UEFA Academy
Article summary
We train managers, specialists and players to supply the world’s favourite sport with the best professionals.
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With a global network of over 3,800 graduates, the UEFA Academy offers a wide range of education and research programmes to help administrators, players and specialists develop careers in a range of football-related activities.
Every season, around 1,000 students representing over 400 organisations from across the global football community – confederations, associations, leagues and clubs – graduate from UEFA Academy courses.
Simon Rolfes, participant in the UEFA MIP
Working closely with leading professionals and universities, UEFA Academy courses cover numerous disciplines, including football management, leadership, administration, communication, law and football medicine. Tailored programmes for players are also available to cater their specific needs, both on and off the field.
Reinvesting in European football
The UEFA Academy is an example of how we, as UEFA, reinvest revenue generated by our elite competitions back into the European game’s development. It offers personal and professional development courses to staff at all 55 of our member associations, with benefits spreading across all levels of the football pyramid.
Our values
“At the heart of our ethos lies the belief that genuine progress stems from an insatiable curiosity, a commitment to lifelong learning, relentless improvement, and fostering a robust community of peers.”
UEFA Academy programmes are open to all sports professionals to advance their skills.
Visit the UEFA Academy website for more information on courses (application process, deadlines, and more) and start a journey towards unparalleled success in the beautiful game.
The UEFA Academy: in numbers
- 3,800 graduates representing 170 nationalities
- Over 200 training days per season
- 60 countries visited by our programmes
- 2,000 documents available on our online platform
- 1 unique network
LIFT-certified
The UEFA Academy is a LIFT-certified organisation, having successfully completed the European Foundation for Management Development's Learning Impact Certification LIFT (Learning Impact for Today and Tomorrow).
"The UEFA Academy delivers impact by bringing their values to life. They demonstrate ‘expertise’ through a framework that ensures a strong participant experience, with learner recommendation rates near 100%... ‘relentless improvement’ by using stakeholder feedback for ongoing programme refinement... and ‘community’ by establishing alumni groups for continuous learning. Their contributions extend beyond football, benefiting other sports and society through research grants and learning initiatives."
Introduced in 2024, LIFT allows a learning function to evaluate and benchmark how it delivers impact to its stakeholders against industry standards. The certification was created using inputs from over 30 organisations, including CLIP-accredited learning functions and EQUIS-accredited business schools.
UEFA Academy partners
Football stakeholders
Sports governing bodies
International Basketball Federation
International Ice Hockey Federation
International Olympic Committee
Public Institutions
Universities
Ca’ Foscari University (Venice, Italy)
IMD Business School (Lausanne, Switzerland)
Institut Nacional d'Educació Física de Catalunya – Generalitat de Catalunya (Barcelona, Spain)
Johannes Gutenberg Universität (Mainz, Germany)
Kadir Has University (Istanbul, Türkiye)
University of London: Birkbeck Sport Business Centre (United Kingdom)
University of Limoges: Centre de Droit et d'Economie du Sport – CDES (France)
University of Rijeka: Law Faculty (Croatia)