Our final full month in Leicester with Milan on the horizon

November was a fast-paced month for the FIFA Master class 24th edition with many group activities, incredible field visit opportunities, great lectures and the delivery of the final assignments of our Humanities of Sport module here at the International Centre for Sports History and Culture as we prepare to say goodbye to De Montfort University in Leicester.

On the social side, the class joined together to enjoy the last full month in England with many different group activities. We started November with a night of cricket batting at a local venue - a fun debut in the sport for most of us! The class also experienced the annual Leicester Bonfire Night display, which is a popular British tradition celebrated with music, food and fireworks. To close off the activities of the month, the class hosted students from other post-graduate sports management programmes in England for a friendly football match in Leicester, where we got to meet, have fun, network and (of course!) play the ‘beautiful game’ in traditional cold and rainy British weather! 

On the academic side, the month of November started with a week-long immersion in Sport Development across the globe with lectures presented by Solomon Mudege, FIFA Master alumni currently working at FIFA, who engaged the class with in-depth content as well as quizzes and classroom competitions. The week also included a fun table tennis diplomacy night at a local venue where the class got to show off our skills in ping-pong as well as our team work skills. Other departments of FIFA were also showcased in lectures about the FIFA Foundation, by Mariana Banús and FIFA Women’s Football Department, by course alumni Gianluca Famigli. The close contact with course alumni and current workers in the industry is an incredible element of the programme. 

We also had the pleasure to meet staff from the Football Association at The FA’s St. George’s Park where we saw the facilities and were presented with great lectures on the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, FA Marketing Strategy and Diversity and Inclusion Department. The field visit was followed by a special trip to Wembley for the England v. Malta UEFA Euro 2023 qualification match. This was a first for many of us and an experience that we will always cherish! 

The month of November ended with a very special final field visit of the module to Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium and the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) where insightful lectures really brought together our class content that was seen throughout the semester. A big round of applause in appreciation of our Module Coordinator James Panter, who put together our field visits during the module, closed off the day as we arrived back in Leicester. Thank you, James!

Signing off

FIFA Master 24th edition Leicester Report

FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, ranked  Europe's No.1 course a record 11 times by SportBusiness.

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