to using some of our key systems.
The week will include in-person and virtual events and activities designed to help students familiarise themselves with GIS online platforms and key staff as well as making connections with your new peers.
Make sure you have completed your enrolment in full. You will receive a confirmation email from the institution upon successful completion of your enrolment. If you are struggling to enrol or need any additional support, you can contact the team on admissions@gis.sport
Please familiarise yourself with your Orientation Week schedule (above) and register for any virtual or in-person events that you intend to attend.
The key orientation information sessions will be recorded and made available for you to watch in your own time. We also encourage you to reach out to your course leader if you have any course related questions, and to introduce yourself. You can find your course leader contact details on the orientation webpage.
Links to the recorded sessions will be made available at the end of the orientation week on our webpages.
Yes. At the start of each academic year, both new and returning students are encouraged to attend induction sessions. These sessions will cover what you can expect from the upcoming year, as you enter your second year of study as a GIS student.
There are lots of exciting changes we have made to the systems and platforms we use this academic year, which you will need to familiarise yourself with to make the most of your academic experience, as well as any changes to policies or processes. It also provides you with the opportunity to reacquaint yourself with your peers and the opportunity to hear about the upcoming events and opportunities taking place in the coming academic year.
Ensure you’re ready to begin
Before term starts and to ensure that your enrolment is a smooth process, make sure you are prepared for the start of the academic year by checking you have completed the key actions and activities within the checklist below:
Get your financial documents in order prior to beginning the enrolment process.
- If you’re planning to receive government-funded student finance, you need to get in touch with your relevant Student Finance body as soon as possible. Securing student finance can be a lengthy process, so be sure to make this a priority.
- If you are sponsored, please ensure you have a PDF version of your sponsorship documents or if you are self-funding your studies, please be aware that you must agree to a payment plan with UEL to complete your enrolment.
Inform us of any individual circumstances.
- If you have a disability or learning support needs, please contact us on studentsupport@gis.sport as soon as possible to ensure we can provide the additional help and support you need. We recommend that you contact us in good time should you require help with an application for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA).
Complete your consent form with GIS.
- This only takes a few minutes and will be emailed to you for completion
Complete your enrolment with your validating partner.
- Complete your enrolment as soon as you receive your email from inviting you to complete your enrolment task.
Familiarise yourself with your Orientation Week schedule.
- This can be found on our webpages and includes the times and locations of all the planned information sessions, events and activities to help you feel confident and prepared to navigate university life.
- You will also need to register onto each virtual or in-person event that you wish to attend during Orientation Week. You can do so via your course-specific Orientation Week schedule (above).
Activate your student email account.
- You will receive an email containing your Microsoft365 account details. This is your GIS student email. Make sure you activate this as soon as possible as it will provide you with access to GIS Collab, which includes all your course resources.
Complete the GIS Careers Survey
- At the Global Institute of Sport, we are committed to helping you achieve your education and career goals and aspirations by providing you with the right support and guidance throughout your time with us. To understand how GIS can support you individually on your journey, we will be emailing you a short careers survey to complete; the results of which will help our dedicated Global Careers Manager plan and deliver the appropriate tools, resources and opportunities to help you achieve your career goals.
Connect with us!
- You will shortly receive a welcome email from your course leader including an introduction of themselves, information on how to contact them and any prior recommended reading or information to help set the scene before you join us in September. Connect with them if you have any course related questions or have any concerns.
- Follow us on social media to stay up to date with all the latest news from
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