Course summary

Football is a multi-billion-pound global industry driven by the marketing of its products. Consumer retention targets place an increased emphasis on organisations to develop their relationships with fans and consumers. The emergence of digital platforms has provided football organisations with the tools to reach a range of stakeholders on a local and global scale. Consequently, elite and lower league clubs require increased expertise to apply online and offline tools such as websites, social media, advertising and direct mail to increase their brand communications. There are also huge organisations intrinsically linked to the football industry, who spend billions of pounds on sponsorship and advertising in football. Your studies will focus on the core functions of football business management accompanied by marketing modules. The marketing pathways explore the principles of marketing and communications and apply theory to live projects to develop your employability skills. You will gain an understanding of football business and be introduced to international business models and management concepts, business planning, return on investment, strategy integration, contemporary issues and digital marketing. You will plan, implement and evaluate digital marketing plans for an industry organisation. You will be taught in lectures and participate in seminar debates, with academic support via UCFB’s virtual learning environment. Assessments combine practical web development with the academic rigour of market research, consumer segmentation and audience selection. The many facets of marketing provide a broad context for learning and there are exciting job prospects for those who can thrive in its multicultural, technologically sophisticated world. The Foundation Year will provide students with an understanding of a range of concepts and models related to understanding and managing people, work and behaviour in national and international football related organisations, including the influence of marketing, sources of finance for different commercial purposes and political landscape of the game.