UEFA's academic initiatives in 2015

In 2015, UEFA focused on many different education initiatives with special emphasis on the following:

Executive Master in European Sport Governance Programme (MESGO)

This programme is designed for sports sector professionals who wish to master the complex dimensions and diversity of international practices related to professional sport in Europe. Sessions of the third edition of the MESGO programme took place this year in London, Brussels, Barcelona, Mainz/Frankfurt and New York, giving elected representatives and managerial staff of sports organisations the chance to develop their football management skills.

Applications for the fourth edition, which will start in September 2016, are now open. MESGO has been developed in partnership with members of the Association of European Team Sports (ETS) and five academic partners renowned for their expertise in sports law, economics and management.

UEFA Football Law Programme (UEFA FLP)

UEFA designed the Football Law Programme for legal specialists who want to get up to speed on the most recent developments in football law and broaden their understanding of the issues involved. The programme was launched this year, with the first session taking place in Istanbul.

The Programme has been developed by UEFA in conjunction with international academic and legal experts. Successful participants will receive a certificate of advanced study in football law from Kadir Has University (Istanbul, Turkey), in cooperation with the University of Padova (Italy), Rey Juan Carlos University (Madrid, Spain) and UEFA.

UEFA Certificate of Football Management (UEFA CFM)

Students of the UEFA Certificate in Football Management course learn about the key areas of national football association management, including strategic and performance management, operational management, football marketing and sponsorship communication, media and public relations, and event and volunteer management.

With six national editions having started this year, the course is open to the 54 member associations of UEFA and contributes to greater knowledge within the national associations, benefiting the European football family as a whole. Graduates receive a Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) worth ten European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) credits through the Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration (IDHEAP) at the University of Lausanne.

This year new, editions of the UEFA CFM started in Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany and Azerbaijan. Other editions were successfully completed in Croatia, France, Spain, Sweden, England; Ireland & Northern Ireland also completed the first joint edition of the UEFA CFM.

Women in Football Leadership Programme delegates©UEFA

Captains of Change

UEFA believes that football is for everyone and is committed to influencing the culture of football organisations and to progressively open them at all levels to a wider range of people with different origins and backgrounds. The Captains of Change programme has been striving to achieve that mission by empowering participants to positively influence the environment in their national football associations. Participants are accepted on the basis of a draft diversity project which presents how he/she intends to encourage diversity within his/her organisation's culture.

Those who become Captains of Change are trained to develop skills that are crucial for the implementation of their projects. These national and local initiatives foster diversity in their respective football organisations. Captains of Change showcased their local projects in Northern Ireland and Ukraine earlier this year.

UEFA Women in Football Leadership Programme (UEFA WFLP)

UEFA wants to see more women in executive positions in football and remains committed to the Women in Football Leadership Programme, an initiative that has now been running for the past few years and is already benefiting several National Football Associations. The third edition of the programme gathered women working in the administration of football across Europe in Nyon earlier this year in order to boost their skills and representation in key positions and to ensure that leadership skills are recognised, nurtured and implemented across the European football family.

UEFA Master for International Players

The UEFA Master for International Players (MIP) was launched this year and is designed for former internationals who have played at the highest level and have a lot to offer in the administration and management of football. The UEFA MIP takes the abilities of elite players and moulds them into those of successful managers. The first edition kicked off with former footballers, such as Éric Abidal, Rai, Viola Odebrecht and Sebastian Kehl in November.

It has been a busy year for the UEFA academy, which is looking forward to starting the new year with continued commitment to boosting European football through these important education initiatives.