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News

Wed. 09 March 2022

FIFA MASTER ALUMNI - WHERE ARE THEY NOW? - MESKEREM TADESSE GOSHIME

Meskerem Tadesse Goshime

Current Position: Senior Manager in the Women’s Football Development Department at CAF

Year of graduation: 2016 (16th edition)

Nationality: Ethiopian

What does your current role involve?

I am a Senior Manager in the CAF Women’s Football Development Department. I joined CAF at the end of 2018. Previously, I had worked as Deputy and Acting General Secretary of the Ethiopian Football Federation. I have also served as a member of the CAF Women’s Football Organizing Committee.

As part of my work, we are responsible for ensuring the development and promotion of women’s football across our continent. We work closely with our MAs to deliver tailor-made development projects and programmes which help to create more opportunities for women in the game. We also work with FIFA and other confederations on global women’s football agendas. Additionally, I also work as an Event and Protocol officer at CAF continental tournaments, such as AFCON, CHAN and Women AFCON.

Which aspects of the FIFA Master course have helped you most in your career?

The FIFA Master course helped my career and gave me the opportunity to grow in the international sports industry. It also gave me a new perspective on sport. Before the FIFA Master I had some experience working in football. However, when I joined the course I realized that I had a very limited understanding of the wider sports industry and its global effect. The course gave me knowledge of how international sport has evolved, how it is structured, administered, marketed and governed.

During your studies you attend lectures with the best academics and get a unique experience of travelling through three countries while living with students from all around the world. Plus, through the field visits, one can practically observe the business side of a wide number of sports as well as meet important figures from the industry. The field visits were my favorite part of the course.

The FIFA Master gave me confidence in where I wanted to go with my career. For example, after graduation I was offered a job opportunity which, at the time, I felt did not meet my career ambitions. I was able to confidently decline that offer and pursue other opportunities that better fitted my career goals. I would never have seen myself doing that before the FIFA Master.

Most importantly, though, the course has given me lifelong friends – some of whom are now colleagues. These are people I can call and ask for advice and support, or just to meet and have a friendly coffee whenever I travel. I believe the biggest asset of the programme is this alumni network.

What advice would you give to future students on the course?

Enjoy it!! It is a once in a lifetime opportunity that will definitely change your life and your perspective. It will also provide you with a global family. Whenever I have travelled abroad, it is so easy to connect with a FIFA Master alumni, no matter which year they graduated from the course. As soon as you meet, you know that you have a link that bonds you together forever - THE FIFA MASTER.

So, I would say to any students, take this opportunity not just to study under the best academics and the best professors, but also be open-minded to learn about the cultural backgrounds of everybody in your class, share knowledge, and enjoy the adventure of living and travelling across three countries.

Finally, don’t box yourself and your career choices. One of the key things which the FIFA Master taught me is that there are so many different career opportunities and directions you can take in the global sports industry.  

 

FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, ranked No.1 Course in Europe 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 by the SportBusiness International global rankings.

Organised by CIES in partnership with De Montfort University (United Kingdom), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy) and the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland). 

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