Third session of the ECA CMP held in Porto

The ECA CMP is designed and organised by the European Club Association in collaboration with its academic and strategic partners and aims at strengthening the knowledge of ECA Member Club's staff in all areas of football club management.

The session in Porto marked the halfway point of the 18-month long educational programme and follows the first two sessions which were held at the beginning of the year in Munich and Lyon respectively. The two-day seminar focused specifically on the Business Activities of football clubs and their importance for the club's success "off the pitch". Participants were notably able to enhance their knowledge on two key areas, namely Commercial Activities and Marketing & Sponsorship. The ultimate aim is for participants to be able to take with them specific tools and know-how in order to improve the business operations at their respective clubs.

Over the two days, the participants had the opportunity to learn from leading university professors on business-related topics such as strategic sponsorship and the analysis of the football industry from an economic point of view. Moreover, top club executives specialised in the area of Commercial Activities also addressed the participants. These notably included Adrian Filby from Celtic FC (SCO), Tiago Gouveia from FC Porto (POR) and Stephan Poelmans from KRC Genk (BEL). Last but not least, the practical session and the group discussions allowed the participants to put into practice the knowledge gathered thus far.

The fourth session of the ECA CMP, focused on Community Activities, will take place on the 4th and 5th of October 2016 at the Jan Breydel Stadium in Brugge, Belgium.

About the ECA Club Management Programme
The first edition of the programme started in January 2016. It will run for over a year and a half and will be split into six two-day seminars taking place in different cities across Europe, each dealing with a different topic of club management, from strategy to sport activities, from business and community activities to club operations. The seminars are a mix of academic lectures, talks from professionals, case studies from clubs executives as well as interactive group work sessions. Participants will gain a clear overview of how the club football industry operates as well as learning to deal with specific challenges and issues that the industry is facing. The target group for this education programme is the middle and top management staff for clubs from small and medium national associations who wish to get a wider and more detailed knowledge of different club functions, to eventually grow within the club structure.

Should you wish to learn more on the ECA CMP, please consult the dedicated website, or contact the ECA Administration at education@ecaeurope.com.