MSc Football Communications & Digital Marketing

Global Sports Leadership Leadership is a fundamental element of both sport and business operating in a dynamic global arena. On this module you will review and conceptualise different approaches to leadership from both an applied and theoretical perspective to allow you to analyse critical incidents in order to judge organisational leadership performance. You will be able to apply leadership theory to examples from industry professionals who have experience of leading teams in a sporting setting. Cross-cultural leadership underpins many of the behaviours and skills discussed within the leadership framework, alongside diversity and inclusion, strategic leadership, communication and reflection. The module allows you to take responsibility for your own leadership development and effectiveness through the development of an e-portfolio and skills audit, alongside exposure to sports leaders from the global network of partners contributing to the live case studies. Football Fan Engagement This module will explore the importance, variation and motivation which influence football consumer behaviours. You will identify key factors which explore the changing nature of football consumer typologies, including the globalisation of fan engagement and the importance of customer relationship management and data analytics. This module explores and analyses the dynamic nature of football fan engagement and the online and offline tools being used to capture existing and new fans. Finally, the module examines the metrics and insights required to drive the business of football consumption. Digital Marketing for Football As society becomes increasingly familiar with digital technology, digital marketing can no longer be considered an add-on to existing strategies. Instead, football organisations must now move towards a ‘digital-first’ approach in order to remain competitive and engage fans. Fortunately for marketers, the opportunities are everywhere. The world’s first computers filled entire rooms, with only a few basic functions. Now, with each passing year, we have exponentially more powerful computers on our desks, in our pockets and on our wrists. We now have 24/7 access to a million digital doorways, each of them teeming with data for us to consume – and all marketers need are the keys. Within this module, you will be encouraged to critically evaluate the place of traditional marketing theories in an increasingly digital world. Are these theories still fit for purpose or must marketers find new ways to understand and engage with their customers? You will also have the opportunity to engage with relevant industry technologies in order to research, analyse and execute an effective digital marketing portfolio to drive fan engagement and achieve football orientated business goals. 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. You will be able to create content for a number of different platforms to share with key stakeholders and are encouraged to showcase your work in an in-house publication. Applied Professional Project This module will equip students with the research skills to undertake a rigorous and critical professional project. It will support the development of an integrated understanding of theory and practice related to the analysis of selected organisational issues within the global sports industry. Students will learn to apply both theoretical and practical knowledge gained from both the taught element of the programme and their prior management experiences to a business/organizational issue. Through the assessment, students will deploy and utilize effectively appropriate research and/or problem solving processes throughout the planning and execution of a live business project. Global Sports Consulting and Analysis Working in the global sports business as a manager, you will be called upon to work on new projects and within new or existing project teams, where some of the team may be based in other countries. This will test your ability as a manager and your team-working skills. You will be asked to work in a group and be given a consultancy project by a sporting organisation. Assigning roles to each team member, you will have to carry our research in order to investigate the current situation that the company finds itself in, and find the data that you need to inform your report. You will need to demonstrate a critical awareness of the current issues that face the sports organisation. You will then analyse this data and make your recommendations to the organisation. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Analytics in Sport Faced with a rapidly changing marketplace, you will learn how to manage customer relationships using a range of techniques and identify the information needed to develop a customer-focused approach to the management of sports fans. It is important to understand how to manage relationships with current customers, lapsed and potential. You will learn how to identify patterns of consumption and how CRM supports the overall strategic planning of a sporting organisation. The importance of pricing, social media and communicating with customers will be covered and how these are important in developing the CRM plan.