BA (Hons) Football Business and Marketing

The business of football is a constantly evolving global industry because of its increased popularity and revenue streams. Football has a unique role in society, it transcends sport, leisure and entertainment and this distinguishes the football business from other industries. The module will provide you with an understanding of sports business models, concepts and theories in respect of the football industry. You will explore the sports business ecosystem which reflects key stakeholders and their realms of influence and interaction.

This module aims to introduce you to the principles of marketing through a series of lectures and seminars. The module will provide you with an understanding of marketing models, concepts and theories. Marketing is a business philosophy that places the customer at the heart of all its activities (customer centric) and regards satisfying customer needs and wants for the purpose of building sustainable competitive advantages. You will explore the application of traditional marketing concepts and evolving technologies which impact the sports industry. In a continually disruptive environment, marketing is all about creating customer value and building profitable customer relationships. It is no different in the world of sport and football.

In order for you to achieve your university and future workplace goals, you need to be aware of a number of personal qualities and behaviours that can impact your ability to succeed. It is also important that you understand the industry and societal context in which you plan to work. This module aims to introduce you to personal and professional factors relevant to employment in the sport industry, and to enhance your awareness of the industrial landscape. Additionally, it will support you in developing some essential academic skills for higher education (such as academic writing and referencing). The module will introduce you to a wide range of perspectives, philosophies, and principles of critical and ethical thinking which will equip you with the competencies and confidence to achieve your academic and employability goals.

Data has gained a crucial role on today’s business environment. The need to understand and capitalise on this data to inform marketing and/or strategic decisions has never been more important. The aim of the module is to provide with the skills to explore, analyse an interpret data with the use of applied mathematical calculations for graphical interpretation. This module will cover data collection(s) to data visualisation, analysis and interpretation. The skills gained on this module will equip you with the ability to formulate and report insights and analysis in a structured and analytical approach. This may include graphical use of software such as Excel.

This module aims to introduce you to models of marketing communications through a series of lectures and seminars. The module will provide you with an understanding of Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) models, core concepts and theories. Marketing communications with stakeholder groups has become a core sports business activity. It not only spans between the sports organisation and its customers but the way such business activities are communicated with internal and external stakeholders by using a variety of online/offline channels. To do this you will study specialist areas, relating to above and below the line communications methods, and use of technologies in advertising. This will be demonstrated throughout the semester with active briefs which will highlight multi-disciplinary channels used to communicate and your practical use of these.

You will develop an understanding of sports fans, their motivations, experiences and interactions with sports clubs. It will ask you to consider how sport fan behaviour is regulated by different psycho-social factors such as involvement, identification, motivation, loyalty, as well as forms of social exclusion. You will examine how the unique relationship between fans and sports clubs has developed over time and explore some of the key issues underpinning this dynamic. This module will allow you to study sport through the intersection of sociological, psychological and marketing perspectives underpinning sports fan experience and behaviour. You will also develop your understanding of some of the methodologies underpinning market research and scholarly studies of sports fan behaviour, examining processes, variables and outcomes associated with sports fan behaviour research.

This module aims to introduce you to the organisation and governance of world football through a series of lectures and seminars. The module will provide you with an understanding football management off the pitch and challenges faced by football organisations. Football is a global game enjoyed by billions and football associations at every level may see governance in a different way to that of international organisations. A holistic view of the management of football as a sport is central to this module.

This module aims to introduce you to the challenges of digital marketing theories applied within a contemporary context through a series of workshops. The module will provide you with an understanding of digital marketing models, concepts and theories to meet organisational/marketing goals. This module will facilitate you with the ability to analyse theoretical frameworks and practices to improve customer relationships. It focuses on the key stages of the planning process, including undertaking a marketing audit, setting objectives through to strategy creation, tactics and resource planning. You will also learn how such digital strategies and channels can be integrated into this process. You will be expected to develop an understanding in how evolving technologies can support the marketing of products, services and engagement within the sports industry.

As a practitioner in your discipline you will be required to engage in evidence-based practice. This module supports your ability to become an evidence-based practitioner by providing you with an introduction to the processes involved in conducting research within your discipline and equipping you with the skills and knowledge to be able to critically analyse the work of others. This module will build on skills and knowledge which you will have acquired throughout your course so far, and has been designed to prepare you for conducting your own independent project as part of the Professional Project module at Level 6. Specifically, this module will enable you to gain an applied understanding of the research process. This will involve identifying a contemporary industry-relevant issue; developing project aims and objectives; understanding reflexivity and the role you play in the design and execution of a project; understanding methodologies and different methods of data collection, analysis, and interpretation; and appreciating the importance of ethical practice. The delivery of this module will be facilitated by your engagement in a research project to investigate contemporary industry-relevant issues.

This module aims to introduce you to the practices and applications of digital marketing through a series of workshops. Appropriate use of digital marketing to engage and promote the sports brand. You will be expected to apply their previous knowledge form the theory of digital marketing module to further benefit their skill set. You will be introduced to a range of online tools for analysis and implementation of your online presence. The module will include the formulation of enhanced digital marketing techniques used to build customer relationships and also give students an understanding of how businesses create, implement and measure digital marketing campaigns. Digital marketing is becoming a core competency for many organisations leading them to enhance customer relations and achieve long-term business goals.

This module will facilitate you in the understanding, creation and effective delivery of a range of events in a stadium venue. The module will enable you to understand the principles, frameworks and regulations that surround the implementation of an event in a stadium environment and will investigate the logistical, marketing and resource challenges associated with such events. Through applied and experiential learning and assessment on the module, you will gain a deeper understanding of the range of skills required within the events industry and how to apply these in a live environment with peers.

Following on from your previous training regarding personal qualities and behaviours that can impact your ability to succeed, this module focuses on developing your practical skills relevant to a workplace environment. This module will ask you to apply your knowledge and personal skillset to problem-based learning scenarios, and live projects. You will learn project management skills, develop your personal pragmatism, and enhance your industry-based interests and understanding. You will work both as part of a team and independently, developing essential aspects of your emotional, social, and professional self.

Studying this module will develop your knowledge and appreciation of strategic management in different organisational and environmental settings. You will learn how strategic thinking and planning is applied within football (grassroots/professional) and sporting ecosystems. You will also be able to critically evaluate how leadership approaches support strategy expectations. The module will provide you with theoretical concepts and relevant tools for undertaking strategic analyses, considering strategic choices and making strategic recommendations for any sports related organisation.

In this module, you will evaluate how branding concepts are conveyed to markets, with football being central to this. You will be encouraged to debate the applicability of these arguments to football clubs and how they can be implemented to fulfil sporting goals. The increased accession of player branding is a further consideration of this module. You will develop and apply branding strategies for sporting entities which will contribute to and align with the wider marketing strategy of such institutions and individuals.

This module provides you with the opportunity to synthesise the knowledge and skills you will have developed during the course of your studies and independently design, develop and execute an individual professional project. This project aims to investigate an original contemporary industry-relevant issue and will be a platform through which you will demonstrate the knowledge, skills, understanding and expertise you have developed in your discipline thus far. It is expected that your project output will contribute to industry practice and/or academic and practitioner knowledge. To achieve this, you will investigate an original contemporary industry-relevant issue and make judgments on the basis of sound evidence and therefore, the project will be research- and inquiry-based. The project will be directly relevant to your course and will be produced and disseminated in the format best suited to the project aims and to developing a career of your choice. The project will build on the L5 Research Methods assessment and you will be working closely with a project supervisor who will provide guidance and support throughout your project.

The aim of this module is to develop your understanding of global complexities such as the impact of cultural and dynamic market conditions across the globe. The module will enable you to apply global marketing theories and concepts to the business of sport and in particular, the business of football. The international business environment is examined in the context of foreign markets and customers. Due diligence will be considered prior to entry of new markets through research and evaluation of entry strategies. You will consider how to develop a global marketing plan to engage with consumers across national boundaries.

Following on from your previous training regarding personal qualities and behaviours that can impact your ability to succeed, this module focuses on practical application of that knowledge during a workplace visit. Until now, your modules have provided learning opportunities about the industry and societal context in which you plan to work. This module aims to introduce you to a workplace environment. Doing so will allow you to enhance your awareness of the industrial landscape through experience. This module creates a space for you to apply competencies developed in your modules to date to a real-life setting, leading to experiential and reflective learning.

This module will provide you with the opportunity to identify the skills, competencies and experience required for successful development to embarking on their university degree and successfully completing it and progressing on to a range of potential future career areas. Central to the developmental process is for you to cultivate the reflective skills, openness and self- awareness to enable you to assess what you are doing, identify areas for improvement, and confidently receive and give constructive feedback.

This module will provide you with the opportunity to identify the skills, competencies and experience required for employment. This will support you in your ‘transition’ from school, college or the work place towards degree level study. You will begin to recognise the areas for your own personal professional development (including emotional, social, physical, cultural and cognitive intelligences) through taught and workshop activities. This will allow you identify attributes that are important to develop that are important for your career in the sports professional related to your programme.

The module will introduce you to the research processes when undertaking a project within your field of study. You will explore the important ethical considerations when planning and conducting a research project safely to analyse a problem or question specific to your subject area. This will require you to utilise and apply key research skills alongside selecting appropriate methods to collect data and report significant findings regarding your research question.

This module introduces you to many of the challenging and complex contemporary issues faced in the rapidly changing and demanding, world of sport. It will allow you to build and consolidate knowledge, through understanding of key issues within the broad arena of sport in a discursive manner that will underpin your future work. You will be encouraged to research events, themes and issues that have affected the world of sport and, in some cases, changed the structure and behaviour of the sports industry.

This module will introduce you to the foundations towards a range of concepts and models related to understanding and managing people, work and behaviour in national and international football related organisations. In order to identify and explain how clubs operate and are organised from a commercial and sporting perspective, while preparing an interactive resource (eg. Podcast, website, visual or audio resource) undertaking an examination of a clubs use of the marketing function to engage with audiences.

This module will introduce you to the framework within football finances and the decision-making process of clubs, players and agents while applying this to the context of international football. You will examine key principles of leadership styles in management. This will allow you to identify and develop management knowledge and understandings. You will analyse which leadership styles are considered to be successful in the business management of others.