From Milan with Love: La Dolce Vita during Covid

February marks the midway point of our FIFA Master adventure, and as the Milan winter slowly gives way to the first signs of spring, and the class of the 21st edition gets ready to tackle the second half of the journey, we take this opportunity to reflect on our unique experience so far.

Intense, rich and incredibly rewarding: describing February in three words is easily done for the FIFA Master class of 2021. The past 28 days have been packed full of content, guest speakers, experiences and hands-on practical applications of our learnings. Most significantly though, we were able to return to a semblance of normality, with in-person classes resuming for the entire month - although having to follow strict Covid protocols. This was far from granted given the current health situation, and we are immensely privileged to be able to do so and grateful to the efforts made by Professor Ruta and our tireless academic coordinator, Luca Antonelli.

We kicked off the month with a sub-module focused on one of the most relevant topics currently facing both sport and wider society: sustainability. Being only the second edition of the FIFA Master to take this class, taught by Prof. Trinchero, we were able to gain a unique understanding of the different dimensions of sustainability (not just environmental, as is widely thought, but also social and economic), and the way they impact and shape the sports ecosystem, and the challenges and opportunities sports leaders and organisations face in pursuing this “triple bottom-line”.

We then moved on to Sports Marketing, one of the keystone sub-modules of the entire programme. Professor Reina blended theoretical learning, his personal experience working in the industry and engaging case studies spanning from the Laver Cup to the Women’s Champions League, to deliver a course which mixed a strategic approach with a hands-on attitude. This was replicated for our final exam after having the pleasure of hearing about Infront’s work and clients by Niccolò Mornati, Director of Summer Sports & Business Development. We were then given the fantastic opportunity to create our own 3-year marketing plan for the development of golf in Italy and present our findings and ideas to Niccolò and the professors - a real highlight!

The final sub-module covered this month was Sport Technology, during which we studied the acceleration of technologies in sports, and how they are reshaping the sports landscape in areas such as fan engagement, broadcasting and athlete development. Beyond equipping us with the theoretical and managerial tools to understand the impact of these technologies, Professor Cirrincione guided us, with his passionate and thought-provoking lectures, towards understanding how we can best interpret the application of future digital and data-driven developments such as AI, smart venues and virtual reality.

In true FIFA Master fashion, the past month has also been characterised by the opportunity for us to hear from, learn and pick the brains of some of the industry’s most inspiring executives.

Federico Addiechi, FIFA’s Head of Sustainability and Environment, Javier Sobrino, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer at FC Barcelona and Frank Leenders, Director of Marketing & Media at FIBA (himself an alumnus of SDA Bocconi) were all very generous with their time, sharing their perspectives and experiences of the sport industry, valuable career advice, and bringing us behind the scenes respectively of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the Barcelona Innovation Hub and FIBA’s Media and Marketing services. Giusy Virelli of RCS Sport Cycling Department also delivered an insightful presentation on the marketing and operational challenges of the Giro d’Italia, and truly conveyed the “Amore Infinito” that goes into organising one of Italy’s most symbolic events. 

Adam Crothers, Head of Digital Media at Formula 1 and alumnus of the FIFA Master 11th edition, took us through F1’s digital transformation and the pioneering initiatives across eSports and online content that they implemented in response to the pandemic. Matteo Cena, Senior Licensing Director at IMG, gave us an invaluable introduction to IMG and all things licensing, while Massimo Cortinovis, Founder of Sports Production Hub, shared his insights into leveraging the newest social media platforms for athlete and sports marketing.

Last but not least, we had the pleasure of hearing from Andrea Butti, Lega Serie A Head of Competitions (and previously team manager for FC Inter during their 2010 “triplete” stint under José Mourinho) who shared his learnings from having to deal with the unprecedented Covid crisis and its impact on match scheduling, player contracts and broadcasting agreements, as well as his insights on the future of Italian and European football.

With our very own Birthday and Travel committees both busy planning celebrations and field trips, the programme has been just as intense on the social side too.

Although limited to exploring the Lombardy region given the travel restrictions currently in place, we are lucky enough to have many of Italy’s most beautiful locations right on our doorstep. Members of the class have, therefore, still been able to spend days out visiting and, more importantly, getting up close with the local culinary traditions of Bergamo (a beautiful old town perched on a steep hill and home of Atalanta BC), Bellagio and Lake Como. No FIFA Master student’s itinerary would be complete without paying a visit to the iconic San Siro stadium - although currently closed, the historic venue was just as awe-inspiring from the outside, and we will certainly be back one day to attend a game at the “Scala del Calcio”. 

The class also got together to celebrate the birthdays of a number of our colleagues, continuing the FIFA Master tradition of presenting them with the kits of the module “home team” - although exceptions had to be made in order to avoid any diplomatic incidents with our two AS Roma fans!

Between one deadline and the next, we managed to make the most of the sunshine to enjoy classic Italian “aperitivo”, exploring the city by foot and regularly ending our days gathering in small groups for dinners, movies and evenings of European football.

In an uncertain time such as this one, with a global pandemic ongoing and with many of us having spent extended periods of time away from families and friends, we really are blessed to spend these moments together, creating shared experiences, memories and bonds we are sure will last far beyond our graduation. Throughout all the difficulties, the class has shown great resilience and group spirit, and we are really proud and honoured to be able to take on the second half of this journey with this special group of people. Look out for our next (and final!) update from Milan this time next month!

 

Malin Vestin and Lorenzo Cavallari - Milan 2020-21 Class Reps

FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, ranked No.1 Course in Europe 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 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).