UCFB announces judging panel for Sports Entrepreneur Competition

UCFB can officially announce the first member of the judging panel of our Sports Entrepreneur Competition in Manchester. More to be announced in the coming days…

UCFB is marking ten years in Manchester with the competition, with a prize up to the value of £50,000 to the winning sports business pitch at the event in late October.

With a judging panel of five business-minded individuals from the world of sport, UCFB can announce the guests who will be analysing each pitch and deciding on the competition’s victor.

Eni Shabani

Eni Shabani is founder and director at Rising Ballers Group, one of the fastest growing football media brands in the game, partnering with like-minded global brands on award-winning campaigns. 

A passionate and purpose-led entrepreneur, Eni founded Rising Ballers to combat the lack of support and representation young and aspiring football players had. 

Originally working as a private equity consultant, Eni saw how disheartened his brother Brendon felt while playing at academy level and wanted to do something to help change that.

Recognising a gap in the digital market for a community platform that would speak directly to grassroots football fans, Eni set about building a network to shine a light on young ballers.

Fast forward to now, Rising Ballers Group is a fully-fledged football media brand and cultural impact studio on a mission to create culture and opportunity within football for the next wave – Eni’s impact spans far and wide. 

The Rising Ballers network, inclusive of women’s football brand, She’s A Baller, has one of the most engaged, authentic communities out there boasting a following of 15M+ and impressive repertoire of brands partnered with.

From activating successful campaigns and projects with the likes of Adidas, PlayStation and Premier League, to running grassroots talent-finding tournaments up and down the country, the Rising Ballers network educates and entertains communities while keeping young representation at its core. 

Learn more about the sports industry-focused undergraduate degree courses on offer at UCFB, tailored to fields such as sports coaching, sports business and sports media.

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