Advanced Certificate Program in Sporting Directorship

This is a comprehensive journey delves deeper into leadership, teaching you to handle communication, optimize & maximize a football club's sporting assets, and implement financial strategies.

Master the strategies you need to advance

What you'll learn

By the end of this program, you'll be able to:

Manage difficult situations better with internal and external communication.
Make an impact on yourself -before your teams.
Identify the needs of your club to build the right departments fulfilled with the right staff.
Identify opportunities to optimize your club’s sporting assets -particularly in the academy.
Create a resilient sporting strategy, and ways to lead it effectively.
Improve your club’s value proposition and competitive positioning in the recruitment phase.
Understand and apply the financials wisely.

Learn with a network of like-minded people from clubs/associations like:

Start making progress

This program is for..

This program will give a fresh vision for understanding the technical dimensions of running a football club.
And, you will learn effective ways to manage your teams within your responsibilities.

Student Success Story

How FOCUS programs helped Matt to advance his career

We’re proud to see our Foundations of Sporting Directors Course graduate Matt Johnson promoted to a new role as a Head of Recruitment for a Women’s Team at Portsmouth FC.

“The network, skills and workflow insight gained on the FOCUS Foundations of Sporting Directors Course has allowed me to obtain as role as a Head of Recruitment for a Women’s team.

Understanding how to build a successful recruitment team, create an effective workflow and work effectively as a small market club are all key learnings I will be taking into my new role.

I will continue to use the resources available on the FOCUS platform from the course to support me in this role and am in contact with members of my cohort regularly.“

Matt Johnson Head of Recruitment at Portsmouth FC Women

Browse learning plan

This is a master's quality and comprehensive program – each module consists of dynamic lectures, case studies and discussion assignments on the community, insight stories, and articles.

Module 1: Foundations of Leadership and High-Performance Team Building

Lecture 1: Effective communication internally and externally.

Lecture 2: Self-awareness and understanding its impact on leadership.

Lecture 3: Building departments to build a high-performance environment within a club.

Lecture 4: Selection and recruitment of performance, analytics/data, academy, and science and medicine departments.

> Lecturer: Anna Edwards & Dave Slemen, Elite Performance Partners

MODULE 2: Academy Excellence: Fostering Innovation and Nurturing Talent

Lecture 5: Innovation in the academy infrastructure.
> Lecturer: Gareth Jennings, Former Head of Technical Leadership at FIFA
Lecture 6: Innovation in the academy staff.
> Lecturer: Gareth Jennings, Former Head of Technical Leadership at FIFA

Lecture 7: Positioning youth players in the 1st team’s squad planning.
> Lecturer: Tommy Wilson, Director of Academy and Professional Development at Philadelphia Union
Lecture 8: Assessing and positioning youth players as a seller club.
> Lecturer: Tommy Wilson, Director of Academy and Professional Development at Philadelphia Union
Lecture 9: Player Development Pathways
> Lecturer: Ben Knapper, Loan Manager at Arsenal FC

Module 3: Strategic Sporting Management: Planning, Implementation, and Recruitment

Lecture 10: Forming a Club’s sporting strategy.
Lecture 11: Implementing a club’s sporting strategy.
Lecture 12: Leading a club’s sporting strategy.
Lecture 13: Creating a recruitment structure that wins on and off the pitch.
> Lecturer: Les Reed, Former Vice-Chairman of Southampton FC

MODULE 4: Finance in Squad Management

Lecture 14: Essentials of budget management. (1)

Lecture 15: Essentials of budget management. (2)

Lecture 16: Essentials of Financial Fair Play

Lecture 17: Wage Models and wage distribution

> Lecturer: Daniel Martin, Chief Financial Officier at RedBird FC

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Stay inspired with an expansive library of learning content

As a member, you get access to numerous learning content focused on the biggest trends and challenges in today’s sports world both on and off the pitch.

Meet your lecturers

Your esteemed lecturers are change-makers in the football industry who are committed to
empowering you with the essential skills and knowledge needed to excel in your professional journey.

Les Reed

Former Vice Chairman of Southampton FC

Ben Knapper

Loan Manager,
Arsenal FC

Gareth Jennings

Technical Director,
UAE League

Tommy Wilson

Academy Director, Philedelphia Union

Anna Edwards

Managing Partner, Elite Performance Partners

Dave Slemen

Founding Partner, Elite Performance Partners

Jordan Gardner

Global M&A Consultant, Twenty First Group

Hear from our members

Gabriel Glavan

Sporting Director at Dinamo Bucharest

"Great educational program. From the organisation to the speakers, everything is of great value.

The learning spectrum is wide, from communication and management to financial administration.

I would recommend this to anyone in the football business."

Dr Ceri Bowley

Global Lead of Technical Leadership at Double Pass

“The Foundations of Sporting Directorship Course offers a solid introduction to the role of the sporting director with a specific emphasis on talent identification and recruitment. The combination of live sessions and a series of e-learning modules allows for flexibility and self-paced learning. This course is a good starting point for those curious about the role with a pathway to progress to the Advanced Certificate Program in Sporting Directorship for those that want to continue learning.“

Steven Dillon

Clubs and Leagues Manager at Oceania Football Confederation

"The Focus Advanced Sporting Directorship program provided a unique learning experience for sports industry professionals, and the community created by the course is one of its most valuable assets.

This first cohort fostered a collaborative and supportive learning environment that allowed us to challenge ourselves and each other, share insights and best practices, and collaborate on projects and assignments.

The connections and relationships formed during the program will continue to benefit me both personally and professionally for years to come, making this program an excellent investment for anyone looking to enhance their career in the sports industry."

Nick Evans

Executive Director Growth & Strategy, Florida Panthers

"The Advanced Certificate Program in Sporting Directorship was a hugely valuable experience.

The course provided the opportunity to be exposed to valuable lived insight experiences from leading experts and professionals in elite level leadership in football management, technical leadership, and football club governance.

The course is engaging, incredibly relatable, and thought provoking that challenges you to reflect on your own context of workings.

I highly recommend this course to any individual who wants to continue to grow their understanding of sporting directorship in a football context."

Be part of a community of collaborators

You’ll join a cohort of ambitious, generous professionals who will help you grow.

Learn with like-minded professionals..

Learn the technical dimensions of the running of a football club.

Master's Quality Programs in Football

Combine the FSD Course with the Advanced Certificate Program in Sporting Directorship, pay 950 CHF instead of 1150 CHF.

Foundations of Sporting Directors Course

Learn the technical dimensions of running a football club that creates value for clubs on and off the pitch.

FOCUS Resources

Get exclusive access to thought-provoking articles, insightful talks, and a treasure trove of expert lectures. Join our community of football enthusiasts and professionals who are shaping the future of the game.

Stay informed, stay inspired, stay ahead!