51Âþ»­

The FIFA Master course taught at 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) has maintained its position as the leading postgraduate sports management course in Europe for a record 12^th time.

The one-year course, which is co-ordinated by the Centre International d’Etude du Sport (CIES) and supported by football’s world governing body FIFA, involves students dedicating a term of study at 51Âþ»­’s International Centre for Sports History and Culture (ICSHC) before also spending a term at both the SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan, Italy, and Switzerland’s University of Neuchâtel.

A united nations of students attend the FIFA Master graduation

It is highly regarded in the sporting world and previous graduates have included the former Japan 2002 FIFA Men’s World Cup captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto - who is now President of the Japan Football Association - former Manchester United FC midfielder Park Ji-Sung and New Zealand’s Olympic gold medal-winning rower Emma Twigg.

Assessment criteria such as careers after graduation, student satisfaction, student diversity, networking opportunities and wider partnerships are used by SportBusiness to produce the final course ranking results, which they publish annually.

The new award for 2024 follows previous No.1 rankings in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

FIFA Master students from all over the world spend their first term at 51Âþ»­ to study the Humanities of Sport module, examining the birth of modern sport, its move into professionalization, gender and equality, internationalisation and ethical issues.

The Humanities of Sport module team based in the ICSHC is made up of Co-Scientific Directors Professor Martin Polley and Dr Heather Dichter, and Module Coordinator James Panter.

Co-Scientific Director Professor Polley said: “All of us in the International Centre for Sports History and Culture are immensely proud of this accolade. Working with such a talented group of international students on this transnational course is a pleasure, and it’s good to see how the historical and cultural themes that we explore with them help to set them up as well-rounded global sports leaders”.

Co-Scientific Director Dr Dichter said: “It is once again a great honour for the FIFA Master to be ranked the best postgraduate sport management course in Europe. We are thrilled that 51Âþ»­’s contribution to the Humanities of Sport module, along with our Italian colleagues at SDA Bocconi on the Sport Management module and our Swiss colleagues at the University of Neuchtâtel on the Sports Law module, have been recognized for the excellent teaching that we provide to the students”.

FIFA Master Humanities of Sport Module Coordinator James Panter added: “To be recognized by these independent rankings as the No.1 course in Europe for a record twelfth time is an amazing achievement and recognition of what we do.

“However, it would not be possible without the amazing support we get from external speakers and the sports clubs and organisations we visit each year.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their help and support. It is also a brilliant way to start what will be the 25^th anniversary year for the course”.

Speaking about her time on the course, 2021 graduate Amra Kubat, from Bosnia and Herzegovina & Croatia, said: “The FIFA Master is a unique opportunity to experience different cultures and places. The cross-cultural communication skills that you develop throughout the course have been invaluable in my role today as Volunteer Coordinator at FIFA, which requires working with diverse stakeholders who come from all corners of the globe”.

Fatou Binetou Ba, who is from Senegal and now works asRegional Development Programme Coordinator at FIFA added about her time on the course: “I met a FIFA Master alumna who spoke highly of the programme and the opportunities it provided to graduates. As a result, I decided to take the leap because of my love for sport. It was certainly the right decision. I have always been passionate about sport, and the programme allowed me to turn that passion into a career”.