Video | Tuesday, 4th September 2018

University welcomes new cohort of sporting directors

High-profile names begin pioneering Masters of Sports Directorship

Manchester Metropolitan University’s pioneering sporting director course has welcomed the latest cohort of students to enrol on the programme.

Match of the Day 2 and 5Live Sport presenter Mark Chapman along with Everton coach and legendary former striker Duncan Ferguson are among the group, studying to qualify for one of the most important and respected roles in the industry.

Now in its fifth year, the Masters of Sport Directorship (MSD) gives sports and business professionals the chance to gain knowledge in the executive and strategic development of leading sports organisations. It equips leaders to bridge the gap between the boardroom and the playing field, to prepare them for the role of sporting director.

The 2018 line-up also features Liverpool’s head of football projects and scouting operations David Woodfine, head of sport science at Manchester City FC Sam Erith, and Scott Guyet, head of sport science at Crystal Palace FC.

Women’s football club general managers Clare Wheatley from Arsenal Women FC and Liverpool FC Women's Paul Metheringham, are also among the group, along with Hamish McKnight, Team GB’s ski and snowboarding head coach.

Influential network of professionals

Dr Sara Ward, who heads the MSD at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: “The MSD has gone from strength to strength in the four years since it was launched, creating an influential network of professionals equipped with the skills and knowledge for top level roles within sports organisations.

“It’s great that this year we are welcoming students from such a diverse range of sports, with cricket, rugby, football and swimming all represented, as well as ski and snowboarding. Women’s football is becoming an increasingly important part of the MSD as the game grows in strength and popularity.”

First degree of its kind

The Masters of Sport Directorship was pioneered by Manchester Metropolitan’s Business School in 2014 and is the first degree of its kind in the UK.

The two-year programme focuses on sports governance and best practice, leadership, innovation and change, personal development and unique to the course is the study of neuroscience and its application as a performance management tool.

With contributions from some of the sport industry’s most respected figures, the course attracts high profile names every year, with previous cohorts including sporting heroes such as former professional footballers, Kevin Davies, Scott Sellars and Steve Round and British Paralympic wheelchair athlete, David Weir.

The course has also attracted professional sports and business people from as far afield as South Africa, the USA, Dubai, New Zealand and Germany.