MSc Football Communications & Digital Marketing

Semester 1

Digital Marketing for Football

This module will provide the student with an overall outlook on marketing principles within an increasingly disruptive environment.

New and emerging principles of digital marketing are an integral part of marketing theory and practice. Aspects such as transformation, influences the customers digital journey, thus, requiring innovation, revenue growth initiatives and long-term value creation.

Within this module, students will be encouraged to research, analyse and articulate an effective digital marketing plan to drive the transformation of the organisation and activate a strategy to achieve business goals.

Engaging the Football Consumer

This module will explore the importance, variation and motivation which influence football consumer behaviours. Students will identify key factors which explore the changing nature of football consumer typologies.

While also embracing Online and Offline methodologies of consumption patterns, the module examines the metrics and insights required to drive the business of football consumption.

Semester 2

Public Relations & Crisis Management in Football

This module will examine the functions and strategies of Public Relations (PR) and the roles and responsibilities of PR executives.

You will consider the key factors used in the public relations industry to minimise damage to an organisation, with particular emphasis on the dangers presented by social media and other media platforms.

Furthermore, you will investigate the importance of legal obligations and ethical considerations in the world of public relations and crisis management.

Multimedia Football Journalism

This module will examine the key roles and responsibilities of sports journalists while developing the knowledge and practical skills required to work within an ever expanding and developing industry.

It will prepare students to explore the potential of multi-platform news within a legal and ethical framework while examining the role and impact of sports journalism in society.

Semester 3

Dissertation & Research Methods

The individual research project focuses on producing an in depth piece of work which has theoretical/ practical/ industrial/commercial relevance to the sports industry. Ideally, this will be a piece of industry sponsored work to produce a commercial output for the sponsor. The work need not be sports-related but may be applied in the area of sports. In other words, a project may take the best practice from another industry and apply it in the sports industry. The sponsor will be viewed and treated like a client and this the client will have certain requirements. Thus, the research proposal will have to meet both client and academic requirements for it to be approved. It also provides an opportunity to develop and demonstrate advanced scholarship skills.

This combined research methods and dissertation module provides subject-specific methods training in preparation for the completion of a dissertation within the domains of sports management, marketing, entrepreneurship and leisure management. The research topic that you select must align with the title of the programme on which you are enrolled. The module begins with a series of taught research methods sessions, during which a research proposal is produced. This proposal then guides the development of a clearly defined and evidenced study purpose, a critical review of the extant literature, and a robust methodology. Data is then collected, analysed, interpreted and applied to the study purpose, and a 12,000 word research report (dissertation) is produced.