With the aim of taking them to the main sports facilities, the students from the MBA in Direction of Sports Entities went to London last week for five days. During their time there, they visited some of the most relevant sports facilities and entities in the city.
Their trip commenced with a guided visit to Stamford Bridge, the home of the Chelsea Football Club, where they learnt some key aspects of sports management of one of the biggest football clubs in the world. They were able to visit some restricted areas where only the players have access to.
Another of the visits was to the O2 Arena, a venue where a lot of sports events take place. There they enjoyed the breathtaking activity “Up at The O2” where the visitors walk across a walkway suspended at 52 meters over the ground.
The second day they went to Wimbledon, where the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament is held. They learnt a lot about the organization and the management of this even with professionals including: Martin Guntrip, Director at the Club; Matt Crawcour, Championship Director and Dan Bloxham, Tennis Head Coach.
The students learnt about sports marketing and sponsorship during their trip to the Mindshare Worldwide office, an international marketing agency where they spoke to David Vincent, Head of Content and Partnership.
They also had the chance to meet several senior directors from the agency IMG London, world-wide leader in sports, events and media that represent some of the top athletes across the world.
Some other visits that they couldn’t miss included one to the Rugby field Twickenham and the Wembley Stadium, where they met some of the directors.
To finish their field trip they went to Crystal Palace F.C. and attended a football match between the team and Everton, an experience that represents a different way to understand the management and organization of sport events.
This trip has allowed the students to learn from some of the top sports professionals in the world and it has helped them to acquire great knowledge and experience that will help them to become successful professionals in the sports sector.