FIFA Master 26th edition class enjoy memorable field visits to the “Home of FIFA” and FIFA Museum in Zurich
In April, the FIFA Master 26th edition class had the privilege to go behind the scenes at the FIFA headquarters and Museum in Zurich to meet with department managers as part of two extremely informative and memorable field visits.
The visit to FIFA included a specially made welcome video address by FIFA President Gianni Infantino to the 26th edition students. Speaking to the class he said, “FIFA is proud to partner with CIES to support this wonderful programme – and to employ around 75 FIFA Master alumni – so we are thrilled to see you. You are twenty-seven students from eighteen countries, and through sport, you have come from all corners of the world and created bonds which will last a lifetime. The FIFA Master will equip you to bring that mission to life as you move forward in your careers”.
Day one of the field visit presentations began with the class welcomed by FIFA Public Relations Manager, and FIFA Master 12th edition graduate, Honey Thaljieh, with an overview of FIFA activities around the world. This was followed by a souvenir group picture and then a series of presentations by FIFA Managers on themes such as FIFA Marketing, FIFA World Cup – both Men’s and Women’s tournaments – Innovation, People and Culture.
Throughout the day, the 26th edition class also had the opportunity to meet with numerous FIFA Master alumni who are now working in a diverse range of roles at FIFA. Thank you to Juliana Correa, Team Lead Brand (8th edition), Tyson Scott, Senior Women´s Football Relations Manager (20th edition), Federico Raviglione - Head of President's Office (12th edition), Dan O'Toole – Chief of Staff (14th edition), Daniela Huamán - Event Operations Office (25th edition), Gregory Gomis - Event Operations Office (25th edition), Geneva Decker - Media Partnerships Relations & Services (25th edition), Liam Curry - Football Technology Standards (25th edition) and Lace Hallendorff - Strategic Planning & Analytics (25th edition) who all met up with the class during the day, to name just a few.
The field visit then concluded with the chance to speak with FIFA Secretary General, Mattias Grafström, before a special guided tour of the Home of FIFA and then kick-off for the now traditional FIFA Master Class v. FIFA Staff football match and BBQ. The game, which was played in great spirit, finished in a 2 -2 draw.
The following morning, the class gathered again for Day Two of their Zurich programme and a special welcome by the FIFA Museum on the other side of the city. This provided a unique opportunity to explore the vast collection of football artefacts held by the museum, and to reflect on the themes of football culture and heritage in such inspiring surroundings. The class also spent time in the specialist football library as they continue with their research work for the end of year Group Final Projects.
On behalf of the CIES and 26th edition class, thank you to everyone at FIFA and the FIFA Museum who made these visits possible and for such a truly memorable experience.
FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, ranked Europe's No.1 course a record 13 times by SportBusiness.
Organised by CIES in cooperation with De Montfort University (UK), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy) and the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland).
"CIES, 30 years of impacting how sport is managed worldwide" & "FIFA Master, 25 years of Excellence in Sport Business Education"
