Adam Davis
UCFB Manchester
Deputy Course Leader
BA (Hons) International Football Business
Adam is a highly experienced sports economist and management consultant with specialisms in football finance, club development and strategy management. Adam is a sports consultant working with many clients across the EFL and Europe having worked in 7 different sports in 9 different countries including roles for several clubs as a scout and analyst for Exeter City, Sheffield United and SonderjskE in Denmark.
Prior to joining UCFB, Adam was a researcher at Sheffield Hallam University and was a lead on the groundbreaking research investigating the true extent Covid-19 had on English and Scottish football.
Area of expertise
- Sports Economics
- Football Finance
- Competitive Balance
- League and club governance
- Sports Club Evaluation
Industry expertise
Adam is a regular contributor to a range of media outlets on stories related to sports business and finance including on Radio 1 for BBC Newsbeat, BBC Radio York and Somerset.
Adam is the Director of Davis Sports Management, a sports research consultancy.
DSM has worked in 7 different sports in 9 different countries.
Notable former and current clients include HudlStatsbomb, MRKT Insights, several EFL and National league clubs and AlphaPlayAI.
Formerly a researcher at The Open Golf Championship and The Ryder Cup.
Adam has also worked for several clubs as a scout and analyst including Exeter City, Sheffield United and SonderjskE in Denmark.
Adam is a member of the academic network for the Football Supporter’s Association (FSA) and regular contributor to their research output. All relate to his specialism of sports economics with particular focus of two projects on non-league football.
Outside of football, Adam was a part of an expert panel investigating the finances of the professional rugby union pyramid in England for the restructuring firm, Leonard Curtis.
- Sports Economics
- Sports Finance – Football & Rugby Union
- Competitive Balance
- Strategic Management in sport
- Master of Science in Sports Business Management with Distinction (Sheffield Hallam University)
- Bachelor of Science in Economics (University of York)
- A Review of Competitive Balance in European Football Leagues before and after Financial Fair Play Regulations – https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/5/4284
- Counting the Cost of COVID-19 on Professional Football Clubs and Their Communities –
https://www.shu.ac.uk/news/all-articles/latest-news/football-covid-research – Full report available on request
In review:
- The Boiling Frog of European Club Football: Building Legitimacy for the (UEFA) European Super League
- Levelling the Field: A Study of Competitive Balance in English Rugby Union’s Top Tiers
- Google scholar link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=JnjS8AYAAAAJ&hl=en