Welcome Week marks the start of our academic year and is our opportunity to help you prepare for your studies. We hope that the information, course welcome sessions, events and activities help you feel confident and prepared to navigate university life.
The links below will guide you through our systems and provide information to support your academic onboarding, preparing you with the necessary information to hit the ground running when teaching starts.
Welcome to UCFB | GIS and the start of your academic journey with us this academic year.
As part of the UCFB | GIS family, you will have access to our unique and engaging degree courses, designed to enable students to graduate and thrive in the world of football and sport.
This is an especially exciting time for UCFB | GIS, with new developments to facilitate your learning; and exciting industry partnerships with a wealth of opportunities to implement what you have been taught during work placements.
Our Academic and Registry teams are here to support you throughout your time at UCFB | GIS and to enable you to achieve your full potential, on and off the pitch. We are excited to be part of your journey of personal and professional development, building on your passion, ambition and enthusiasm, developing your knowledge, and providing a unique experience to further yourself as an accomplished and confident professional.
We’re proud that over 90% of our graduates are in full time employment or further study within six months of graduation, and almost two-thirds of those work in the football and sports industry with leading organisations such as The Football Association, the Rugby Football League, Manchester United, Opta and EDP Soccer in the USA.
With our global hubs in some of the world’s most exciting sports destinations, students can access opportunities to learn about the sports industry in the US, Canada and Australia at our global study hub locations at some of the best stadiums in the world.
Your experience is important to us, and the UCFB | GIS team is dedicated to ensuring that your hard work is balanced by excellent social and sporting events.
This is the start of an exciting adventure, and we look forward to welcoming you to the start of this academic year at UCFB | GIS.
Best wishes,
Brendan Flood
UCFB and GIS Chairman
Welcome to UCFB’s Global Institute of Sport (GIS), the leading destination for Master’s degrees and Executive Education in the world’s most exciting sector.
Driving the fast-paced world of sport to new heights, GIS is powered by a global network of industry leaders and elite stadium venues.
GIS is both global in name and by nature. Our students and alumni have unique access to some of the most amazing stadiums that myself and the team have engaged with during our impressive collective tenure in the world of global sport. Our senior leadership team originates from three continents and has an abundance of experience in international education and sport. Our new Global Industry Advisors are a collection of influential sports leaders from across the world who feed into your degree provision, global experiences and career opportunities.
Our mantra ‘Driven by sport, powered by industry’ is embodied in everything we do.
We cannot wait for you to get started mastering the global sports industry. I look forward to meeting you all and telling you a little bit more about my personal journey in the world of sport, and how I hope that benefits you all, during your orientation and induction activities at one of our fabulous stadium campuses, or on our connected global online campus.
“Once you see the scope of the world, you begin to understand the extent of what’s possible.” -
Sharona Friedman
GIS President
Our welcome and orientation sessions take place week commencing Monday 22nd January 2024.
The sessions will cover introductions to your academic course leaders and provide you with an overview of what to expect from the coming year and hear about the fantastic opportunities available to GIS students.
Click on the link below to access the information for your course.
We can’t wait to welcome you to the Global Institute of Sport and showcase all the opportunities available to you as you start out on your academic journey with us.
2023-24 Welcome Information
We are excited to welcome you to the start of your journey with the Global Institute of Sport! To help you get organised for the year ahead, we recommend that you watch this short video checklist which contains useful information to help you prepare for the start of your studies with GIS and so you can be sure you have accessed all the essential information and completed all necessary steps to ensure a smooth start.
Meet Erica, our AI avatar, who will take you through a short video checklist so you can be sure you have accessed all the essential information and completed all necessary steps to ensure a smooth start with us.
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.
Course Leader Introduction
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 get you started before you join us. Connect with them if you have any course related questions or have any concerns.
Click here for your Course Leader contact information
Distance Learning
Distance learning offers a flexible approach to your studies that can fit around your schedule, connecting students with knowledge from anywhere in the world.
Watch the short video below to find out how the Global Institute of Sport distance degrees are delivered.
If you are new to distance learning or would like to find out how to get the most out of your studies, we have developed a handy ‘Study Tips for Online Learning’ guide.
GIS Hoodies
Order before the 4th February 2024 and collect your hoodie on campus from Monday 4th March 2024.
If you are studying a distance learning or distance learning with attendance course, you can collect your hoodie next time you visit campus/have a residential week or if you cannot attend campus then alternative arrangements can be made for this to be sent to you.
2023-24 Welcome Information
We are excited to welcome you back for the start of the academic year with the Global Institute of Sport! To help you get organised for the year ahead, we recommend that you watch this short video checklist which contains useful information to help you prepare for the start of your studies this academic year and so you can be sure you have accessed all the essential information and completed all necessary steps to ensure a smooth start.
JobTeaser
Don’t forget to access the JobTeaser platform to access a range of Employability and Career Planning events and resources this coming academic year. JobTeaser allows students to:
- View and sign up to a wide range of ECP events, such as workshops, conferences, careers fairs, networking opportunities & industry insights trips!
- Book 1:1 appointment with a careers coach, to discuss your ambitions and navigate the sports industry!
- Access exclusive job opportunities, student work placements, industry projects & access to volunteer at major sporting events!
You can create an account HERE
Watch this short video to help you HERE
Completing your GIS and UEL enrolment tasks gives you full access to our systems and services.
If you have not completed one or both of these tasks, you will be at a disadvantage at the start of your course so please complete these tasks now.
Advice can be found on our Enrolment page or contact the Enrolment Team at enrol@ucfb.com as a matter of urgency as the final date for you to complete your enrolment is Monday 12th February 2024.
The academic term starts week commencing 29th January 2024.
With distance study at GIS, students will study via a mix of pre-recorded virtual learning and exercises, supported by live online sessions to provide you with the opportunity to interact with tutors and students on your course.
Each module will require the completion of weekly activities set by your module leader as well as the submission of assessments. You will be provided with live lecture notes, reading material and activities to check your learning and there will be plenty of opportunities for you to check in with your module and course leaders.
Your individual module timetables for the semester are located on your Online Hub module pages, which outlines the activities to complete each week and includes the dates, times and links to live sessions which are held on MS Teams.
During your course welcome sessions, you will meet your course leader who will provide you with the key information you need to get started.
In addition, we have created short videos that explain the services and support you receive as a GIS student, as well as exciting opportunities you can get involved with.
We have broken these down into the key service categories:
Once you have enrolled, you will receive an email informing you that your system access has been set up to support your academic studies.
An important part of commencing your studies, is to login to the Online Hub. Although your access has been created, we need you to confirm some details so that this can be completed. It can take up to 48 hours for the system to update and for access to be given, so it’s really important you do this immediately.
We take security very seriously and keeping your information safe is important to us so we need you to complete a few security questions. We have created a short video which takes you through these steps, we recommend watching this first so that you are aware of them.
To log in for the first time go to https://my.ucfb.com and follow the on-screen instructions.
This email confirms your Online Hub login details so please keep this safe.
Your Online Hub username is in the format of <NUMBER>@ucfb.ac.uk
Your first-time set-up password is: your date of birth and surname e.g. 05/06/1969Smith (please include leading zeros and make sure there is no space between your date of birth and surname). This is based on the UK date format dd/mm/yyyy
If you have a double-barrelled surname, please enter your surname as submitted at enrolment. If you are unsure, this can be checked in the Learner Portal, in the 'My Personal Details' section.
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.
If you experience any technical issues when trying to access the Online Hub, Office 365 or your student email account, you can contact the IT Helpdesk at IT@ucfb.com.
Distance and Distance (with Attendance) students can obtain a UCFB|GIS student ID card, which enables you to access our UK campus facilities in Manchester or Wembley, including accessing the library, arranging in person 1:1’s with your tutors or support staff, access guest speaker sessions or Employability and Career Planning campus-based events.
In order to obtain a campus ID card, you must first read the e-learning module from the Facilities Department, as this contains all the information you will need to familiarise yourself with our campus facilities, including:
- General operational information about facilities (locations, opening times, security etc)
- Overarching Facilities policies and protocols and specific details for each facility
- Fire (and evacuation) and first aid processes and protocols.
Student ID Access Control Cards will be produced for students following completion of the e-learning module, and once you have submitted or had your photo taken by one of the Facilities Team members. Arrangements can be made to collect the card site.
If you have any questions on starting your course with us, Welcome Week or the enrolment process, you can check out our frequently asked questions by following the links below:
