Module 1: Management of a club: 18 - 19 November 2024
Monday 18 November: Financial management and external club communication
AM | Welcome address and introduction to the course | Robby Houben (Professor University of Antwerp) Pro League |
Financial management of clubs - with exercises | Kieran Maguire (Professor University of Liverpool Management School, Author of ‘The Price of Football’) | |
PM | Club communication – external communication – with exercises | Amanda Docherty (former head of communications Arsenal FC and the English FA, programme Director UEFA Strategic Communications Compact Course) |
Tuesday 19 November 2024: Leadership and data management
AM | Managing club staff – with exercises | Bram Verbruggen (Teambuilder Go Ahead Eagles, founder 2ndGoal, former head Valencia CF Talent programs) René Hake (assistant manager Manchester United) |
PM | Managing (performance) data – with exercises | Ian Graham (PhD at the University of Cambridge, former head of data department Liverpool FC) |
Module 2: The football club in context: 20 - 21 January 2025
Monday 20 January 2025: The football industry and its governance
| AM | The football industry & its financial framework | Dirk De Corte (Professor University of Antwerp) |
| PM | The governance of football in Europe – stakeholder debate | Alberto Colombo (European Leagues) Roy Vermeer (FIPRO) Roberto Branco Martins (European Football Agents Association) |
The European Super League | Bernd Reichart (CEO at A22 Sports - advisor and promoter of the European Super League)
Vincent Mannaert (former CEO Club Brugge) Colin Coosemans (player RSC Anderlecht) Robby Houben |
Tuesday 21 January 2025: Football competitions
| AM | Designing competitions – with exercises | Pieter Nieuwenhuis (Hypercube business innovation) |
| PM | Designing competitions: plenary feedback session | Pieter Nieuwenhuis (Hypercube business innovation) |
| Competition formats in other sports | Tomas Van Den Spiegel (CEO Flanders Classics, President Union of European Leagues of Basketball (ULEB), Board and Exco member at Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) Europe, Director RSC Anderlecht (Belgian Pro League) |
Module 3: Football players and transfers: 17 - 18 February 2025
Monday 17 February 2025: Players – transfer contracts and data strategies
| AM | The regulation of player transfers and the transfer contract – with exercises | Michele Colucci (Member of the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber and the FIFPRO Dispute Committee) |
| PM | Employing data strategies – with exercises | Chris Anderson (professor London School of Economics, partner Anderson SallyFootball Intelligence, former football club CEO, advisor to multi-clubnetworks) |
Tuesday 18 February 2025: Working with agents and soccernomics
| AM | Working with football agents: latest state of affairs of the rules
Negotiating with football agents: tips & tricks | Stijn Francis (Football agent Stirr Associates)
Tine Matton (CEO Stirr Associates) |
| PM | Soccernomics | Stefan Szymanski (Professor Stephen J. Galetti Professor of Sport Management, University of Michigan (USA), Co-Author ‘Soccernomics’) |
| A club’s take on transfers | Thibault Dochy (Chief legal & HR officer RSC Anderlecht) Pierre Locht (CEO Standard de Liège) |
Module 4: Management challenges, novel investors, anti-money laundering and tax : 17 - 18 March 2025
Monday 17 March 2025: Management challenges
| AM | Managing cultural diversity in the club: owners and staff | Mohammed Hamdi (International Business Development Director Feyenoord Rotterdam) |
| Managing regulatory challenges: licensing and financial fair play | Klaas Reynaert (CFO RSC Anderlecht) | |
| PM | Strategic management of clubs – with exercises | Mikkel Draebye (professor Bocconi School of management, regular UEFA speaker) |
Tuesday 18 March 2025: Novel investors, anti-money laundering and tax
AM | Novel investors in football: the case of NBA investors in Real Mallorca | Maheta Molango (CEO Professional Footballers' Association (England & Wales), former CEO Real Mallorca) |
| Anti-money laundering in Belgium – update | Kris Meskens (Secretary-General at Belgian Financial Intelligence Processing Unit (CTIF – CFI), the Belgian Financial Intelligence Unit) | |
| PM | Taxation of professional football – with exercises | Daan Buylaert (Lawyer Atfield) Mona Vera (Lawyer Atfield) |
Module 5: Women’s football, culture and identity, strategy, sponsoring, geopolitical economy of football: 28 - 29 April 2025
Monday 28 April 2025: Women’s football, culture and identity, strategy, sponsoring
AM | (Promoting) women’s football | Jo Van Grunderbeeck (Coordinator Elite Sport @ Voetbal Vlaanderen; Head of Coaching OH Leuven) |
Women’s football – testimonial | Sterre Gielen (player Club YLA) | |
PM | Building and preserving club identity and culture | Wilken Engelbracht (Managing Director Commercial & Finance FC St Pauli) |
Strategy as key factor for success: the case of Bayer Leverkusen | Keld Bordinggaard (Head of Coaching Bayer Leverkusen) | |
Sponsoring professional football clubs: the sponsor’s perspective | Christophe Hamal (CEO Baloise Belgium) |
Tuesday 29 April 2025: Sharing best practices and the geopolitical economy of football
AM | Sharing best practices: Pro League Business School elevator pitches | All participants |
PM | The geopolitical economy of club football | Simon Chadwick (Professor, seasoned advisor on geopolitics in football) |
Closing address, award ceremony and closing reception | Robby Houben |