POSTGRADUATE students at UCFB, a world first in higher education delivering university degrees in the football, sport and events industries inside the iconic Wembley stadium, now have the chance to work alongside the world’s biggest club – Real Madrid.
As well as benefitting from studying within the world’s greatest sporting venue, students on the MSc International Sport Management course can now spend time in the Spanish capital at The Real Madrid Graduate School’s facilities including the new Sports City and the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, thanks to a landmark partnership between UCFB and the ten times European champions’ education arm Universidad Europea, of which Emilio Butragueño, the legendary former Spain and Real Madrid striker, is Director General.
By studying at two of the most iconic sporting destinations in the world, students are fully immersed within the sport industry and are able to develop a network of world-class industry contacts.
The unique course provides an unparalleled educational and experiential opportunity for aspiring sport leaders. This pioneering programme has been developed as a transformational journey suited for graduates of all disciplines, as well as for current professionals working within various sectors of the sport industry, with modules including Global Strategic Sports Marketing Management, Sustainable Stadium and Event Management and Globalisation of Sport Management.
UCFB students and staff recently returned from an exciting week in Madrid, participating in seminars, lectures and facility tours around the subject matter of Sports Facility Management & Operations. The week started off with a visit to Caja Magica, “The Magic Box”, also known as the Manzanares Park Tennis Centre.
Another highlight of the postgraduate visit was a seminar by Javier Dona, Stadia and Arenas Consultant and MBA in Sport Management lecturer, exploring the design and construction of sporting venues with a focus on identifying and analysing the different models of stadiums and arenas. The seminar was conducted at the Real Madrid Graduate School educational site, Campus Alcobendas.
Students also had the chance to tour the famous Spanish stadium, which in recent years has seen the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale entertain home fans while leaving visiting defences dizzy.
UCFB Wembley lecturer on the MSc Sport Management programme, Diego Borras commented on the trip:
“This has been a great opportunity for our students. They have been in contact with top executives of the biggest football club in the world and have had a chance not only to learn from them, but also to interact with them and build up relations that will enable them to realise their professional goals in the sport industry.
“After this trip, our MSc students had direct contact with a number of top level practitioners of the sport industry, some of them key executives in Real Madrid. Additionally, they have expanded their network, acquired critical knowledge about the sector and worked in international teams to deliver their solutions of a case study.”
UCFB provides an exceptional environment to live and learn in, with award-winning facilities in three inspirational campuses; the iconic Wembley Stadium; the state-of-the-art Etihad Stadium, Manchester, part of the modern Etihad Campus sporting facility, and the historic home of Burnley FC, Turf Moor.
