UCFB’s postgraduate programmes have been designed to delve further into the world of senior management across a number of aspects of the sports industry.
The unique business model of sport – investors, athletes, fans – has increasingly meant more and more money is spent in a plethora of different areas of the industry around the world. So understanding this model and how it’s managed has become increasingly relevant in 21st century sport.
A deep understanding of international sport is something Simon had even before arriving at UCFB Wembley, having previously worked in strategy and digital innovation roles in Asia, North America and Europe. In his time at UCFB, Simon has taken part in a ‘hackathon’ for Premier League giants Manchester City, to look at fan behaviour around the world.
Simon was also part of the first cohort of students to undertake a semester in Madrid as part of the MSc International Sport Management syllabus. He and other students spent three months in the Spanish capital at the Real Madrid Graduate School – Universidad Europea, learning more about international markets at the education arm of the 12-time European champions. During this time students had the opportunity to go behind the scenes and get a rare look at facilities including the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu and Real Madrid training facility Valdebebas.
Going forward with his career, Simon said: “While I have a strong interest in innovation and entrepreneurship, I firmly believe that football and sport is a catalyst to enhance societal values and sustainability. I want to pursue opportunities within the sport industry that would allow me to do this by leveraging innovation, my international commercial partnerships experiences, and my academic research on this theme.”
