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Football Management and Finance

Overview

Module description

The professional football industry is one of the most commercially dynamic sectors in the sport media entertainment marketplace. Within the industry professional football clubs are the key engines of revenue generation.

In this module we explore the key factors that drive economic success for a professional football club, analysing in detail the main content and structure of the main financial flows that form the business operating model of a professional football club:

  • media broadcasting
  • match-day attendance
  • commercial
  • player development and trading.

The best practice models adopted by clubs and league competitions in driving these revenue streams are analysed in detail. Critically, you will learn about the business models of professional football clubs, in particular how these can be optimised. There is a strong emphasis on utilising real-life case studies to illustrate the key learning objectives. The analysis of club business models forms the basis to then present financial valuation methodologies e.g. DCF, market approach, NAV, that allow the financial value of a club to calculated.

Indicative syllabus

The course consists of nine sessions based on the following themes:

  • Understanding the basic financials of football clubs
  • Evolution of the economics of the European football industry
  • Financial control mechanisms and regulations
  • Transfer market trends and player valuation
  • The financial landscape and business of professional women’s football
  • Football club transactions: investment trends and club valuation
  • Trends in stadium development and facility management
  • Pathway to pro: developing youth players in football
  • Evolution of football clubs’ ownership model.

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • explain the broad operational and financial contextual environment of the football industry (e.g. explaining the impact of league competition-level financial flows such as collective sale of broadcasting rights), and overall stakeholder engagement environment in which professional football clubs must operate
  • explain the main financial flows that form the business operating model of a professional football club
  • undertake a basic financial valuation of a professional football club using financial valuation methodologies.