Back of the net! Philip Wilson (UCFB) speaks passionately about new degrees...

We were privileged to hear Philip Wilson, Provost of UCFB, speak to our Yr 12 PSHE class about the changing face of sports management on Friday. He explained to the girls that football stadia are now being seen as leisure and entertainment venues where football is a component and not just ‘the only show in town’. He explained that, for example, at The FA Cup Final match-day, Wembley employs circa 5,022 people, but only 22 are on the pitch. Inviting us to consider what the roles of the other 5,000 people are on event day, Mr Wilson explained that to facilitate 90,000 people in and out of the building is a highly coordinated and complex operation involving personnel from all disciplines. Only half of Wembley Stadium’s event calendar is football-related. Approximately 5% of positions in the industry exist within the Club environment and the majority of opportunities exist outside within organisations such as Nike, Puma, Sky Sports, Castrol, Coca Cola - all the way towards more localised and regional businesses. At UCFB, the team is dedicated to the delivery of undergraduate degree courses in the operational and business facets of the football and sports industries, which responds to football’s status as a global multi-billion pound industry that requires specific administrative, management and operational skills and capabilities. Located in two state-of-the-art iconic and inspiring locations at Wembly and Burnley, UCFB provides students with a unique student experience and to live, learn and work within the football and sports industry during their studies. Football is a worldwide economic and social, as well as sporting phenomenon. It is important to understand its evolution into the modern game and to look ahead to the next innovations. There are many jobs in the football and sports industry but they will increasingly require a combination of graduate qualifications, practical work experience, business imagination and a commitment to continuing professional development (CPD). Students at UCFB have career aspirations outside of the sports industries and merely wish to learn a traditional academic subject such as a finance degree in the context of something about which they are passionate. Like all things, education is all about motivation and the opportunity for students to read a finance degree within an inspirational environment is unique to UCFB. A degree certificate is merely an entry ticket in to the job market, allowing a graduate to apply for a job where the minimum entry requirement is to have a degree. No employer will ask what mark you received in your finance or marketing exam in your second year but they will be interested in what your core capabilities and competences are, that you can provide in order to become a valuable member of staff. UCFB therefore offers degrees, lecture series, workshops and executive speakers as part of its fundamental approach to higher education. Their involvement in the football and sports industry with organisations such as the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), Scottish Professional Football League, English Premier League, Football League, Football Association (FA), Umbro, BBC Sport, ITV Sport and Sky Sports provides a unique and exclusive undergraduate experience for students. Many thanks to Mr Wilson and the relationship managers who accompanied him on the day - the talk certainly scored highly for us!