THE ALUMNI

FIFA Master Alumni Association (FMA)

The FIFA Master provides each postgraduate with a unique and memorable experience of a lifetime. Therefore, when that year of our lives comes to an end, we all want to give something back to the programme that provided us with such a tremendous life changing experience.


The FIFA Master is now firmly established as one of the most respected Postgraduate Sport Management courses in the world today. Alumni from the FIFA Master have an important role to play in maintaining this global reputation and on 9th July 2003 during the Graduation Ceremony for the 3rd edition of the course, the FIFA Master Alumni Association (FMA) was born.

Today, the FMA represents more than 650 graduates from over 120 nationalities. Our role is to foster relationships between all editions of the FIFA master and maintain friendships long after graduation.

List of alumni

Access our full FIFA Master alumni directory
 

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Fma Committee members
 

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FMA OBJECTIVES

Some of the FMA Committee's key objectives are:
 

To officially represent the graduates of the International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport (FIFA Master), bringing together all the graduates and current postgraduates.
To promote and reinforce contacts, mutual assistance (notably in terms of employment prospects) and information between all its members, in particular across the various editions of the International Master.
To promote the awareness of the International Master within sports organisations, on a worldwide basis.
To maintain an active link between its members and official bodies of the Master.
To serve an active role in the strategic planning of the future of the Master.

 

FMA KEY ACHIEVEMENT

Some of the FMA Committee's key achievements are:

Establishment of a functional website associated with the CIES - serving as the principle means of communication, including a directory of all graduates, an employment section, and a section for reports and final projects, with further developments still to come.
Creation of a Mentorship Programme where current postgraduates are matched with an Alumni member in order to provide advice, share experiences or simply to communicate on FIFA Master-related topics.
Representation of our Association within the Executive Committee of the FIFA Master, as an official member.
Lay the foundations of FMA Regional Networks, which will enable our Association in the near future to act locally much more efficiently.
Launch of a periodical Alumni Newsletter aimed to share sport industry information, current CIES Events, and Alumni news with both Alumni and current postgraduates.
Organisation of World Gatherings.

 

FMA World Gatherings




Why you should recruit our Alumni

Over the 24 editions of the programme, 650+ postgraduates from over 120 countries have attended this multi-disciplinary one-year taught course. Today, around 90% of our alumni are working directly in the international sports industry, which clearly demonstrates the global reach of the FIFA Master and our graduates.


Moreover, having been pioneers since its inception, the FIFA Master programme has fostered through the years high-level sport management education which has benefitted many young professionals worldwide

Many of our graduates now occupy top level positions within the sports industry. Thanks to its multidisciplinary structure, mix of innovative teaching methods and the exposure of students to key industry players, our alumni are equipped with the necessary skills to adapt to an ever growing, complex and competitive field of work. The CIES and our partner universities receive regular and positive feedback about our postgraduates, who are able to demonstrate the following assets:


Academic excellence

Each graduate is selected on the basis of their academic and professional achievements. They then gain further specific knowledge through their study journey during our course.
The curriculum is delivered by leading European Universities, namely De Montfort University through its International Centre for Sports History and Culture, SDA Bocconi a renowned European business school, and the University of Neuchâtel and its top-rated Faculty of Law.


Practical knowledge of the sports industry

Practical understanding of the current issues facing the sports industry are provided by senior sport executives, in-depth case studies, and many on-site field visits.
Graduates are members of a very active FIFA Master Alumni Association representing graduates who are spread across the sports industry around the world.


An international Outlook

Multicultural understanding and experience are developed by working with fellow postgraduates and learning from international teaching staff.


Graduates adapt quickly to living in different countries and facing everyday life in different languages and new environments. All FIFA Master Graduates demonstrate proficiency in spoken and written English and, normally, two to three additional languages too.

How to recruit FIFA Master Alumni


Every year following the FIFA Master graduation ceremony, which is held in July, top level FIFA Master postgraduates become Alumni and are looking to enter into the job market. The international scope of the programme means that people are willing to re-locate and are open to opportunities around the globe. 


No matter what the size of your organisation or if you have a short-term project or long-term position, there could be a FIFA Master postgraduate that is right for you. 

If you would like to recruit a FIFA Master graduate or advertise a suitable vacancy to our alumni community (for free), please contact our FIFA Master Sport Market Expert and FMA Executive Director, Mr. Joao Frigerio: joao.frigerio@remove-this.cies.ch.


A Word from the Industry

There is no better evidence to understand how FIFA Master graduates truly answer the recruitment needs of the international sports industry than the endorsements highlighted below.

Fatma SAMOURA

FIFA - Fédération Internationale de Football Association - Former Secretary General

"The sports world has been growing increasingly complex and professional and, as such, has been demanding specialised and well-trained managers. I am pleased to realise how the FIFA Master has cemented its status as one of the world’s top education programmes and the ideal one to educate leaders for the modern sports industry. Ever since the programme was established in 2000, FIFA has been benefitting immensely from employing graduates whose solid education combines all-round knowledge and sports-specific skills."

Christophe DUBI

IOC – International Olympic Committee - Executive Director for the Olympic Games

"The IOC fully believes in and supports the development of talented managers for the benefit of sport. The graduates from the FIFA Master are very skilled and knowledgeable and have added a lot of value to our organisation. Currently, we have several graduates working with us at the headquarters in Lausanne, all of whom contribute greatly to the IOC and the Olympic Movement. We see graduates all over the industry, which shows the need for such a top-level executive programme in the sports industry."

Tom Dielen

World Archery - General Secretary

"As an international federation we need our staff to understand our sport, understand the sports industry as a whole, and be able to work in a fast-paced international environment. The FIFA Master really prepares its graduates for this type of work. We were among the first of the international federations to hire a FIFA Master graduate and the skills and knowledge she brought to our organisation have been invaluable."

Christian Baertels

Adidas - Senior Director Sports Marketing Europe

"My experience with the FIFA Master has been a positive one. I have been both a guest lecturer and an employer of its graduates. As a lecturer, I was impressed by the quality and enthusiasm of the students. The graduates of the course are experienced, highly skilled and have well rounded backgrounds in sports management. This combination is exactly what is needed to work in a dynamic and international environment like the one we have here at adidas."

Lars Haue-Pedersen

Burson - Former Managing Director

"We are actively involved in teaching at the FIFA Master and have successfully recruited graduates for our headquarters in Switzerland. When establishing our Chinese office, we turned to a FIFA Master graduate based in Beijing. We knew he held an international understanding of the industry and he has been quick to adapt to the international way we do business but also able to focus on and develop our localised services in China. It has been a perfect match for our expansion."

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