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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.

Available on-demand

Master the strategies you need to advance

Next-level knowledge

Equip yourself with the skillset that will be your competitive advantage

Learn from top professionals

Connect to profs who apply their expertise in elite football

Fits in your busy schedule

100% online - complete with your peers or at your own pace - up to you

What you'll learn

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

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

Les Reed started as a three-month consultancy role at the Southampton FC the third-tier club in 2010 turned into an eight-year stay at St Mary’s; during his time the Club had a tremendous sporting growth.
In this program, Les Reed will teach building and establishing a resilient sporting strategy.

Start making progress

750 CHF

*Swiss Franc

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.

Scouts/Chief Scouts

• Develop unique practical skills.
• Design the winning strategy.

Technical/Sporting Directors

• Sharpen your skills in new ways.
• Leverage strategy in your work.

Club Executives

• Transform your organisation.
• Get better players for a better team.

(Ex) Footballers

• Level up your skill-set.
• Take a step into a management career.

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.

matt

“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.“

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 4Selection 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

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..

Recruitment Manager Women's and Girls Teams
Recruitment Manager Women's Team
Head of Analytics and Insights
Vice President of Sporting
Executive Director Growth & Strategy
Academy Scout
First Team Scout
Global Lead of Technical Leadership
Sporting Director
Head of Recruitment
Academy Director
Head of Football Data
Director of Football
Director of Performance
Elite Football Manager
Talent Scout & International Screener
President
Performance Analyst
Head of Analysis
Head of Recruitment
Clubs and Leagues Manager
U13 & U18 Coach
National Team Footballer
Footballer

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.

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