GIS graduates at a glance
Below you will read about a selection of GIS graduates, including:
- Sarah Levy - Academy Player Care Manager at The Premier League
- Iain Stuart - Competitions Officer at the Scottish Women's Premier League
- Len Villani - Football Operations and Compliance Manager at Carlton FC
- Aman Jain - Talent Management and Business Development Manager at IOS Sports & Entertainment
- Maria Hasler - Senior Commercial Rights Manager at Arsenal FC
- Rohan Shukla - Partnerships Manager at Portsmouth FC
- Hayley Carson - Fan Engagement and Supporter Liaison Officer at Brentford FC
- Wesley McGrath - Founder of Kick Off Football Academy
- Victoria Yarnold - International Department Football Coach at Villareal CF
- Jemma Entwistle - Regional Talent Manager at The FA
- Millie Chandarana - Nottingham Forest Women midfielder
- Brad Guzan - Atlanta United FC goalkeeper
- Wes Morgan - Former Leicester City and Jamaica defender
- Joleon Lescott - Former Manchester City and England defender, England Coach and Pundit
- Terry Dunfield - Former Canada midfielder, Assistant Coach at Toronto FC
- Asha Philip - Olympic medallist sprinter
- Rebecca Adlington - Olympic gold medallist swimmer, pundit and entrepreneur
- Shona McCallin - Olympic gold medallist hockey player
- Beth Tweddle - Olympic medallist gymnast and pundit
Industry-leading employment outcomes
It’s safe to say that there are millions who dream of working in the sports industry. Perfectly understandable- it’s one of the most exciting out there!
This makes it one of the biggest too. According to Global Sports Insights, the industry is estimated to have a revenue of $2.65 trillion, and within this, there are currently around 183,000 working in the sports and fitness occupations in the UK alone.
In this huge industry, GIS graduates have set a stellar record.
A simple statistic revealed by our internal study backs this up with the three nines- 99% of GIS graduates are in full-time employment within 9 months of finishing their course.
Moreover, 97% of these are in highly skilled jobs, and 79% are working in their desired industry of sport- music to our ears!
“These results showcase the incredible achievements of our graduates across the global sports industry”, says GIS President and CEO, Sharona Friedman.
Yes, these are some impressive statistics that we couldn’t be prouder of. But these students are far from just statistics- they’re success stories.
Sharona adds that, “Our purpose is to unite, inspire, and equip the current and future leaders of the global sports industry with the skills, knowledge, and network to take the world of sport to continually new heights.”
So with that in mind, we are delighted to share some of these journeys with you in this article, with graduates flourishing across a number of sporting sectors...
Business and Management
GIS runs three postgraduate courses in this area: MSc Football Business, MSc International Sports Management, and our Postgraduate Diploma in International Football Business, the latter being available at GIS Brussels. Between these, there are many alumni who have made giant leaps into their fields.
Meet Sarah Levy. Sarah graduated from our MSc International Sports Management course in 2023 and works at the Premier League as an Academy Player Care Manager.
In this role, she supports the off-the-field development of Premier League academy players, working with a range of different age groups. Taking part in many different modules throughout her course, Sarah said, “GIS was a really good place for me to be able to bring new ideas and new perspectives to a lot of the work that I was doing.”
She also highlighted the benefits of studying part-time, adding, “it was great to still be immersed in full-time work and apply that to discussions in the classroom and what we were studying.”
Another of our students making their way in this sector is Iain Stuart. Ian graduated with a distinction from his MSc Football Business.
During his studies, he successfully applied for his current role as Competitions Officer at the Scottish Women’s Premier League, having worked as a Football Operations Assistant at Dundee United beforehand.
Describing his role, Iain explained, “My major responsibilities are dedicated to further professionalising the elite women’s game in Scotland by planning and delivering two league, one cup, and two Play-Off competitions.”
He further went on to reflect on his time at GIS, saying, “GIS is geared towards making its students industry ready.
“I believe the confidence that the degree and these opportunities gave me on top of the knowledge I gained has given me an advantage when entering the industry and made me more employable.”
Another GIS sports business and management graduate plying his trade down under at Melbourne AFL club Carlton as Football Operations and Compliance Manager is Len Villani who commented “I found the content really relative and useful in terms of a good balance between academia and the practicalities in terms of how to use it in the workplace and bring it to life.”
Sports Agency
Being an agent or intermediary is one of the most sought-after roles in the sport. At GIS, we help you prepare for this through our MA Sports Agency course, one that offers the knowledge and skillset required for success.
One GIS graduate that has made great progress in this role is Aman Jain. Having finished his studies, Aman works as a Talent Management and Business Development Manager at New Delhi-based sports agency IOS Sports & Entertainment. This sees him work with over 60 athletes in the first non-cricket sports agency in India.
Whilst with GIS, Aman attended one of our Global Summits in Melbourne, saying, “They are a brilliant way to network in a market that someone from India like me just would not get the chance to learn more about.”
Marketing and Media
When it comes to this sector, we have multiple examples of alumni who’ve gone above and beyond since their studies. Subjects in this area include MSc Sports Marketing & Media and MSc Football Communications & Digital Marketing.
First up is Maria Hasler. Maria studied on our MSc Football Communications & Digital Marketing programme, and worked as part of the Global Partner Marketing team at DAZN before moving on to Senior Commercial Rights Manager at Arsenal Football Club.
Previously responsible for ensuring the effective marketing of competitions like the Champions League and the NFL through DAZN’s partners, Maria started her job whilst studying at GIS, and labels the work experience acquired during her course as a reason for her success in her job interview.
Another graduate of this course is Rohan Shukla. Currently the Partnerships Manager at Portsmouth FC, Rohan first worked as the International Marketing Officer at Watford FC.
To secure this role, he put those networking skills to good use by approaching the club’s Commercial Director to discuss what the club was doing wrong with their marketing in India. After several interviews and an internship, he earned his role, highlighting the power of communication, and more simply, going for it!
Now approaching a year at Portsmouth, Rohan sees GIS and his studies here as a major part of why he’s come so far, saying our collection of staff, “made my dreams come true”.
Another exemplary student is currently working at a Premier League club. Soon after graduating, Hayley Carson got a job at Brentford FC as a Fan Engagement and Supporter Liaison Officer and found a direct link between her studies and her role.
“A Fan Engagement module which was a great benefit going forward into this role. It enabled me to develop a firm understanding of the importance of fan engagement within a football club, as well as introducing new, innovative methods clubs and other industries are implementing when it comes to engaging fans and customers.”
Coaching and Analysis
Of course, coaching has been a part of sport just as long as playing has. But sport has also come a long way in terms of analysis. In the past, coaches and teams would rely on the ‘eye test’, but now, numbers are everything.
At GIS, there are multiple courses available to students who aspire to be in roles from coaching to scouting, including MSc Football Coaching & Analysis, which is available to study largely online with on-campus one-week residentials in London, Miami and Melbourne; and the MSc Performance Analysis in Football, which is available completely online.
One is MSc Football Coaching and Analysis. Gaining knowledge about both disciplines, Wesley McGrath felt the course, and the university, was the place for him. After completing his studies, Wesley first worked as an Advanced Centre Coach at MK Dons, identifying players who could make the step up to the academy.
Now, he is the Founder of Kick Off Football Academy, that has seen countless young stars get into the academies of professional clubs such as Arsenal, Leicester City and Aston Villa.
The same course has also seen our students achieve success overseas. Alumna Victoria Yarnold achieved a distinction after graduating from GIS, and now works in Spain!
Coaching for Villareal CF, Victoria’s role is as an International Department Football Coach, and has also coached for Chicago Fire across the Atlantic.
Back home, Jemma Entwistle has reached similar heights, having worked as an U16s coach at Manchester United Women having also graduated with a distinction in 2019.
Now Regional Talent Manager at The FA, Jemma spoke to us about her career so far, saying, “My favourite aspect to working in sport is that every day is different. The people that you meet, the players that you meet and the impact you get to have on their journeys”.
Current and Former Athletes
At GIS, we also have several athletes who are still playing that have chosen to prepare for the next step in their career by studying with us.
This comes with the knowledge that preparing for a career transition can actually benefit sporting performance, with studies showing that higher levels of pre-retirement planning were positively associated with team selection and career tenure.
One who sees the benefit of this is Millie Chandarana. A professional footballer for Nottingham Forest Women, Millie also studied with us at GIS as an MSc Football Business student.
Being a professional footballer, Millie studied her course part-time with us and emphasised how important it is to be able to balance both the course and footballing career.
“I’m happy I’m doing the course part-time with GIS and being able to get that extra time with contacts and lecturers and actually learning more across two years rather than having it condensed into one.”
Another example of one of our countless amazing student-athletes is MLS goalkeeper Brad Guzan. The former USA international, now playing for Atlanta United, is in the midst of his MSc Football Business program with GIS.
With football being the World’s Game, it is clear to see that athletes want to stay involved with the sport even after they retire. The ex-Aston Villa goalkeeper feels the same, saying, “I chose Football Business to help me prepare for a career after I finish playing so that I could stay connected to the game that I love.”
“I’m not ready to hang up my gloves yet, so the option to prepare my next move whilst still playing at the highest level was hugely important to me. That’s why I chose to study at GIS - it just made sense.”
Many retired athletes have also completed programmes with GIS as they progress to their next roles within sport. Who better to start with than a man who has captained his side to a Premier League title? Former Leicester City defender and Jamaica International Wes Morgan signed up to the GIS course with the idea that “You need to start preparing for life after football as soon as possible.”
Speaking about the course, he believes it will be a good addition to his (already stellar) footballing CV, saying “It will give me the necessary knowledge that I need to go into certain areas in football that I want to go into.”
Another international footballer we’ve had on this course is also another Premier League winner.
Joining the GIS programme, Joleon Lescott’s career high was representing England, and acknowledging that wasn’t going “to love anything the same way I did playing”, he decided to keep his options open by joining GIS.
“It’s about learning things I have zero experience in, finance being once, managing budgets, but the biggest draw was to have a master’s degree. Having left school with no GCSE’s, that was a big plus.”
But it’s not only in Europe that ex-players see the benefit of our courses. Across the pond, former Manchester City, Macclesfield Town, and Toronto FC player Terry Dunfield conveyed his excitement when joining the GIS course.
“I think each candidate that comes on the course brings a different skillset and with this academia access to top professors and subject matter experts, with what’s in my backpack I’m really able to connect these dots.
“The camaraderie amongst the cohort is incredible. We’re really in this fight together and living the highs and lows.”
A former Canadian international, Terry spoke to us as part of our virtual Toronto Global Summit, where he currently works as Toronto FC academy coach. Speaking to us on the importance of networking, he explained that, “What I’ve found at the top is that everyone is so open with their work and there’s nothing to hide. There’s not really a secret sauce; as long as your intentions are good they want to share their ideas.”
Away from football, Olympians including Asha Philip, Rebecca Adlington, Shona McCallin and Beth Tweddle have enrolled onto GIS courses as they look to back up their incredible careers in elite sport with broader knowledge of sports business.
Asha Philip explained “Going back to education is a good challenge, and I always like to learn and challenge myself!”
Throughout this article, we’ve mentioned only a few of the GIS alumni we’re proud to have had with us, and there are so many others making us proud as they advance in their sporting careers.
Article by Zak Anani
