FIFA MASTER ALUMNI - WHERE ARE THEY NOW? - ZACH JOSEPH

Zach Joseph

Current Position: Senior Venue Operations Manager, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC)

Year of graduation: 2006 (6th Edition)

Nationality: Indian

What does your current role involve?

At the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), my role as a Venue Operations Senior Cluster Manager was overseeing the infrastructural and operational readiness of Al Bayt Stadium, Stadium 974, Education City Stadium and Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. I was also part of the team planning all the training sites for the FIFA World Cup.

When I joined the SC in 2014, most of the stadium and training sites were in the design phase or very early construction phase. Therefore, for the first couple of years I was working with a team which included engineers and architects, and we were working to ensure the stadium and training site designs were compliant with FIFA requirements. We didn't have any significant events at that point, but we had frequent meetings with FIFA to ensure that as a host country we were building things which were to the required standards and that all legacy plans were in order too.

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

The FIFA Master had a direct impact on my career. After graduation I was recruited to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) office in Kuala Lumpur where I started working in football competitions across Asia. I would say this opportunity immediately after finishing the FIFA Master paved the way for me to start my career in venue operations and venue management at football tournaments.

The academic aspects of the FIFA Master certainly gave all of us in my class a broad perspective of the world of sports management, sports history and legal matters related to the global sports industry. However, personally for me, the biggest strength of the FIFA Master was with regards to networking, either through the FIFA Master Alumni organisation, fellow classmates and the university professors. This was then complemented by meeting prominent industry guest lecturers and the knowledge gained during the various field trips organised during the course.

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

My advice to anyone who is fortunate to be selected to take part on the FIFA Master is to make it the best year of your life as it passes by so quickly. I keep telling current students that they should be proud to be part of this prestigious programme. Work hard, but also enjoy the year. Then, after graduation, use the alumni network and don’t miss the opportunity to attend major FIFA Master Alumni Association (FMA) events such as the world gatherings organised during FIFA World Cups, European Championships and the Olympics, for example.

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, 2021 and 2022 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).