Students from across several continents have arrived to begin studying the 25th anniversary edition of the prestigious FIFA Master at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU).
Among the cohort are the cup winning manager of the Malawi women’s football team, a gold medal-winning Olympic rower, a member of the Nigerian Football Federation and a representative from the US Soccer Foundation which works to make football available to all.
There are 25 students making up the 25th cohort of the FIFA Master
The one-year course, which is co-ordinated by the Centre International d’Etude du Sport (CIES) and supported by football’s world governing body FIFA, involves students dedicating a term of study at DMU’s International Centre for Sports History and Culture (ICSHC) before also spending a term at both the SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan, Italy, and Switzerland’s University of Neuchâtel.
The FIFA Master is regarded as one of the world’s best sports management courses and, earlier this month, was named by Sports Business International as Europe’s top ranked postgraduate sports management course for a record 12th time.
The 25 students are delighted to have been selected for the course and cannot wait to get started at DMU.
Phil Wilson is a New Zealand rower who won gold in the men’s coxed eight in Tokyo and competed this summer in the Paris Olympics.
He said: “I am very excited and there is a great bunch of people studying the course. There are so many people from so many different backgrounds and I am sure we will be learning a lot about each other over the next 10 months.
“I am most looking forward to learning about how different sports operate at a governance level and see how this can be applied across different disciplines. I guess I can bring an athlete’s perspective on mega events such as the Olympics and how operational decisions filter down to athletes.”
Geny Decker has been based in Washington DC for more than six years promoting the US Soccer Foundation which promoted football for good, supporting young people in the sport.
“We are not there to develop the next Messi or Ronaldo. Only one per cent of footballers turn professional. It is to recognise the power of sport and how it helps people grow into unique individuals and have a positive impact on society.
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“The FIFA Master has chosen us for a reason and so I am looking forward to absorbing as much about the experiences of my classmates as possible while we are all together.”
Joshua Onoja has been working with the Nigerian Football Federation. One of his good friends is the former Leicester City player Kelechi Iheanacho. He is looking forward to the opportunity of watching fellow Nigerian Wilfrid Ndidi play for the Foxes.
He said there was a big drive by the federation and the Nigerian government to promote football in schools.
“We are working to put football in the school curriculum to encourage and enhance sport participation among students. Apart from playing, students learn about cooperation and competitiveness – skills they can integrate into larger society.”
Blandina Mdebwe was appointed women’s football manager for the Malawi international team – nicknamed the Scorchers - last summer and was the first manager to win an international trophy for 37 years, beating Zambia 2-1 in the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations cup.
Blandina said: “I am really excited about the course. It is my first trip outside of Africa. The city of Leicester is so rich in history. I am enjoying it.”
Dani Huama has taken a huge step out of her comfort zone to study sports management. Originally from Peru, Dani has studied in the UK and worked in marketing for 10 years.
“Last summer I decided I wanted to wake up and do something I really loved. Sport and the social impact of sport are important to me, especially in women’s sport. So, this is a whole new experience for me.
“Stopping a career you have had for 10 years is a big decision but as soon as I got to DMU I had the feeling that I was coming to the right place with the right people.”
The students with staff from the FIFA Master course
Co-Scientific Director Professor Martin Polley said: “The opening day of the FIFA MA is one of the highlights of the year for us in the International Centre for Sports History and Culture. It’s great to meet the new students, to hear about the professional and sporting journeys that have brought them here and to start the next stage of that journey with them”.
Co-Scientific Director Dr Dichter said: “It is great to see the enthusiasm of the new students as they are welcomed to DMU and the FIFA Master by our colleagues from CIES, SDA Bocconi and the University of Neuchâtel as the course begins. As with all of the previous years, the students on the 25th edition come from a variety of backgrounds both in and outside of sport, bringing a wealth of experience to the classroom. We look forward to teaching them for the next three months here in Leicester”.
FIFA Master Humanities of Sport Module Coordinator James Panter added, “Following an extremely busy summer preparing for the new class to arrive, it is fantastic to finally meet everyone. There is already a great atmosphere in the group and we are extremely fortunate to attract such high quality students from around the world. I am very much looking forward to starting what will be the 25th anniversary year for the course”.
Posted on Thursday 19 September 2024