FIFA Master class stay focused on the finishing line for their academic studies

Picture: The 19th edition of the FIFA Master now has the finishing line in sight.

At the end of May, the 19th edition FIFA Master class completed their timetabled lectures, with attention now turning to research for their individual Final Projects. In this latest article, discover why the last few weeks have been some of the most intensive of the academic year – both inside and outside the classroom.

“It’s a leap of faith that you all have to take“, said Jair Bertoni, FIFA Master 5th Edition alumnus and now FIFA Director for Member Associations Americas, in his motivating and moving speech at the IWorkinSports career fair held in Lausanne. “A leap of faith that is necessary to find the job of your dreams“, Bertoni explained.

As a class, we are now beginning to take our own individual leaps of faith as we begin our new career searches for after graduation from the course this summer.  However, a significant amount of other "big leaps“ have already been taken, as the month of May was packed with truly memorable highlights, both from a curricular and from an extracurricular perspective.

One example of the former was the SPOT conference in Lausanne where state-of-the-art technological innovation in the sports industry was exhibited, discussed and promoted. It was a vibrant event, which had everything from humming drones, intriguing data projects and promising start-ups available to explore.

Our classes in May have focused on career development, with  workshops held by external experts such as Vanessa Tribet from Outdooria.ch and Lars Haue-Pedersen from BCW Sport who spoke on presentation skills and conflict resolution in sport. This was also followed by a Moot Arbitration examination in the first days of June to conclude our Sports Law module academic studies.

Since our last student report was published, we have also seen the grand finale of the countless field visits organized throughout the FIFA Master programme. In the same week in May, the International Federation of Equestrian Sports (FEI), the Maison du Sport International (MSI) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) all welcomed us to Lausanne. They provided a wide-range of interesting insights from how traditional organization such as the FEI or the IOC are shaping their own future, to how sporting mega-events have to be rethought and how everything is interwoven in the global hotspot for sports in the city of Lausanne.

Next, turning our attention to the extracurricular part of our recent experiences, since  11th  May, 21 members of our class have been able to  call themselves proud finishers of the “Grand Prix de Berne“, which is arguably the most beautiful 10 mile run in the world through the Swiss capital and around the famous “Bear Pit“. But this was not the only sporting highlight from the 9th month of the programme. There was also a fabulous win over the AISTS Master programme, a devastating defeat against TEAM Marketing and, as one of the highlights of the year, the traditional game against the FIFA Master Alumni (FMA), followed by an enjoyable  barbeque! These leisure activities have enabled the class once again to demonstrate why it is so special. It is because we share a passion for sports. It is because we have a remarkable intercultural cohesion. And, it is because we know that the fun elements should never be too far apart.

However, for the final six weeks of our academic studies, the Final Project will be the main focus for all of us.  But, hopefully, we will still find opportunities to enjoy our remaining time together before we complete the course. Be it by travelling to games at the FIFA Women’s World Cup currently underway in France,   joint beach volleyball sessions at the lake, or simply enjoying some of Neuchâtel’s exquisit wines. But, one thing is for sure: Soon we will all have to take our leap of faith. A leap that we will have to take on our own. But also a leap we can take knowing that the amazing class of the 19th edition will always be right behind each and every one of us.

Silvan Haenni and Kathy Dufour, Université de Neuchâtel module representatives.

 

FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, ranked No.1 Course in Europe 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019 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).