UEFA Executive Master for International Players (UEFA MIP)

Nyon, Switzerland

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to UEFA HQ for an interview before the UEFA MIP team makes its final decision on admission. During the day the UEFA MIP team will present the programme’s philosophy and explain its main objectives. You will be invited to introduce yourself and your aspirations for the future. The UEFA MIP team will later make its final decision on admission.

Lausanne’s region, Switzerland
Professional sport as an industry, like any other, is subject to certain rules and has certain specificities. Whatever the organisation you work for, you must have a perfect understanding of the specificities of the sports industry. This, as well as the knowledge and legitimacy gained during your career as a player, will enable you to be a more effective manager. This session aims to help you identify which skills you possess that can be used as a top manager.

Main objectives:

• Present the general institutional, legal and economic framework of the European professional sports system, along with its stakeholders and major challenges.
• Present features of team sports economics and the economic development of professional sport in Europe.
• Present concrete illustrations of possible management careers for former international players.
• Highlight key assets gained by professional players during their sporting careers and their link to management skills

Paris, France
Some of the skills you acquired in your career as an elite athlete are directly transferable to the role of a top manager; others need complementing. Your role as a manager is then to apply these skills to a clearly defined, coherent project plan that takes into account the history, culture and values of the organisation you work for. During this session you will learn from the experiences of several managers from sporting and business backgrounds. With the help of various activities, you will also be invited to reflect on what kind of manager you would like to become.

Main objectives:

• Present the role of the manager and their key competences.
• Highlight the importance of clearly defined projects and strategies for a sporting institution.
• Outline concrete and simple tools for defining projects.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The essence of sport is competition, and the organisation of competitions is to determine the champion. This session addresses the challenges inherent in finding the most effective way to organise sports competitions in all their variety and complexity. Explanations are given of the theoretical principles underlying effective competition design, such as the need to maintain competitive balance, financial stability and the integrity of the competitions. The practical application of these principles is illustrated with the use of multiple real-world sports competition case studies.

Main objectives:

• Explain the key principles informing the successful design of team and individual competitions and club and national team competitions.
• Explain the key regulatory tools available to competition organisers, e.g. salary caps, luxury tax, financial fair play systems, etc.
• Explain the key operating principles of labour markets in sport, the associated regulatory tools, the functions of stakeholders in key labour markets, related to retain and transfer systems and draft systems, and the role of clubs, agents and system regulators such as FIFA.
• Explain the specific dynamics of women’s sports competitions as a critical growth sector in the sports ecosystem.

Barcelona, Spain

This session will help participants understand the different kinds of organisations that exist in football administration today. Based on this information, they should then be able to analyse the decision-making process. The main content of this session is based on the relationships between people, so participants will be introduced to a variety of important topics in order to help them become great managers: with a clear definition of the objectives, including the importance of the selection and motivation of an effective team. Additionally, they will practise the necessary skills needed for successful negotiation and communication. Furthermore, to give a solid foundation to their understanding, they will receive an introduction to finance and how to draw up and control a budget.

Main objectives:

• Explain the organisation of clubs and federations.
• Understand the decision-making process.
• Outline some basic financial concepts.
• Explain the role of the sports director.

Dortmund’s region, Germany

Stadiums are a major concern for sports organisations aiming for a sustainable future: they are an important asset, they generate revenue and they help to establish a special bond with the local community and fans. This session will give you an understanding of the issues relating to stadium management and an insight into operations management, notably through witnessing the inner workings of a UEFA club competition match.

Main objectives:

• Introduce stadium policies in different countries, economic issues and the role of stakeholders.
• Show the impact that the overall organisation of sport can have on stadiums through a national association’s development policy, and show how a stadium owned by public authorities or a national association is run.
• Demonstrate the role and importance of a stadium and an academy or training center for the development of a club, showing stadiums as profit centers and providing examples of different business models.
• Outline the operational management of a high-profile club competition.

London, UK

If people understand why you do what you do and you exceed their expectations, they will want to find out more and will ultimately be willing to pay for your product or service. This session introduces you to the principles of strategic marketing and communications in a sports context and equips you to apply them in practice. This session covers the perspective of rights holders, broadcasters and sponsors, while keeping the fan at the center of considerations.

Main objectives:

• Introduce strategic marketing and communications in a sports context.
• Examine the perspectives of rights holders, broadcasters and sponsors.
• Outline fan preferences, market trends and commercial partner business requirements.
• Explain key marketing concepts and how to apply them.

New York, USA

This session covers a different sports model with its own history and culture, so you can broaden your managerial horizons and acquire new tools for success. It also offers an opportunity to think creatively about the key factors in the success of a league or a club.

Main objectives:

• Offer a perspective from outside Europe, with the illustration of a very different but still very prosperous model.
• Demonstrate that both the European and North American models are tailored to their backgrounds and environment.
• Illustrate the need for sports models to be regulated.
• Present examples of efficient, particularly digital, strategies.
• Describe the policies implemented to promote gender equality and fight discrimination.

UEFA competition, TBC
Each participant will be invited to present their final report orally, in front of the UEFA MIP examination board, one or two days before the UEFA Champions League final. This is your opportunity to defend your project or the topic of your report and present the challenges and strategies involved. Following this oral exam, a graduation ceremony will be organised. This ceremony will mark the end of your UEFA MIP journey and the start of a new chapter in your career.

Nyon, Switzerland
The graduation ceremony of the programme will take place during the first session of the following edition at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.