This module aims to:

Enable students to develop a critical understanding of football ecosystems:
Students will be equipped with a comprehensive understanding of the structure, organisation, and dynamics of global football industries, with a focus on the roles, influences, and interactions of key stakeholders, including federations, leagues, clubs, players, agents, supporters (consumers), and investors.

Analyse stakeholder management and ecosystem tensions:
Students will develop the skills required to critically evaluate the complexities of stakeholder management within football, examining the dynamics, tensions, and competing interests between different actors in the football ecosystem and their impact on decision-making and governance.

Examine value creation and capture in the football industry:
Students will be provided with the tools to assess how value is created, captured, and distributed within football industries, applying relevant economic and s trategic theories to understand the financial and operational aspects of football organisations.

Critically explore emerging trends and innovations:
Students will investigate the impact of emerging trends on the football industry, such as, but not limited to, private equity investment, multi-club ownership, the rise of women's football, and the expansion into digital and virtual worlds (e.g., eSports), and assess their implications for future growth and sustainability.

(LO1) Students will be able to critically analyse the structure, organisation, and dynamics of football ecosystems by examining the roles and influences of key stakeholders such as federations, leagues, clubs, and investors within global football contexts.

(LO2) Students will be able to evaluate value creation and capture strategies in football organisations, applying financial models and economic theories to assess how football clubs and leagues generate, capture, and sustain value across different markets.

(LO3) Students will be able to discuss and apply relevant theories and models to assess stakeholder management, identifying and interpreting tensions and conflicts within football ecosystems, and formulating strategic recommendations for managing these dynamics effectively.

(LO4) Students will be able to synthesise insights from emerging trends in the football industry, such as private equity investment, digital and virtual expansion (eSports), and the rise of women’s football, to predict future developments and recommend strategic responses for football organisations.

(S1) People Focused
Students will work with multiple stakeholders within the MBA programme and externally. This will be done through challenges posed in the curriculum and outside the curriculum, working and networking with businesses locally and internationally. In doing so students will demonstrate people-focused leadership by prioritising human agency and well-being in a dynamic, disruptive world. Develop inclusivity, transparency, and reflection through teamwork and decision-making exercises, while leveraging innovation to drive personal, organisational, and societal advancement in the digital age.

(S2) Authenticity
Students will develop emotional intelligence through coaching to enhance self-awareness and awareness of others in achieving long-term, purposeful goals. This will permeate with all modules, cultivating accountability by mastering time, resources, and relationships to problem-solve and take actions. In doing so students will act with integrity, foster trust, and engage in respectful challenge and debate.

(S3) Agility
Students will have opportunities to thrive in turbulence and uncertainty. Actively build personal and organisational resilience to embrace disruption, find solutions and keep learning in dynamic environments. Informed, relevant, forward-focused mindsets stemming from constant challenges inside and outside the classroom. Provide clear direction for people and organisations to navigate effectively through simulated and real work problem solving.

(S4) Digital
Students will use a number of digital tools and develop a mindset to confidently embrace new knowledge and technologies, leverage its future potential to inspire, to enhance connectivity, decision making and learning. To bring wisdom in leadership to navigate the new digital revolution and make positive impact. Innovate. Engage in respectful debate.

(S5) Global Perspective
All modules will indulge and challenges students to think globally and consider how they drive the wider global ethical, sustainable and environmental agenda, taking a purposeful approach to aligning people, planet and profit. Experience and appreciate how building partnerships to deliver innovate solutions to economic, environmental and societal challenges are needed to solve wicked problems, improve co-operation globally and be an agent of change.

Lectures (12.5 hours)
Lectures will introduce, explore, and critically assess key concepts, ideas, and practices relevant to the subject. A variety of resources, including journals, textbooks, online videos, media articles, and opinion pieces, will be provided in advance for further reading and application across different contexts. The lecture will also outline expectations for the seminar by providing necessary guidance.

Seminars (17.5 hours)
Seminars will create an interactive environment where participants engage individually or in groups in activities such as case studies and scenario analysis. These sessions will encourage the practical application of concepts introduced in the lectures.

Peer-to-Peer Learning (3 hours)
Peer-to-peer learning fosters a collaborative approach where participants learn from and teach each other through active discussions, idea exchange, and feedback. This method enhances critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills while building a sense of community and mutual support among learners.

Self-Directed Learning (67 hours)
Participants will be expected to review a range of materials, including core and recommended readings, reports, and articles available through libraries and open-access sources. Additionally, they will conduct independent research using both academic and non-academic sources to support their learning and assessment. Lecture notes will provide guidance, and suggested answers or solutions will be available for seminar activities. Participants should complete seminar tasks as instructed before progressing to the next topic.

2.5 hour lecture x 5
3.5 hour seminar x 5
36 mins asynchronous or peer to peer directed learning x 5
67 hours self-directed learning

Global Structure and Organisation of Football:

Overview of the global football industry;
Governance and organisational structures of football leagues and federations;
Roles and interactions of key stakeholders in football ecosystems;
Decision-making processes in football organisations;
Comparative analysis of football systems across developed and emerging markets.

Stakeholder Management in the Football Ecosystem:

Stakeholder theory and its relevance to the football industry;
Power dynamics and relationships between clubs, players, leagues, and supporters (as consumers);
Conflicting interests and tensions within football ecosystems;
Strategic decision-making in the face of competing stakeholder demands;
Case studies: Major stakeholder conflicts in football (e.g., European Super League, player transfers).

Value Creation and Capture in Football Industries:

Financial models of value creation in football: broadcasting rights, sponsorship, ticket sales;
Commercialisation and brand management strategies in football;
Valuation, revenue streams, and profitability of football clubs;
Strategic models for capturing value in football industries;
Case studies on successful value capture (e.g., Real Madrid, Manchester United).

Emerging Trends and Disruptions in Football Industries:

The role of private equity and institutional investment in football;
Multi-club ownership in football;
Digital transformation: eSports, virtual reality, and new fan engagement technologies;
The rise of women’s football: growth, challenges, and future outlook;
Expansion into new markets: Globalisation strategies in the football industry;
Ethical and sustainability challenges facing modern football.