Module 1: Football industry, governance and European football competitions
Monday 15 January 2024: The football industry and its governance
9:30 | Welcome address and introduction to the course | Robby Houben (Professor University of Antwerp) |
9:45 | Who is who? | All participants |
10:15 | The football industry & its financial framework | Dirk Decorte (Professor University of Antwerp) |
11:30 | Coffee break | |
12:00 | The governance of football in Europe: the regulators | Marco Amezcua (Senior Legal Counsel at Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA)) |
12:30 | The governance of football in Europe: the clubs | Dennis Gudasic (Executive director Lokomotiva Zagreb and co-founder Union of European Clubs (UEC)) |
13:00 | Lunch | |
14:00 | The governance of football in Europe: the leagues | Alberto Colombo (Deputy General Secretary at European Leagues (EL)) |
14:30 | The governance of football in Europe: the players | Joachim Walltin (General Secretary at Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionnels (FIFPRO) division Europe) |
15:00 | The governance of football in Europe: the agents | Roberto Branco Martins (General counsel European Football Agents Association) |
15:30 | The governance of football in Europe: the fans | Ronan Evain (Chief executive officer at Football Supporters Europe (FSE)) |
16:00 | Coffee break | |
16:30 | Stakeholder debate with FIFA, UEC, EL, FIFPRO, EFAA, FSE | moderated by Robby Houben (Professor University of Antwerp) |
18:00 | Break | |
19:00 | Welcome reception | |
20:00 | Opening dinner | |
Tuesday 16 January 2024: (European) football competitions
9:30 | Warm-up | All participants |
9:45 | The Belgian competition format: recall | Lorin Parys (CEO Belgian Pro League) |
10:15 | Designing Competitions | Hypercube business innovation |
11:15 | Coffee break | |
11:45 | Designing competitions: workshop | All participants, with the guidance of Hypercube business innovation |
13:00 | Lunch | |
14:00 | Competition formats in other sports: basketball and cycling | Tomas Van Den Spiegel (CEO at Flanders Classics, President at Union of European Leagues of Basketball (ULEB), Board and Exco member at Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) Europe, Director RSC Anderlecht (Belgian Pro League) |
15:00 | Coffee break | |
15:30 | The Super League as challenger | Bernd Reichart (CEO at A22 Sports - advisor and promoter of the European Super League) Javier Tebas (President La Liga) |
17:00 | End of module 1 | |
Module 2: Managing football clubs
Monday 26 February 2024: Financial management and communication
9:30 | Club communication (strategy) | Lou Buggy (Change and communication specialist) |
11:00 | Coffee break | |
11:30 | Club communication (strategy): exercises | Lou Buggy |
13:00 | Lunch | |
14:00 | Leadership | Erik Franck (Professor University of Antwerp, Coach at Better Minds at Work) |
15:30 | Coffee break | |
16:00 | Leadership: exercises | Erik Franck |
17:30 | End | |
Tuesday 27 February 2024: Leadership, operational and strategic management
9:30 | Warm-up | All participants |
9:45 | Financial management of clubs | Kieran Maguire (Professor University of Liverpool Management School, Author of ‘The Price of Football’) |
11:15 | Coffee break | |
11:45 | Financial management of clubs: exercises | Kieran Maguire |
13:00 | Lunch | |
14:00 | Strategic management of clubs | Mikkel Draebye (Professor at SDA Bocconi School of Management, Italy) |
15:30 | Coffee break | |
16:00 | Strategic management of clubs: exercises | Mikkel Draebye |
17:00 | End of module 2 | |
Module 3: Football players and transfers
Monday 18 March 2024: Players - working with data and transfers contracts
9:30 | Data analytics in football | Stefan Szymanski (Professor Stephen J. Galetti Professor of Sport Management, University of Michigan (USA), Co-Author ‘Soccernomics’) |
11:30 | Coffee break | |
12:00 | Case study: Royale Union Saint-Gilloise | Chris O’Loughlin (Sporting director Royale Union Saint-Gilloise) |
13:00 | Lunch | |
14:00 | The regulation of player transfers and termination of contract | Michele Colucci (Member of the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber and the FIFPRO Dispute Committee) |
15:30 | Coffee break | |
16:00 | The transfer contract: drafting solic clauses and avoiding disputes | Frans De Weger (Chair of the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber) |
17:30 | End | |
Tuesday 19 March 2024: Working with agents, minors and transfer round table
9:30 | Warm-up | All participants |
9:45 | Working with football agents: latest state of affairs of the rules | Stijn Francis (Football agent Stirr Associates) Tine Matton (CEO Stirr Associates) |
11:00 | Coffee break | |
11:30 | Negotiating with football agents: tips & tricks from a legal perspective | Stijn Francis (Football agent Stirr Associates) Tine Matton (Chief executive officer Stirdd Associates) |
13:00 | Lunch | |
14:00 | Working with minors | Sven Demeulemeester (Lawyer AtField) |
15:00 | Coffee break | |
15:30 | Round table on transfers | Vincent Mannaert (CEO Club Brugge) Sven Jaecques (CEO Royal Antwerp FC) Stijn Francis Mats Rits (Player RSCA Anderlecht) Simon Mignolet (Player Club Brugge) |
17:00 | End of module 3 | |
Module 4: Licensing, financial fair play, compliance and tax
Monday 15 April 2024: Licensing and financial fair play
9:30 | Warm-up | All participants |
| 9:45 | Football club licensing and financial fair play in Spain (remote session) | Javier Gomez (Corporate General Manager La Liga) |
10:25 | Football club licensing and financial fair play in Belgium | Nils Van Brantegem (License manager Royal Belgian Football Association) |
11:15 | Coffee break | |
11:45 | Licensing and financial fair play: panel discussion | Alex Muzio (President and owner Union Royale Union Saint-Gilloise) Florian Frindte (CFO KAS Eupen) Steven Beulque (CFO SV Zulte Waregem) Nils Van Brantegem |
13:00 | Lunch | |
14:00 | Financial fair play in the UK Premier League: the points deduction cases and the UK football governance bill
| Kieran Maguire (Professor University of Liverpool Management School, Author of ‘The Price of Football’) |
15:00 | Intermezzo: the what? Introduction to the Dutch Federatie van Betaald voetbal Organisaties (FBO) | Laura Van Putten (General manager FBO) |
15:30 | Coffee break | |
16:00 | About the owner. Multi-club ownership in football | Siniša Petrović (Professor at University of Zagreb, Croatia) |
17:30 | End | |
Tuesday 16 April 2024: Compliance and tax
9:30 | Warm-up | All participants |
9:45 | Compliance: why is it important for a football club? | Vincent Denonville (Konfidens Consulting, Former Head of Compliance Operations & Strategy at FIFA, Former compliance officer Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Bank of America Merrill Lynch) |
10:45 | The FIFA Clearing House | César Chapparo Yedro (Head of Clearing House at FIFA) |
11:30 | Coffee break | |
12:00 | Compliance and anti-money laundering in Belgium – selected topics with exercises | Pieter De Beus (Compliance officer at Royal Belgian Football Association) Kris Meskens (Secretary-General at Belgian Financial Intelligence Processing Unit (CTIF – CFI), the Belgian Financial Intelligence Unit) |
13:00 | Lunch | |
14:00 | Taxation of professional football | Karolina Tetlak (Professor University of Warsaw, Poland)Daan Buylaert (Lawyer Atfield) |
15:30 | Coffee break | |
16:00 | Taxation of professional football: exercises | Karolina Tetlak (Professor University of Warsaw, Poland) Daan Buylaert (Lawyer Atfield) |
17:00 | End of module 4 | |
Module 5: Women’s football, sustainability and community service
Monday 3 June 2024: Women’s football, sustainability and community service
9:30 | Warm-up | All participants |
9:45 | (Promoting) women’s football | Peter Willems (Former Head of Marketing Activities and Sponsorship at UEFA, |
11:00 | Women’s football: player testimony | Janice Cayman (Player Leicester City FC (English women’s Super League), Red Flame) |
11:30 | Coffee break | |
12:00 | Multiple clubs in the same city. Case study: Atletico Madrid | Rafael Alique (Communication and marketing director Atletico Madrid) |
13:00 | Lunch | |
14:00 | Football club’s community service | Mike Green (Chief executive officer Lommel SK (Belgian Challenger Pro League), Former Head of City in the Community, UK) |
15:00 | Building sustainable clubs: learning from the greenest club in the world, Forest Green Rovers: Case study | Marcus Reynolds (CEO Forest Green Rovers) |
16:00 | Coffee break | |
16:30 | Case study community service, fan engagement and sustainability: Brentford FC | Greig Mailer (Corporate Affairs Director at Brentford FC (Premier League)) |
17:30 | Break | |
19:00 | Closing reception | |
19:30 | Live interview: sponsoring a football club and the sponsor’s (societal) expectations | Christophe Hamal (CEO Baloise Belgium, sponsor KAA Gent (Belgian Pro League))
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20:00 | Closing dinner | All participants and alumni Pro League Business School 2023 |
Tuesday 4 June 2024: Sharing best practices and the geopolitical economy of football
9:30 | Warm-up | All participants |
9:45 | Sharing best practices: Pro League Business School elevator pitches | All participants |
11:00 | Coffee break | |
11:30 | Sharing best practices: Pro League Business School elevator pitches | All participants |
13:00 | Lunch | |
14:00 | The geopolitical economy of football: | Simon Chadwick (Professor Skema Business School, Paris, France) |
15:30 | Closing address | Robby Houben (Professor University of Antwerp) |
16:00 | End of module 5 | |
When?
10 days between January and June 2024.
5 modules of two full, consecutive days per module.
- 15 - 16 January 2024
- 26 - 27 February 2024
- 18 - 19 March 2024
- 15 - 16 April 2024
- 3 - 4 June 2024
Where?
City campus of the University of Antwerp and online (live and recorded).
Participants from abroad are encouraged to follow at least two module in person, to maximize networking experience.