The Pro League Business School constitutes a 5 Module Programme of 10 days in aggregate on good governance of Professional Football. The Programme has the law as backbone and covers all key legal aspects of professional football, with due attention for its economic and managerial context. It offers a serene teaching environment allowing fruitful discussions and interaction between professionals.
The Programme will be followed by at least 72 C-level club managers from professional football clubs from Belgium, in addition to peers from abroad.
The 2023 Programme is as follows:
Module 1: The organisation of professional football
6 February 2023
| 9:00 | Welcome address and introduction to the course | Prof.dr. Robby Houben (University of Antwerp, BE) and Lorin Parys (CEO Belgian Pro League) |
| 9:30 | The football industry | Prof.dr. Benoit Senaux (Coventry University, UK) |
| 11:45 | Financial management: a testimony | Dirk Decorte (University of Antwerp, BE) |
| 14:00 | The football pyramid | Prof.dr. Richard Parrish (Edge Hill University, UK) |
| 16:15 | A leagues perspective on the football pyramid | Jacco Swart, CEO European Leagues |
7 February 2023
9:00 | Cha(lle)nging the model: Super League | Bernd Reichart, CEO A22 Sports (advisor and promoter of the European Super League) |
11:15 | The EU regulatory framework of pro football | Prof. dr. Ben Van Rompuy (University of Leiden, NL) |
14:00 | The European football competition model (under stress) | Prof. dr. Katarina Pijetlovic (Lisbon University, PR) |
16:15 | The (EU) policy regarding pro football | Antoine Manders, Member of European Parliament |
17:00 | La Liga's perspective | Javier Tebas (Chairman La Liga) |
Module 2: Licensing and financial fair play
27 February 2023
| 9:00 | Football club licensing | Jacqueline van den Bosch (Chairperson Dutch licensing commission) |
| 11:15 | Licensing: time for a change (?) | All participants |
| 14:00 | Club ownership | Prof.dr. Siniša Petrović (University of Zagreb, CRO) |
| 16:15 | Negotiation skills | Charles-Antoine Leunen (Partner, Linklaters) |
28 February 2023
| 9:00 | Managing clubs (directors & managers) | Prof.dr. Hallgeir Gammelsæter (Prof. Molde University College, NOR) |
| 11:15 | Leadership | Elke Geraerts (CEO Better minds at work) |
| 14:00 | Financial fair play | Christopher Flanagan (editor International Sports Law Journal) |
| 16:15 | The new Financial Stability Rules and outlook going forward | Andrea Traverso (Director Financial Sustainability and Research UEFA) |
Module 3: Financing clubs
27 March 2023
| 9:00 | The football club as media supplier: media rights | Prof.dr. Steve J Cornelius (University of Pretoria, SA) |
| 11:15 | Media rights in football: trends and outlook | François Godard (Senior Media & Telecoms Analyst bij Enders Analysis) |
14:00 | Tax treatment of professional football (players) | Prof.dr. Karolina Tetlak (University of Warsaw, POL) |
| 16:15 | Blockchain (financing) solutions in football | Daniel Maglietta (Commercial director of football @ Socios) |
28 March 2023
| 9:00 | The stadium as revenue generator | Prof.dr. Andrea Cattaneo (Edge Hill University, UK) |
| 11:15 | Alternative financing of football clubs | Michael Savva (Watson Farley & Williams, Dubai) |
14:00 | Listed football clubs | Prof.dr. Michiel De Muynck (University of Antwerp, BE) |
| 16:15 | Organizing football matches vs organizing concerts: learning from each other | Jan Van Esbroeck (CEO Sportpaleis) |
Module 4: Football players
24 April 2023
| 9:00 | Status of players and players’ rights | Prof. Michele Colucci |
| 11:15 | The perspective of FIFPRO | Roy Vermeer (FIFPRO) |
| 14:00 | Player transfers | Frans de Weger (Chair FIFA DRC) |
| 16:15 | The Real Madrid way: a testimony from an 'end user's' perspective | Alvaro Garcia-Alaman De la Calle (Real Madrid) |
25 April 2023
| 9:00 | Football agents | Prof.dr. Johan Lindholm (Umeå University, SWE, Chief editor International Sports Law Journal) |
| 11:15 | Adding value: the lawyer and/or the agent ? | Wouter Janssens (Partner, Cresta) |
14:00 | The ECA perspective | José Luis Andrade |
| 15:00 | Sponsoring, commercial contracts and ticketing | Prof.dr. Shaun Star (O. P. Jindal Global University, IND) |
| 16:15 | Tax and social security in Belgium | Daan Buylaert and Sven Demeulemeester (lawyers Atfield) |
Module 5: Dispute resolution, CSR & ESG
22 May 2023
| 9:00 | Compliance and football | Prof.dr. Niels Appermont (Hasselt University, BE) |
| 11:15 | Anti-Money Laundering Legislation for clubs and agents in Belgium | Kris Meskens (Secretary-General Financial Intelligence Processing Unit (CTIF - CFI)) |
| 14:00 | Dispute resolution in professional football | Prof. Jacopo Tognon (University of Padova, IT) |
| 16:15 | Making CSR concrete for professional football clubs | Leon Vlemmings, de Waard€volle Club |
23 May 2023
9:00 | Football club’s social responsibility and ethics | Prof.dr. Annette Greenhow (Bond University, AUS) |
| 11:15 | Football organisation's (most) frequent dispute: competition law. A prosecutor's perspective | Bert Stulens (Competition Prosecutor Belgian Competition Authority) |
| 14:00 | The future of pro football | Round table and key note speaker moderated by Prof.dr. Robby Houben |
| 16:15 | Closing ceremony and reception | |
Minor changes to the Programme are possible in event of unforeseen circumstances, but are not expected.
The Programme is offered physically at the City Campus of the University of Antwerp, located in the heart of Antwerp.
