UEFA Certificate in Football Management – Players’ edition (UEFA CFM)

The UEFA CFM - Players' edition is the must-have foundation programme for anyone working in football who wants to gain a comprehensive understanding of how the game is managed.

Apply now

VIEW BROCHURE (5.41 MB)

Programme overview

The UEFA CFM – Players’ edition is an adaptation of UEFA’s most successful education programme to meet the needs of active professional football players, coaches and referees. Being delivered 100% online, it gives you the opportunity to join this unique programme, enhance your knowledge of football management and gain an academic qualification before your professional career comes to an end.

The structure and content of the programme ensures you will enhance your understanding of football management, have access to a range of different resources and become part of an expanding network of international graduates – all of which will contribute to your personal and professional development.

Quick view

Type of learning

E-learning Face-to-Face

Skills Trained

Soft skills Hard skills

Estimated hours of learning

350

Faq

Who Active players, referees and coaches worldwide
When January 2022
How long 9 months
Where online
Price €7900
Nb of participants 35
Application We review applications all year round as they arrive; however, there is a specific deadline for the upcoming edition of each programme. When the number of places is limited, you may have a better chance of being selected by applying earlier in the application cycle. You will either receive confirmation that you have been selected within two weeks of applying or be added to an application list and informed of the decision once the deadline has passed.
Academic certification Certificate of Advance Studies (CAS), 10 ECTS credits
Language English

Important dates

19 Sep 2022 Applications open for the next edition
12 Dec 2022 Applications close
23 Jan 2023 Programme starts

Takeaways

Gain a comprehensive understanding of the football industry;
Build a foundation in managerial skills;
Acquire knowledge on how to conduct a managerial analysis of a football organisation and provide recommendations for improvement;
Build close connections with UEFA and a global network in the football industry;
Obtain an internationally recognised academic certificate in football management delivered by the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

Important documents

Programmes for professional players (PDF 0.99 MB)

Participants terms and conditions (PDF 0.16 MB)

UEFA CFM Players' edition Who's Who - 2021/22 edition (PDF 5.48 MB)

Roadmap

1. Online Masterclass 1 23 January 2023

Organisation of world football

Football is one of the few truly worldwide phenomena. It is also one of the most organised, with a pyramidal global hierarchy.

Our primary purpose here is to describe the organisational structure of world football, focusing first on the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which regulates the rules of the game, then on the roles of FIFA and UEFA (the game’s world and European governing bodies respectively), and finally on the other five continental football confederations.

We will also explain how football’s organisational structure has enabled its global expansion, examine how the system continues to evolve in order to take account of new stakeholders in the football ecosystem and, finally, identify the critical challenges facing the successful management of that ecosystem.

Online Masterclass 1

2. Online Masterclass 2 01 March 2023

Strategic Management

Strategic management is defined as the management of an organisation’s resources in order to achieve its goals and objectives. It involves setting objectives, analysing the competitive environment, analysing the internal organisations, evaluating strategies and ensuring the management rolls out the strategies across the organisations.

The strategic management process results in a strategy can be defined as a set of planned actions and decisions aimed at achieving a long-term goal. The strategy could be for a football organisation as a whole, or could be for a specific department or project. The online module and chapter in the UEFA HFM presents a detailed model for how strategic decisions can be made, put into a strategic plan and implemented. The focus is on how a strategy for a national association as a whole can be formulated but the tools and methods presented can be applied at a departmental, project and individual level as well.

Online Masterclass 2

3. Online Masterclass 3 03 April 2023

Operational Management

For a football association, operational management comprises the day-to-day activities, processes and structures that enable it to deliver its services to its stakeholders. This chapter covers four main topics. The first is human resource management. The main asset of any organisation is its people, so this section introduces the concepts of motivation, career management, incentives and organisational structure.

Online Masterclass 3

4. Online Masterclass 4 24 April 2023

Football Marketing

The marketing of sport in general, and football in particular, has developed rapidly over the last two or three decades. Following developments in key markets such as the United States, its role and importance has been increasingly recognised by many sports, including football.

As such, international governing bodies, national associations, clubs and many other stakeholder organisations take football marketing very seriously. In fact, many of these organisations have dedicated marketing staff and departments

This chapter therefore provides an overview of this key area of management, specifically highlighting four main domains: sports marketing and the nature of the sports product; brand and marketing communications; licensing, ticketing and hospitality; and media rights. You are strongly recommended to read this chapter in conjunction with UEFA’s National Association Guide to Marketing, a book produced by UEFA to provide national associations with the latest tools and best practices in football marketing.

Online Masterclass 4

5. Online Masterclass 5 22 May 2023

Communication, the media and public relations

Communication is an important part of the life of a national association or a football club. An effective communications strategy is essential for any organisation in today’s digital media environment, given the increasing pace at which information circulates and the reach of such information.

At the same time, people’s consumption patterns and search behaviours are evolving. This converging media and information landscape creates both challenges and opportunities for all football organisations.

Online Masterclass 5

6. Online Masterclass 6 17 July 2023

Event and volunteer management

Beyond mega-events such as the EURO, a plethora of football events of varying sizes and significance take place. Some smaller events involve an international governing body, e.g. finals or final tournaments of international youth competitions, but many are predominantly run by national or regional associations.

Football events can be recurrent, such as national cup finals, or they can be one-off events if, by their very nature, they involve a different organiser and host territory on each occasion, such as the UEFA Futsal EURO. They can have a broad territorial impact or focus on a small area. In this session, we will mainly consider one-off events.

Online Masterclass 6

7. Online Masterclass 7 28 August 2023

Football and social responsibility

FSR refers to the way that football organisations integrate moral, social and environmental concerns into their core functions. Engagement in stakeholder dialogue encourages societal issues to be tackled in a proactive manner and contributes to a positive impact on society at large.

FSR seeks to confront problematic moral, social and environmental behaviours (bad practices) relating to football. In contrast, good FSR practices offer examples of the positive influence that football organisations can have on society.

Online Masterclass 7

8. Online Masterclass 8 19 September 2023

Women’s football

Women’s football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world.

The change process for girls’ and women’s football outlined here is based on the key elements in managing change identified by Pettigrew (1992):

Context: the external trends, opportunities and threats surrounding the situation
Content: the specifics of what is being changed or developed and the goals and purpose of the change
Processes: the ways in which change will be achieved

One of the keys to the future health and well-being of women’s football is the number of girls who play the game. Not only does this help to get other girls – and potentially also their friends and family – interested in women’s football, those girls are also the talent pipeline for the elite game.

Online Masterclass 8

WHAT OUR STUDENTS SAY

Alyssa Lagonia

"A few years ago, I decided to stop my professional football career because this was the only way for me to complete a master’s degree and prepare for my future life off the field. The UEFA CFM now gives players the opportunity to do both at the same time." Alyssa Lagonia, Women's Football Assistant Former player, EX - Servette Chênois, Women's Football Assistant at UEFA

Juan Mata

"It’s really important for footballers to perform well on the pitch, but we also need the opportunity to learn new things and grow as individuals. Unfortunately, our busy schedules do not allow us to attend weekly classes or go to a university campus. The UEFA CFM enables me to complete a university degree in sports management, meet new people and prepare for my second career while continuing to play at the top level" Juan Mata Galatasaray SK

OUR PARTNERS

IDHEAP, University of Lausanne, Switzerland

IDHEAP, University of Lausanne, Switzerland