A former US international soccer player has taken one of the many courses on offer at GIS, as he takes his next steps towards his objective of becoming a CEO of a soccer club.

Oguchi Onyewu played professional soccer for 16 years, featuring in two World Cups and earning 69 caps for the United States.

After retiring from soccer, he became CEO of Royal Exelsior Virton in Belgium, before leaving that role and taking on the CEO of a Sports Organisation course at GIS.

Why are you taking on the CEO of a Sports Organisation course?

“I left that role (at Royal Exelsior Virton) and I’m currently doing this course to better hone my skills in leadership and CEO, while I look for my next opportunity.

“I have a vast knowledge of the international game, both in Europe and in America, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how I differ in my experiences as oppose to everybody else in this cohort.

“This course is basically, for me, about redefining, or refining actually, my leadership skills as a CEO.”

How did you find out about this course?

“I heard about this course a couple of years ago,” he added. “I spoke to Andy and Tony over a year ago and I was going to be involved in the sporting director programme prior to me getting my role as a CEO in Belgium.

“After I was in that role, I spoke to them again about what I should do in the next step of my progression and learning, and I came to the conclusion that this was the proper programme for me.”

What would you say to anybody thinking of doing a GIS course?

“GIS and VSI have been top leaders in executive education, so for me it was a no brainer to get involved in one of the courses.

“They all have a lot of benefits and I think after, I’m going to be filled with plethora of weapons in my arsenal to better lead and better structure a club moving forward.

“I am already recommending this course to everybody I know who’s in the sports organization, that aspires to be a leader.

“I think this course is going to be really influential for people who really want to progress their leadership skills moving forward.”