Course overview
Football is more than just a game, it's a multi-billion pound industry with complex financial management at its core. To succeed in this global arena, it's essential to have a comprehensive understanding of the financial aspects of the sport.
Led by a former co-author of Deloitte's Football Money League, this course will equip you with the essential skills to analyse and interpret financial performance of football clubs. You'll learn how to identify key financial indicators, interpret financial statements, and use financial data to make informed decisions in the industry.
Whether you're looking to pursue a career in football finance or simply gain a better understanding of the industry, this course is the perfect way to get started. Our expert instructors will guide you through the latest trends and best practices in football finance, helping you to stay up-to-date with the fast-paced world of professional sports.
Our experienced instructors will also guide you through case studies and real-world scenarios, giving you hands-on experience in applying your knowledge. By the end of the course, you'll have a solid understanding of the financial dynamics of football clubs, enabling you to make informed financial decisions within the industry.
The course encapsulates a variety of topics in order to provide participants with the underlying skillset to be able to analyse and interpret the financial performance of football clubs, as well as the wider understanding of the business and regulatory environment in which these clubs operate.
Such topics will encapsulate:
- Understanding football finance; an analysis of the three key revenue streams of football clubs at different levels of competition and how they come about.
- The in-depth analysis of European football leagues' revenue and wage profiles as well as a deep dive into the financials of the top two tiers of English football.
- Football club financial statements; interpreting a football club’s P&L and Balance Sheet in the context of analysing sustainability, financial health, regulatory compliance and making investment decisions.
- The regulatory landscape; an overview of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations, as well as the Premier League and Championship’s Profitability and Sustainability regulations, including their stated objectives, mechanics, how they apply to clubs’ financial strategies, and recent case studies.
- The European football landscape; a summary of financial trends across the English game, as well as in the wider European market. You will also gain understanding of contemporary issues on football finance, including 'Project Big Picture' and the 'European Super League'.
My goal was to get a general overview of a football club's financial picture, as well as the comparison between Europe's Big 5 and the Premier League and the overall impact the pandemic has had on the industry. I learned all this and gained many more interesting detailed insights
An experienced football business consultant, Christopher joined UCFB after several years in the Deloitte Sports Business Group. He holds an MBA specialising in the football industry, and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.
During his time at Deloitte, Christopher worked with leading football clubs, associations and governing bodies around the world, specialising in governance, risk management and financial regulation of football clubs.
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Steps you'll take during this course
Over the duration of this course you will have access to five sets of recorded sessions, these encompassing the delivery of the taught content.
- Session 1 will introduce you to the three key revenue streams of English football clubs
- Session 2 provides a high level overview of the Big Five European Leagues’ revenue and wage profiles
- Session 3 introduces and critiques the concept of UEFA Financial Fair Play
- Session 4 will introduce you to the structure and meaning of a set of English football club financial statements
- Session 5 wraps up with an overview of contemporary issues in football finance
Over the duration of the course you’ll engage in a number of activities designed to build on that which you’ve learnt from the recorded sessions. You’ll work on these activities between the separately recorded elements of each session. These include:
- Three key revenue streams
- Broadcast revenue distribution
- The Government's fan-led review
- The use of your club's financial statements
- UEFA European Club footballing landscape
- Financial Fair Play
- Project Big Picture
- The European Super League
- and more...
Each of the five sessions finish with a set of self-assessment questions for you to check your understanding of the topics covered. These take the form of multiple choice or ‘fill in the blanks’ style questions.
In order to pass the Football Finance course, you must successfully complete a small-scale project based on a hypothetical scenario. These will be prescribed to you during the course and based on the learning that you have received during the course duration.
This course was excellent. For anybody working in or wanting to work in the football industry this is a course I would highly recommend. It’s important to understand the finances of the sport we are all passionate about and this courses delivers for that.
Course outcomes
Suitable for anyone interested in developing a understanding of football finance, revenue and financial trends in football.
The course will provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the growing importance of financial management in football, from the basics of the football club business model and interpreting football club financials, through to an overarching understanding of the current and future financial picture in England and abroad.
Course delivery
The course is delivered through a combination of recorded sessions, taught content, practical exercises and an interactive workshop/discussion. This course will take approximately 10 hours to complete.
Delivery mode: Online.
Course Fee
2023
These discounts are open to any UCFB, Buckinghamshire New University and University of East London graduate who has received and accepted an offer to study at postgraduate level with UCFB’s Global Institute of Sport.
- 15% fee tuition discount on all Master's programmes, excluding MSc Sports Directorship
- 15% fee tuition discount on MSc Sports Directorship and CEO of a Sports Organisation
If you’d like to extend your time with us, we’re pleased to offer all GIS graduates:
- 15% fee tuition discount on all Master's programmes, excluding MSc Sports Directorship
- 15% fee tuition discount on MSc Sports Directorship and CEO of a Sports Organisation
We're pleased to offer all UCFB and GIS business partners 15% fee tuition discount on all Undergraduate, Master's programmes.
How to apply
Please click here and register your interest in the programme, our team will then be in touch with the next steps on your application process.
Please click here to read the terms and conditions of the programme.
