Aldi Topçiu, freshly graduated MESGO 7 participant, has been appointed Executive Director of the Football Association of Albania.
Aldi, who has been with the Albanian Football Association since January 2016 and previously held the position of Head of Legal Department, has been promoted to the role of Executive Director.
An experienced attorney at law, Aldi has been working in the legal industry for over 13 years, where he has acquired extensive knowledge in the fields of International Law, Sports Law, Legal Assistance, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution.
Aldi has also enriched his professional profile by currently serving as an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector for UEFA, as well as a UEFA Match Delegate.
On behalf of the entire MESGO community, we wish him the very best of success in his new role!
Over two days, on the 3rd and 4th of October 2024, the 26 participants of the seventh edition of the Executive Master in Global Sport Governance (MESGO) defended their theses and received their certificates at the graduation ceremony held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon.
The graduation ceremony was hosted by Sean Hamil, Director of the Birkbeck Sport Business Centre at the University of London. Also speaking at the ceremony were Nathalie Alaphilippe, lawyer at CDES and MESGO Programme Director, and Theodore Theodoridis, UEFA General Secretary. They expressed their gratitude to all the partners for their contribution to the MESGO programme and congratulated the participants on the successful completion of the 24-month course.
NYON, SWITZERLAND – OCTOBER 4: UEFA MESGO 2024 – Graduation Ceremonythe UEFA Headquarters, The House of the European Football, on October 4, 2024 in Nyon, Switzerland (Photo by Kristian Skeie – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Congratulations to the new MESGO VII graduates: Artur Azaryan, Claire Bloomfield, Blaž Tomažin Bolcar, Robert Caldwell, Salvatore Civale, Pedro Daniel, Elvira Dushku Adnan Džemidžić, Anthony Ervin, Joao Fonseca, Paolo Ghiglione, Stefan Gunnarsson, Andreas Høj, Nikoloz Jgarkava, Andrew Lockwood, Andrea Marchetti, Erika Montemor Ferreira, Isabel Najera Rodriguez, David Pranger, Khais Rahmanie, Erik Stoffelshaus, Aldi Topçiu, Łukasz Wachowski, Rea Walshe, Patrick Montgomery Wolf, Sharon Zeevi.
The final session of the seventh edition of MESGO, dedicated to leadership and innovation, took place from 29 April to 2 May in Silicon Valley and San Francisco.
This session was led by Jean-Philippe Bonardi, Director of the Enterprise for Society Center and Full Professor at HEC Lausanne, University of Lausanne.
Jean-Philippe Bonardi, session director and Full Professor, HEC Lausanne.
Throughout the week, MESGO participants had the opportunity to attend the presentations at the following locations across Silicon Valley and San Francisco:
Plug and Play Tech Center
The Computer History Museum
Stanford University
Golden State Warriors – Chase Center
The session covered a wide range of topics related to innovation, leadership and sport. In particular, what creates an innovative ecosystem and its applicability to sport ecosystems; the current technology revolution and the opportunities created by technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital, metaverse, etc; how to develop an entrepreneurial and innovation mindset and how it is linked to leadership; how to manage innovation in an organisation.
A warm thank you to all the speakers for their high-quality contributions to the session!
At Plug and Play: Presentation about Disrupting Disruption by Pascal Finette, CEO, Be Radical.
At Plug and Play: Welcome speech by Saeed Amidi, CEO and Founder, Plug and Play.
At the Computer Museum: Presentation about How was the Silicon Valley eco-system built up? by Crystal Chang, Lecturer, University of California, Berkeley.
At the Computer Museum: Presentation about Silicon Valley: The view of a Venture Capitalistby Eric Buatois, General Partner, Benhamou Global Ventures.
At Stanford University: Presentation about Innovation start-ups – Large organisations versus start-ups by Sukemasa Kabayama, UPLIFT (and former manager at Apple and Tesla).
At Stanford University: Presentation about Developing an entrepreneurial mindset/Developing innovation beyond tech by Larry Keeley, Innovation Scientist, Keeley Innovations LLC & FormerPresident and Co-Founder, Doblin Inc.
At the Golden State Warriors: Presentation about Golden State Warrior and the management of innovation by Daniel Brusilovsky, Vice President of Technology, Golden Gate Warriors.
At the Golden State Warriors: Presentation about Innovation mindset and purpose by Mike Geddes, Co-founder and Chief Purpose Officer, Oakland Roots.
Participants also enjoyed some fun social events, including a Guided Bike Tour of Silicon Valley and a Mixology Course.
The MESGO participants will meet again at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon on 3 and 4 Octoberas part of the viva voce exam session, during which they will each defend their professionalthesis. The graduation ceremony on Friday 4 October will mark the conclusion of the seventh edition of the programme.
The seventh session of the seventh edition of MESGO, dedicated to the future of sport, took place in Tokyo from 15 to 19 January 2024 and was directed by Holger Preuss, Professor at Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz.
The Tokyo session was an ideal opportunity for MESGO participants to consider the future challenges they might face as leaders in the sport industry in the years ahead and to analyse their specific organisations in the light of Japanese culture and sport.
During the five-day session, the MESGO group was welcomed in the heart of prestigious venues such as the Kodokan Judo Institute, the Japan Football Association, Japan Sport Olympic Square, Waseda University and Rakuten.
The MESGO group at the Japan Football Association.
Throughout the week, participants had the opportunity to discuss and exchange views with experts on topics as diverse as the future of sport governance and the challenges facing sport organisations; climate change and its implications for sport; the impact of the new geopolitical order and how it affects sport; why and how future game formats will change; how to use sport for development and peace and inevitably, technology.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all the speakers who contributed to this session and to Haruki Uemura (President, Kodokan Judo Institute), Tsuneyasu Miyamoto (General Secretary, Japan Football Association), Mitsugi Oagata (Secretary General, Japan Olympic Committee), Hirotaka Matsuoka (Dean, Waseda University) and Kentaro Hyakuno (Executive Vice President, Rakuten) for their warm welcome and consideration.
At the Kodokan Judo Institute: Discussion about Sport in Japan with Dr Yoshio Takahashi (Professor, Tsakuba University) and Toshiyuki Okeya, Deputy Devision Manager, Sport Integrity Unit, Japan Sport Council.
At the Japan Football Association: Presentation about football in Japan and the WE League by Kay Matsuoka (Executive Committee Member and General Manager, Marketing Division, Japan Women’s Empowerment Professional Football League), Haruna Takata (Chairperson, Japan Women’s Empowerment Professional Football League), Miyuki Kobayashi (Executive Committee Member and General Manager, Football Division, Japan Women’s Empowerment Professional Football League).
At the Japan Football Association: Debate about the future of major events governance with Dr Raffaele Chiulli (President, Association of IOC Recognised International Sport Federations and President, Union Internationale Motonautique), Holger Preuss (Member IOC sustainability commission, Professor, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz) and Philippe BlanchardF(ormer Director, International Olympic Committee and Director, Expo 2020 Dubai).
Outside of the classroom, participants were able to immerse themselves in Japanese culture through new culinary discoveries, taking part in judo practice and watching a sumo tournament.
The MESGO group at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan.
The next MESGO session will take place in New York from 23-26 April 2024 and will be dedicated to the North American model of sport.
From 30 October to 3 November, MESGO VII participants were in London for the sixth session of the programme, dedicated to Strategic Marketing and Communications and led by Roman Putsch, Head of Marketing Activities and Digital at UEFA.
Roman Putsch, session Director and Head of Marketing Activities at UEFA.
The session covered a range of topics including sponsorship and TV rights, sport-specific marketing strategies, fan engagement and digital marketing. Insights were gained from a variety of perspectives, including federations, brands and broadcasters, and refined with a unique focus on strategic and crisis communications.
During the five-day session, the MESGO group was hosted in the heart of prestigious venues such as Chelsea FC, Wimbledon, Brentford FC, Tottenham Stadium and The Shard.
At Chelsea FC: Presentation about “The importance of a strong brand – why and how a defining and delivering a differentiated brand will grow your business” by Adrian Goldthorpe (CEO, Lothar Böhm Associates).
At Wimbledon: Presentation about “Digital Marketing – how you can grow fandom and evolve the business model” by Richard Ayers (Chairman, 7L).
At Brentford FC: Panel discussion about the perspective of global brands on the future of sponsorship with Adam Warner (Head of Global Sports and Partnerships, PepsiCo), Mark Osikoya (CEO, Commonwealth Games England), Kieran Nokes (Sponsorship Manager, UEFA) and Annie Panter (Managing Director, Ventures, Two Circles).
At Tottenham Stadium: Presentation about “The media rights market: trends and trajectories” by Minal Modha (Research Director – Consumer Research Lead, Ampere Analysis).
At Tottenham Stadium: Presentation about “Strategic communication: communication as a tool to achieve the organisation objectives” by Amanda Docherty (Director, Dial Square and Programme Director, UEFA).
At the Shard: Presentation and workshop about “Communication in action” by John Bailey (Managing Consultant, Global Communications Consulting).
MESGO sessions are also an opportunity for participants to share special moments. Several team-building activities took place during the week, including a fitness class in Hyde Park and an indoor golf activity. Participants also had the opportunity to attend the Rumble in the Jungle show, a live immersive experience.
The next MESGO session will take place in Tokyo, Japan from 15-19 January 2024 and will be dedicated to the future of sport.
Two MESGO VII participants have been appointed to new senior positions.
Khais Rahmanie has stepped into the role of Senior Manager, Sport, Culture and Entertainment at RISE – Marketing and Commercial Consultancy in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
After graduating from law school, Khais worked as a sports lawyer for private law firms, where he dealt with cases related to contractual disputes, training compensation, solidarity mechanisms and doping.
In 2017, he moved to the United Arab Emirates and worked for the Spanish professional football league as the Business Development Delegate for Central Asia, with the aim of creating and implementing a cross-functional strategy to increase the value of the LaLiga brand in the Central Asian market.
Most recently, he held the position of Professional Sports Senior Specialist at the Department of Community Development of the Government of Abu Dhabi, where he worked on the Emirate’s Sports Vision and contributed to the development and implementation of initiatives to promote an active and healthy lifestyle in Abu Dhabi.
Paolo Ghiglione has taken up a new position as Global Business Development Advisor at Soccerment, an innovative sport data analytics company.
With a degree in Business and Economics, Paolo’s professional experience focuses on sales, marketing and business development in an entrepreneurial environment.
Paolo has been working for multinational companies and online start-ups for over 20 years and has built up a strong knowledge and experience in the football industry. He specialises in building and managing a high-performance global sales force, designing and implementing business models and identifying development trends.
He was previously Director of Partnerships at Kitman Labs, an industry-leading sport analytics company using AI to optimise athlete performance and health. His role there was to develop partnerships with sports leagues and GBs worldwide.
On behalf of all the MESGO community we would like to wish them the best of success in their new role!
Robert Caldwell, a participant from the MESGO current edition, has started a new position as VP of Legal & General Counsel of Real Salt Lake (Major League Soccer) and Utah Royals FC (National Women’s Soccer League).
After law school, Robert worked for a private law firm in Las Vegas, where his practice focused on sports law, international law, and business transactions and litigation. He represented athletes and teams across multiple sports, including assisting ownership groups in purchasing existing teams or starting expansion franchises.
In 2020, he moved to Miami to help Khabib Nurmagomedov found Eagle FC, a start-up mixed martial arts (MMA) league. Their successful first event drew 500,000 viewers from more than 180 countries around the world.
Following this, he has decided to follow his heart back to football and is now the VP of Legal & General Counsel for Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the expansion Utah Royals FC of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
On behalf of all the MESGO community we would like to wish him the best of success in his new role!
From Monday 26 to Friday 30 June 2023, the MESGO VII participants were in Barcelona for the fifth session of the programme, which was dedicated to sports events and participation.
Organised by Francesc Solanellas, professor in sports management at Institut Nacional d’Educació Física de Catalunya (National Physical Education Institute of Catalonia), this session was aimed at examining how sports events are organised by taking a look at the various stakeholders, stages and procedures involved in different sports and events of varying scales. The topic of participation was also tackled, given the impact that events have on sports and the common strategic objective of national and international federations to promote their respective sports.
Francesc Solanellas, session director and professor of sport management at INEFC.
During this week, the MESGO participants were warmly welcomed by the Institut Nacional d’Educació Física de Catalunya (INEFC); the RCD Espanyol Stadium, the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit and Barcelona World Race.
The MESGO group at RCD Espanyol Stadium.
The MESGO group at the circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
We would like to sincerely thank all the speakers who contributed to this session including key representatives of MESGO sports partners (FIBA, IIHF and UEFA) who did us the honour of attending the seminar. A special thanks goes to Robert Rieblinger, 3X3 Development Manager (FIBA) and Florian Pasquet, National Federations and Sport Senior Manager (FIBA) for their contribution to the case study on the future development of 3×3 Basketball, which was debated by the participants.
Andreas Schär, Managing Director, Euro 2024
Barbara Storaci, Senior Project Manager, Football Planning & Services, UEFA
Leslie Ryan, Event Director, America’s Cup
Manel Arroyo, Strategic Advisor, DORNA
Gorka Llort, Director of Digital Business, MotoGP
Jeremy Cottino, Membership Project Leader, European Club Association
Neil Beecroft, Chief Disruption Officer, The Shift Agency
Layne Vandenberg, Executive Office Project Manager, UEFA
Miguel Crespo, Head Participation and Education, International Tennis Federation Rachel Pavlou, Women’s Development Manager – Diversity & Inclusion, The English FA Kalle Valiäho, Development Director, International Ice Hockey Federation
André Fläckel, Head of Gaming and Esports, Infront Sports Gustavo Arellano, Head of Commercial Development, FIBA
As usual, team-building events were organised during the week, in this case, participants competed against each other in a kart racing competition and experienced the Barcelona skyline in a unique way cruising aboard a catamaran.
The next MESGO session, which will focus on strategic marketing and communication, will take place in London (UK) from 30 October to 3 November 2023.
A participant from the current MESGO edition has been appointed to a new executive position.
Since January, Stefan Gunnarsson has stepped into the role of Club Licensing and Development Director at the United Arab Emirates Pro League. Stefan was previously Head of Marketing and Commercial at the Icelandic Football Association (KSI), and has over 20 years’ of marketing experience. He joined the Icelandic Football Association in 2018 after ten years as the head of VERT Marketing Agency, marketing consulting company that he co-founded in 2009.
We would like to wish him the best of success in his new role at the Pro League, where Stefan will work to enhance the work of the Pro League clubs on various issues.
From 6 to 10 March 2023, the MESGO VII participants were in Germany (Mainz and Frankfurt) for Session 4 of the programme. Directed by both Mathias Schubert and Volker Bernardi, senior researcher and sports law lecturer, respectively, at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.
Mathias Schubert, Senior Researcher, JGU Mainz
Volker Bernardi, Sports Law Lecturer, JGU Mainz
The session covered several topics related to ethics and integrity in sport, such as; safeguarding and abuse, ethical responsibility of leaders, sports and human rights, freedom of speech and athlete activism, diversity and discrimination including the governance of World Para Sports.
Participants had the opportunity to reflect collectively in some depth on the different topics through work exercises but also by interacting with a large panel of experts in their field. A warm thank you to all the speakers for their high-level contributions to the session!
At the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz: Presentation about “Ethics and Integrity in Sport: Introduction & Workshop” by Mike Mcnamee, Professor, KU Leuven & Swansea University
At the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz: Presentation about “Monitoring Good Governance and Ethical Principles in Practice: The Example of the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation (GEF)” by Alexander McLin, Director, Gymnastics Ethics Foundation
At the German Olympic Sports Confederation: Presentation about “The Sports Good Governance Game – Inspire Sport Managers to Become Ethical Leaders” by Abigail Levrau, Professor, Executive Committee Member of GUBERNA & Mathieu Marlier, Professor, Lunex University, Luxemburg
The MESGO group at the German Olympic Sports Confederation
At the German Football Association: Presentation about “Sports and Human Rights” by David Grevemberg, Chief Innovation and Partnerships Officer, The Centre for Sport and Human Rights
The MESGO group at the German Football Association
At the MEWA Arena (MAINZ 05 STADIUM): Presentation about “Diversity in Sports: A Sport Governing Body Perspective” by Ivo Ferriani, IOC member; Member of IOC Gender Equality Diversity and Inclusion Commission; President, International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation
The MESGO group at the MEWA Arena
At the EURO 2024 Headquarters: Welcome speech by Markus Stenger, Managing Director, Euro 2024 GmbH & Mex Schär, Managing Director, Euro 2024 GmbH
At the EURO 2024 Headquarters: Open Debate about “the Athlete as Gladiator in Modern Sport: Towards Occupationalisation?” with Matthias Hofbauer, Former Professional Floorball Player, Member of the International World Games Association (IWGA) athletes’ commission; Dr Jürgen Mittag, Professor, German Sport University, Cologne & Rachel Smith, OLY, Athlete Service Manager of Team GB, British Olympic Association (BOA)
In terms of entertainment, the participants had the opportunity to play football at the new DFB-Campus and indoor climbing as well as enjoying excellent traditional German cuisine.
The next MESGO session will take place in Barcelona (Spain) from 26 to 30 June 2023 and will be dedicated to Events and Participation.
