New GIS Students Hear from The FA CEO During Welcome Week at Wembley Stadium

This week, the Global Institute of Sport was excited to welcome our newest cohort of students with a special welcome week event at the home of English football, Wembley Stadium.

Joined by guest speakers including Mark Bullingham, CEO of The FA, students got their first taste of their studies ahead, meeting their new peers, hearing from leading figures across the sports industry and experiencing one of football’s most iconic venues.

The day began with students meeting their new peers and lecturers before they were introduced to Mark Bullingham by Mark Clemmit, BBC reporter and GIS Global Summit facilitator. Mark Clemmit spoke with Bullingham about his journey into football, his relationships with England managers and his experiences working at the very top of English football.

Speaking to us afterwards, Bullingham then offered his top tips for getting a job in the sports industry:

“Firstly, try whatever you can to get work experience, because it’ll open your eyes to what opportunities there are, you’ll understand what you enjoy, and where you want to go.

“Secondly, really learn about the industry, so that when you meet people you’re really knowledgeable. There’s a tonne of information out there!

“The third one is try as hard as you can to meet as many people as you can because you never know when you meet someone what it could lead to. Get to know people, be curious, and throw yourself into it. Good luck!”

After the session, students were given a private tour of Wembley Stadium, including the opportunity to walk down the tunnel used by countless footballing legends over the years.

On their return, the new intake were welcomed back by GIS CEO Sharona Friedman before they heard from a further host of leading guest speakers, including:

– Jo Tongue MBE, CEO of Tongue Tied Media

– Asha Philip OLY, Olympic medallist and Co-Founder of The Athlete Gateway

– Deji Akande, CEO & Founder of Gateway Sports Group

Following Mark Bullingham’s advice, students rounded the evening off with another networking opportunity, the students left Wembley excited to leap into their studies in the exciting sports industry.

More exciting guest speaker sessions will be held in the coming days and weeks from around the world, which you can learn more about on our Webinars & Events page.  

To learn more about how you can launch your career in sport, explore our range of programme offerings.