MSc Football Business

This module explores the evolving landscape of football fan engagement within the global sports industry. It offers a critical examination of how football organisations cultivate, maintain, and measure relationships with fans across multiple touchpoints, using both traditional and emerging strategies. Beginning with an introduction to fan culture and the historical context of sports marketing, the module then progresses through key themes including fan behaviour, segmentation, and match-day experience. Students engage with contemporary challenges and opportunities in digital fan engagement, including the use of social media, websites, apps, and email campaigns. Globalisation and inclusivity are central themes, as students explore how cultural differences, identity, and accessibility shape engagement. The module further investigates the role of community engagement, supporter groups, and reputation management. Students also examine metrics that matter—KPIs, CRM systems, and data analytics—to assess the effectiveness and ROI of engagement strategies. In the final weeks, the module turns toward the future of fan engagement, introducing innovations such as AR/VR, AI, NFTs, and gamification.

In this module you will appraise operations management principles in the wider football industry. The module will cover a broad selection of topics including, but not limited to, stadium technology, multi-use stadium operations, matchday experience, stadium capacity calculations, sustainable development policies, football facility financial management, event management principles and community engagement.

The aim of this module is to assess multiple approaches of operations management for football organisations and football facilities. You will be introduced to academic theories which will be related to case studies from the global football industry. You will be expected to critically explore academic theories, governance regulations, and industry practices related to the content of this module.

The module will help you to explore, interpret and apply operations management principles and consolidate these into long-term strategies for a football organisation.

This module provides an opportunity to undertake an applied professional project that bridges academic learning with real-world practice in the sports industry. It is designed to enhance your professional skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities by engaging with a current issue or challenge within a sporting context.

You will take ownership of a sustained, independent project that draws on the knowledge, competencies, and experiences developed throughout your programme. Working within a live or simulated sports environment, you will apply theoretical understanding to practice, with the aim of generating meaningful insights or solutions that have direct relevance to coaching and performance, or sports business and management, marketing or media.

The module fosters experiential learning by encouraging reflection on your personal development and professional impact. Through this process, you will demonstrate leadership, initiative, and the ability to manage and deliver a project from conception to completion, all of which are highly valued by employers in the sport sector.

Your chosen project will allow you to explore an area of personal or professional interest, showcasing your ability to integrate academic knowledge with industry practice. By presenting your findings and outcomes, you will contribute to the enhancement of professional standards and demonstrate your readiness to influence and improve sporting environments.

The Branding & Sports Sponsorship module explores the strategic role that branding and sponsorship play in the sports industry. It covers the fundamentals of building strong sports brands and how sponsorship deals—whether with teams, athletes, events, or venues—can enhance brand visibility and engagement. The module delves into aligning brand values with sports entities to create authentic partnerships, and it emphasizes the importance of activation strategies and digital media in maximizing sponsorship return on investment. Students will learn how to measure sponsorship effectiveness, navigate ethical challenges, and understand the dynamics of global sports branding. Additionally, the module addresses crisis management, equipping learners with strategies to protect and restore brand reputation during unforeseen challenges. Finally, the course looks ahead to future trends shaping the evolving landscape of sports marketing and sponsorship, preparing learners to innovate in this fast-paced field.

• Undergraduate degree – minimum 2:2 (ideally a 2:1) or international equivalent.
• Applicants with a 2:2 should have some experience of studying or working in business or sports related areas.
• English Language Requirements: if you’re applying from a country where English is not the majority spoken language, you’ll need to demonstrate your English proficiency. We accept a range of internationally recognised qualifications, with the minimum standard being: IELTS score of 6.5 overall, with no individual component below 6.0, or an equivalent. Accepted qualifications include: IELTS Academic, IELTS for UKVI, TOEFL iBT, Oxford ELLT, PTE Academic, Cambridge IGCSE, ESOL, and IESOL.
• Oxford ELLT is an English Language Level Test, approved by Global Institute of Sport that can be used as evidence of a candidate’s English language proficiency for international admissions.
  • We require a minimum ELLT score of 7, with at least 6 in each individual component.

Offers to applicants currently studying an undergraduate degree will be conditional on them going on to achieve the entry requirements on completion of their degree.

Applications that do not meet the standard entry requirements but demonstrate relevant education and/or work and/or life experience in the course subject area are welcomed.

Eligibility will be assessed on the basis of the information provided in the application – in particular the personal statement.