On 31 August, more than 60 Alumni of the FIFA Master met back in Neuchâtel to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the FMA. The gathering brought together former students from every edition of the programme and coming from all around the world to reflect on the development of the FIFA Master and its Alumni association and to discuss the way forward.
FMA members coming from places such as Mexico, USA, Russia, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Brazil and even Japan enjoyed a day which was a mix of social, fun and serious bits.
The day started with a lunch at the sports bar located at the Maladière stadium and followed with the first session of the day “The First 10 years”, which was about remembering the achievements of the association and praising all those that have importantly contributed for the FMA to be where it is now.
After the introduction by FMA President, Tim Goethals, the Alumni where addressed by CIES President, Bertrand Reeb, who praised the FMA for its achievements and the fruitful collaboration with CIES. Reeb also stressed the interconnection between the success of the FIFA Master and its Alumni Association. In light of the 2013 Sports Business International ranking of post-graduate sport management courses, which repeatedly named the FIFA Master best sports management course in Europe and second in the world, Reeb announced the challenge to become the No. 1 programme globally - a task which will need the joint effort of CIES, its partner universities and the FMA.
As a sign of appreciation for the achievements of the FMA and the continued commitment of CIES to the alumni association, Mr. Reeb presented a generous gift to the alumni: a cheque in the amount of Sfr. 10,000 which helped us organise this important event.
The session followed with a statement by Alumnus and FIFA representative, Nick Lau and then with a presentation by FMA VP Joao Frigerio. At the end of the session, The FMA presented some “Special Thanks” awards to the founding members of the FMA (then called CISMA2), all the FMA Presidents, some key supporters and to past FMA Committee members. See the full list of acknowledgements below.
During the second part of the gathering, alumni came together in different groups to share their views about the FMA, their expectations as well as their ideas for gradual improvement of the association over the next ten years. Lead by the FMA Committee, the groups than presented the outcomes of their discussions, which identified opportunities as well as challenges for the future of the FMA. With approximately 30 Alumni joining the FMA each year, the rapidly growing association has the potential to become an even stronger reference within the sport industry.
The day carried on with fun and games. Teams divided by year of graduation were formed and competed in a “scavenger hunt”, which finished at the Mexican restaurant Desperados, where we had the last bit of the night – a well-deserved dinner fuelled by plenty of margaritas.
It is always great to see the all this good bunch of people together and we are looking forward for our next World Gathering next year, in Brazil, during the World Cup.
List of “Special Thanks” Awards
Founding members of the FMA
FMA Presidents
Key Supporters
Former FMA Committee Members
This website uses cookies – limited to technical and analytical cookies – in order to allow your browsing and enhance your experience.
For more information, please see our cookie policy and our privacy notice.