Programme structure
The Master Sport Business & Leadership is a truly international experience - with an international learning community of students, lecturers, and guests from the world of sport. The programme is centred around 7 modules: 6 are completed physically on our campus and 1 during an international field trip. The modules are not offered in chronological order, but are aligned with each other. During your study, you will act as a consultant for a real sport organisation. You will define a strategy to make this organisation more sustainable in terms of people, planet, prosperity, and (sporting) performance.
Module 1: Vision & Strategy in Sport
Professional deliverable – for client as a consultant
- Report and presentation to lecturers, peers and client about the vision and strategy of a sport organisation
- Analysis of the sustainable positioning of the sport organisation: what is working, what is not and what is your advise about what should change and how?
- What steps are needed within and outside of the organisation
Themes of classes
- Living purpose, culture (DNA), vision & strategy
- Sport ecosystem & partnerships
- Transformative sport business
- Finance (review and advanced)
- Strategic management (review and advanced)
- Marketing and branding
- Change management
- Sport governance, law, and ethics
- Consulting skills
- Value creation & business models in sport
After completing this module you can:
- identify, formulate, and develop a vision for the sustainable positioning of a sport organisation
- communicate and translate the vision and strategy inside and outside a sport organisation
Module 2: Value Creation & Business Models
Professional deliverable – for client as a consultant
- As a consultant you identify how the organisation can be innovative with new business models and how it can create sustainable value in sport (financially and socially).
Themes of classes
- Business models and value creation
- Transformative sport businesses/economics
- Stakeholders and partnerships (media and key sponsors)
- Commercialisation and marketing of sport
- Funding of sport
- Change management
- Leadership effectiveness skills
After completing this module you can:
- create the conditions for value creation to occur in a sport organisation
- innovate business models into sustainable value in sport
Module 3: Stakeholders and Politics in Sport
Professional deliverable – for client
- You will write and present an analysis of all outside stakeholders of your consultancy organisation, the power dynamics (inter)between them and how they can be best engaged.
- You will do a self assessment on how successful you have been in your stakeholder engagement.
Themes of classes
- Key stakeholders and decision makers in the sport industry
- The influence and role of politics at national and international level
- Conflicting interests among stakeholders and navigate political complexities in sport leadership roles
- Ethical considerations and social responsibilities in managing stakeholders
- Reflection on your own development and your (business) goals as a sport leader
After completing this module you can:
- connect stakeholders with each other and with yourself
- influence key decision makers in sport
Module 4: Operations Management in Sport
Professional deliverable
- In a simulation you will be presented with a real-world business case.
- Your will be assigned a unique role and specific tasks within a team.
- Throughout the game, new instructions will be introduced, presenting varying tasks and assignments tailored to each team member's role.
- Stay engaged, adapt to evolving scenarios, and collaborate effectively to navigate the dynamic challenges that arise in this immersive business experience.
- Before the game you will receive a scorecard with grading criteria. After the game the team with most points will be elected as winner.
Themes of classes
- Dynamics of (complex) organisations and management problems
- Understanding key (complex) characteristics of sport organisations
- Conduct Brown Paper session to visualise key processes and bottlenecks
- Create a process flow diagram that represents a process in your organisation
- Understanding change models and theories
- Identifying drivers for change
After completing this module you can:
- manage parts of business operations in a sport organisation
- structure the business operations of a sport organisation
Module 5: Human Resources in Sport
Professional deliverable – for client as a consultant
- You get to work on a real-life assignment.
- The aim is to promote, organise and implement competence development of (a group of) employees in the organisation where you work (or your client from module 1).
- You could, for example, think about the need in an organisation to implement a certain working method.
- You need to devise a strategy for the successful execution of this project. Based on this strategy, you consider how you are going to organise and then implement it.
Themes of classes
- Follower needs
- Psychological safety
- Organisational politics
- Enhanced learning in organisations
- Shared leadership
The assessment of this module consists of a written exam and a practical assignment. After completing this module you can:
- demonstrate leadership behaviour in relation to the people in a sport organisation
- professionalise a group of people in a sport organisation
Module 6: Master Thesis
Professional deliverable
- Research report (thesis)
- Presentation to lecturers
- Dissemination to stakeholders (whitepaper, conference talk, article, et cetera)
Themes of classes
- Methodology and scientific skills at master level
- Workshop 'How to write a research proposal?'
- Masterclass about methodology (applied to your proposal)
- Workshop 'Dissemination of your research'
- Individual supervision
- Peer review with fellow students
After completing this module you can:
- research complex issues for a sport organisation or the sport industry
- offer a solution to a complex real-world challenge in a sport organisation
Module 7: Personal & Professional Profiling
Professional deliverable
- You will focus on your development, both personally as professionally. How do you develop as a leader and type of leader?
- In the presentation of your thesis you will make it clear what your value is for a sport organisation and in what areas you are unique from others.
- You will identify which part of the world of sport and what sort of organisation suits you the best – where you as leader will be able to thrive and deliver the most value.
Themes of classes
- Leadership
- Coaching skills
- Presenting skills
- Psychological concepts of development
- Reflection theory and practice
- Mindsets
After completing this module you can:
- take responsibility for your own actions and the ones of others
- direct your own personal and professional development
Title and Diploma
After successfully completing the Master's programme Sport Business & Leadership, you will be awarded the title of Master of Science (M.Sc.), at the Postgraduate Level 7 of the Dutch Qualification Framework (NLQF).