Start a Successful Career with an MSc in Sports Industry Management

This article is sponsored by EMLYON Business School.

Looking to launch a successful career in sports management at companies like Salomon, Patagonia or Columbia? Get some advice from Pascal Aymar, director of EMLYON Business School’s MSc in Sports Industry Management, director of the Sport Business Unit at EMLYON, and vice-president of Outdoor Sports Valley.

Why study an MSc in Sports Industry Management?

The sports market is booming globally. Despite the current global economic downturn, this is one sector that is definitely not suffering, and one that remains desperate for talented young individuals who want to work in the industry.

However, qualified individuals are hard to find. Sure, there are lots of young people who are passionate about sports and who would love to work in the sports industry – but finding those who have an international vision of the industry and who are able to truly understand it is much more complex.

Sports is a global market, dominated by international brands such as Nike, Adidas, Salomon, The North Face, Patagonia, Quiksilver etc... These companies are desperate for young talents with a global outlook who have both management skills and a deep understanding of the sector.

I have personally worked in the sports industry for most of my career and recruited more than a hundred graduates looking to start a successful career in the sector. Most of the time, the graduates I recruit are passionate about sports but know very little about the sector – only what they have read or seen in the media. It takes a year to teach them the fundamentals in order for them to acquire the essential skillset to become efficient and start working in sports management.

As a result, one thing that I see the industry crying out for is a way to develop and nurture leadership talent that really understands the mechanics of the sector. This is what the MSc in Sports Industry Management can provide.

What makes this MSc in Sports Industry Management unique?

Many sports-specific programs at universities and business schools focus on the industry from a corporate perspective. This is fine if you want to work in sports marketing for a company like Coca Cola, Procter & Gamble or Havas Sport – but if you really want to create an impact, take the lead in this exciting sector and shape the future of the industry as a whole, it isn’t enough.

This is why, together with EMLYON Business School and the Outdoor Sports Valley, I helped set up the MSc in Sports Industry Management.

This is a 16-month specialized master’s program with the aim to train tomorrow’s sports industry leaders by developing in-depth knowledge of the industry with a special focus on outdoor sports, and by providing many opportunities to meet and work with some of the biggest brands in the sports market.  

Another key element of the program is its global exposure. You start classes at EMLYON Business School (Lyon), travel to the home of outdoor sports in the Alps (Annecy) and end the program in Shanghai, where you experience the industry from within one of the world’s fastest growing international markets.

How can this program help you jump-start a career in sports management?

Throughout the year, you benefit from company visits and expert panels as well as seminars and conferences on the sports industry. From meeting with industry experts such as Franz Julen, CEO of IIC-INTERSPORT (the #1 sports retail group worldwide), to attending presentations given by high-end representatives of the sector like the global marketing director of Wilson Sporting Goods, the former president of Callaway Golf, or Eric Babolat, owner of international sports brand Babolat, you get first-hand experience on what it means to work in sports management.

Other guest lecturers have included the B2C VP of Amer Sports Group, the founder and CEO of Hoka (and ex-CEO of Salomon), the marketing director of Cannondale Europe, the financial director of Patagonia Europe, the founder and CEO of Sporting Goods Intelligence, the marketing director of Columbia Europe, the international sales director of Millet/Eider, the CEO of AS Adventure and many other prominent sports industry professionals. Students of the past two cohorts also had the opportunity to attend the ISPO trade show in Munich, the biggest sports show in the world, and to visit Chamonix as well as sports companies like Salomon and Babolat.

If you are looking to pursue a career in sports management, this program will get you where you want to go. Thanks to the global professional network it provides you with and the unique international learning curve you go through, you will definitely be prepared to meet the high expectations companies like Salomon or Patagonia have and work towards a successful career in the sports industry.

Want to know more about the MSc in Sports Industry Management?

Step 1: Get in touch with Edith Reynard, student recruitment officer at EMLYON Business School.

Step 2: We will arrange a telephone conversation, a chat on Skype or a face-to-face meeting.

Step 3: Apply soon to the next selection session!

This article is sponsored by EMLYON Business School. Find out more about EMLYON >