The International Boxing Association (IBA) is pleased to announce its collaboration with the Instituto Superior de Derecho y Economía (ISDE) in unveiling a groundbreaking educational initiative; the “Sports Management” course. Designed to cater for athletes, officials, federation, and confederation staff, as well as other stakeholders in the world of boxing, this course is set to empower individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary for success in the sports management arena.

At its core delivery, this educational program seeks to offer retired athletes a unique opportunity to embark on a new career path following their boxing journey. IBA’s commitment to supporting athletes’ transition beyond the ring is reflected in the course’s priority enrollment for retired athletes. However, other boxing stakeholders are also welcomed to join the course based on initial availability.

The “Sports Management” course is structured into three distinct tiers: Tier 1 (basic), Tier 2 (intermediate), and Tier 3 (advanced). Each tier culminates with the issuance of a certificate, and successful completion of those respective tiers, grants students the eligibility to progress to the next level. Note that both Tier 1 and 2 will be conducted as distance learning (online), whereas Tier 3 will be a residential learning environment to take place in Madrid at the University. Students are required to complete the modules in sequence dependent on success at each level or stage of the course.

‘IBA is committed to delivering the best for its Family, and continuous professional development for our managers is one of the core tools to excel. With this Sports Management education course at ISDE, we aim to educate more qualified managers to serve the sport of boxing worldwide at all levels, be it clubs, National Federations, Confederations or the IBA. We are looking forward to offering new opportunities and the whole career path for retired athletes and supporting them on their journey. Such initiatives make our Boxing Family stronger, and I thank ISDE for such a great opportunity,’ IBA Secretary General and CEO Chris Roberts OBE said.

Tier 1 will encompass essential topics, which are highlighted below:

Module 1 (120 min webinar with no set task or reading)

• Management: what is ‘management’
• Management of individuals, management of organizations

• General models of management
• Where management in sports might differ / become specific
• Readings for session

Module 2 (90 min webinar + 15 min Q&A with 30 mins reading in prep as well as 10 MCQs)

• The Sports Industry
• Organization; pyramid
• Roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder
  • Where management skills become necessary, and prevalent
• Why is competent sports management important?
• Why is the need of the athlete / team / organization changing at pace
  • Social media and impact management
• Readings for session

Module 3 (90 min webinar + 15 min Q&A with 30 mins reading as well as 10 MCQs)

Who is the sports manager

• How to operate as a manager at a club / of athlete / organization
  • Skill sets / required and acquired
  • Basic communication and understanding the importance
    • How to use management skills effectively within sports setting
    • Readings for next week

Module 4 (90 min webinar + 15 min Q&A with 30 mins reading as well as 10 MCQs)

• Combat sports / boxing perspective
• Role of a promoter / match-maker
• Transferable skills and ability to adapt from athlete to coach, coach to promoter etc.
• Understanding the context; where to use which and what skills
• Readings for session

Module 5 (90 min webinar + 15 min Q&A with 30 mins reading as well as 10 MCQs)

• The current sports management climate
• Globalization of sports and contextualized management
• Outlooks for the future (introduction)
• Readings for session

Module 6 (90 min webinar + 15 min Q&A with 30 mins reading as well as 10 MCQs)

• The future of sports and sports management
• Big data and modern IT solutions
  • How and where does this impact on all stakeholders
  • How to prepare for this as a sports manager
• Integrity considerations
• Revision in general of all modules previously covered

Module 7 (120 min case study – 15 minutes instructions + time for individual / pair work)

• Aim to establish a management model being used (if any)
• Identify all points of good and bad practice of management
• Establish the given (and potential) impacts of these examples
• Suggest ways to amend / improve management from the perspective of a relevant stakeholder
• Reasons why suggestions have been made on how they impact on the organization

Module 8 (Feedback on case study and final grades)

• Outline all answers that were given for each of the key identifiers
• Discuss why those answers were given and whether make sense or not
• Q&A on case study
• Q&A on the entire course
• Delivery of final grades (privately to individuals / groups) prior to the session

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Details pertaining to Tiers 2 and 3 will be disclosed at a later stage.

Upon successful completion of the course, participants will receive a prestigious IBA and ISDE certificate and gain access to a lifetime alumni discount on any ISDE course.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications no later than December 31, 2023, via email to development@iba.sport.

Each candidate’s application should be accompanied by the following documents:

1. Copy of passport
2. Curriculum vitae (CV)
3. Recommendation letter from their respective National Federation (NF), Confederation, or IBA

Please note that the course can accommodate a maximum of 30 students. The selection of candidates will be overseen by the IBA Head Office and will be based on their past experience, performance, language proficiency, and regional representation. The total cost for the course will be covered by IBA; in return, successful candidates must be prepared, if interested, to support IBA on a set volunteer basis.

Important dates to remember:

December 31, 2023     –            Deadline for candidate applications

January 15, 2024          –            Publication of the list of admitted students on the IBA website

February 1, 2024          –            Commencement of the course

About ISDE:

ISDE is a global leader in education around sports law and sports management, with an impressive list of alumni spread across FIFA, UEFA, CAS, and many other sporting federations, as well as across numerous sports clubs and franchises around the world. 

It is an educational institution born from the heart of the legal profession, as representatives of major national and international firms were involved in its founding, with the aim of creating an academic institution dedicated to providing the highest level of education.

The courses are designed to ensure students are prepared for practice, with a view to entering the industry directly.  Therefore, in addition to providing strong theoretical knowledge, ISDE focuses on providing practical insight and guidance to equip students to survive and thrive within the sector they seek to enter into.

ISDE is an affiliated center of Complutense University of Madrid.

In December 2022, IBA and ISDE entered into a cooperation agreement with the purpose to develop education in sports of boxing.

(*whilst it is fully expected that the course outline shall be as stated above, it is possible that some amendments are made on professors and / or the specifics of the modules, due to any conflicts [such as scheduling] coming to the fore.  The size of the course shall remain the same)

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