Chapter two of our journey continues in Italy

Between classes and scoops of gelato - and now already past the halfway point in their journey - this year’s cohort of FIFA Master 22^nd Edition students have remained determined to make every day count!

Nowhere better has this been demonstrated than on the football pitch, with weekly football matches organized between class members, and capped by a full sports weekend organized by SDA Bocconi Professors Lorenzo Caprare and Dino Ruta. In the spirit of the programme, the weekend was diverse with the group having the opportunity to practice three different kinds of sports, testing our dribbling skills in football, our shooting skills in basketball and our response times in volleyball. This event was such a success that it was repeated a couple of weeks later, and the class now has a further opportunity to test their footballing ability against stern Italian opposition in an upcoming 5-aside tournament at Bocconi.

The adventure has been equally rigorous from an academic perspective, with the class travelling to Modena, finding themselves in an automobile heaven: the Ferrari Factory, where they listened to a range of exceptional speakers whilst taking a trip into the past by viewing car models from across the decades. All in all, the history of the ‘dream car’ was seen, felt and reflected in every corner of the exhibition. Later in the month, the group also had the opportunity to visit Vero Volley in beautiful Monza, which proved an equally enriching and invigorating experience into a sport not many had considered in such depth previously.

Such field trips were supplemented by a range of guest speakers visiting SDA Bocconi to provide the group with the usual menu of unrivalled insight. Particularly noteworthy was Damjan Rudez, a Croatian former professional basketball player whose extensive career took him between Europe and the NBA.  A round table discussion was organized to get the most of this session. Damjan shared insights into the basketball world, stories about his career, the most valuable lessons that he learned along the way and what are the challenges facing players in the modern era. Other notable lectures came from Infront Marketing, who delivered several important messages about careers in sport, and World Rugby’s Head of Strategy Mihir Warty, whose captivating presentation laid out the current rugby scene in the United Kingdom.

Speakers such as these have helped the class to better understand the wide variety of topics covered as part of the course in the last month. Lectures on topics as wide-ranging as sustainability, technology and marketing have kept the work varied and fresh, whilst the class continue to make progress on Final Project work, with several interesting ideas beginning to take a more concrete shape.

On a more social level, the visit of CIES saw the organization of a wonderful aperitivo in the heart of Milan, and a welcome substitution of academic work for an evening of captivating conversation and the occasional Aperol Spritz. Evenings such as this have become more common since the return of the UEFA Champions League knockout stages, with all the footballing passions, emotions and opinions that can be expected from a FIFA Master group on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.

The class was also lucky enough to visit one of the most iconic paintings in Italy, ‘The Last Supper’. We were in awe as we faced the huge wall painting, lost in its details as the tour guide decoded Da Vinci’s masterpiece, and given a true appreciation of such a stunning and monumental piece of art.

With Italy beginning to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, the class has also been able to truly explore the culture of Milan and beyond. Aside from (over)indulging in Italy’s plethora of food options, members of the group have organized trips to a variety of locations including Cagliari, Reggio-Emilia, Florence and Malta, to sunbathe in a newfound variety of travel options. These experiences have been complemented by frequent trips to the San Siro, where many members of the class witnessed the inspiring spectacle of the Derby della Madonnina in the form of a Coppa Italia semi-final. The largely dour football was more than made up for by a rancorous atmosphere, and a unique rare experience. There have also been trips to football stadiums further afield, with the Stadio Ennio Tardini in Parma and the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi in Verona being visited for an injection of Serie A action.

With only a few weeks left until the end of the Milan module, there are still more special memories to make and places to explore, and with the weather turning warmer, the cohort are now in view of Neuchatel on the horizon.

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).