ISDE Headquarters
The new partnership between the University of Northumbria and the ISDE, has opened the door to sign another, unprecedented, between the University of Newcastle and the Barça Innovation Hub Universitas, an organization with which ISDE has a long and close relationship.
Thus, an associative relationship is configured between two large educational institutions and one of the most important football clubs in the world. As a result, students who have completed the Sport Management Degree will be able to continue their training through access to the Master of Sports Management and Legal Skills with Fútbol Club Barcelona.
The program has been designed with the profiles of students who want to develop their careers in the field of sports, helping them to acquire practical experience and the necessary skills to stand out in the management of sporting events, strategic and economic planning, management of social media, or sports marketing.
Students will be taught in a purpose-built classroom at Barcelona’s newly renovated ISDE campus. Classes are in English and are delivered by experienced lecturers with extensive sports industry experience. Indeed, ISDEs networks have already invited students to sports industry conferences.
Dr Paul Cook at Camp Nou
The North Umbria University/ISDE BSc Partnership Manager, Dr. Paul Cook, explained that the BSc (Hons) Sport Management degree is designed to align theory with practice. ‘We want our graduates to be critical thinkers with can-do competencies’, he said. ‘This combination of teaching and qualifications provides our students with the type of employability advantage we pride ourselves on.’
For his part, Juan de Dios Crespo, sports law specialist and ISDE Academic Director for the BSc, described the agreement as a ‘world first. The students have a unique learning opportunity, and their interactions with teachers and sport industry practitioners will be supported by one of the world’s most recognized sports clubs.’
The Executive Director of ISDE Barcelona, Montserrat Pintó Sala, added: ‘With this BSc Northumbria University join ISDE on our 27-year journey of growth and constant development, consolidating our shared institutional and educational values that help us to take on tomorrow.’
And, Albert Mundet, Director of Strategy and Innovation at Football Club Barcelona, praised the novelty of the partnership, stating that: ‘This is the only undergraduate program Football Club Barcelona is associated with and we are proud to work with Northumbria University.
The Hub’s mission is to create an ecosystem that bolsters knowledge and innovation, promoting a culture of excellence through collaboration with prestigious brands, universities, research centers, start-ups, entrepreneurs, students, athletes, investors, and visionaries from all over the world.
Now, as part of the ISDE partnership, Northumbria University also has an opportunity to share the world-leading research in the Department of Sport, Exercise, and Rehabilitation (DSER) with the Barça Innovation Hub.
Thereby, Dr. Cook added: ‘I have experience in developing learning partnerships, managing multidisciplinary research groups, and enabling multi-agency knowledge exchange’. Meeting the Football Club Barcelona Board of Directors gives me confidence that the partnership will deliver benefits for a wide range of partners.’
The official degree in Sport Management BSc (Hons), accredited by ISDE-SPORTS, responds to the distinctive needs of international sports organizations, providing a round knowledge of specific and transferable management skills in high demand by employers.
