MESGO V – Let’s start in Paris!

8 October 2018MESGO Vluczak@cdes.fr

The new MESGO cohort met in the City of Light. “Context of international sport” was the main focus of this first session.

The first session of this fifth MESGO edition took place from 24^th to 28^th September 2018 in various locations across Paris: Molitor, the French Football Federation (FFF), the French Basketball Federation (FFBB), Paris-Saint-Germain Football Club (PSG) and the International Automobile Federation (FIA).

The main topic, « Context of International Sport », was covered at institutional, legal and economic levels and integrated into the social, technological and media contexts. Current challenges faced by the sports movement were addressed and potential solutions discussed.

During the week, the participants had the opportunity to interact with a large panel of experts in their field, such as:

Gabe Shawn Varges, Senior Partner, HCM International
Tim Crabbe, CEO, Substance
Mogens Kirkeby, President, International Sport and Culture Association
Samy Ouerfelli, General Manager, ESL France
Lambis Konstantinidis, Director of Planning & Coordination, IOC/IPC Relations and IKM

The new MESGO cohort at the French Football Federation

On Thursday night, the participants, the speakers and several graduates of the previous MESGO editions enjoyed a dinner at La Maison de l’Amérique Latine where they had the chance to taste the fine French cuisine. We took benefit of this occasion to give their diploma to the four MESGO IV participants who successfully defend their thesis prior to this event. Congratulations to Andrew, Patrice, Fiona and Doug!

Next stop will be in Lausanne and Nyon, Switzerland, from 26^thto 30^th November. “Governance of Sports Organisations” will be the main focus for this second session of the 5^thMESGO edition.

Alumnus Focus: Dennis Gudasic

5 July 2018MESGO Alumni, MESGO IVluczak@cdes.fr

Discover the incredible story of one of our MESGO IV Alumni: Dennis Gudasic.

“Gudasic is now the Executive Director of one of Europe’s fastest growing football clubs, NK Lokomotiva Zagreb. Nevertheless, living in Croatia has not always been easy. Indeed, in 1996, Dennis Gudasic lived in a nation that had seen almost $40 billion worth of infrastructure destroyed and up to 25% of the economy ruined. It was a shocked country that, in some ways, still has not fully recovered.

The decision to remain would be a pivotal moment in Gudasic’s live, one that would eventually help birth not only an independent Croatia, but a prototype football club that now stands as a beacon to all fledgling sporting teams across Europe”.

Read the full article here: https://www.fourfourtwo.com.au/news/the-aussie-behind-fran-karacics-remarkable-socceroos-journey-492718

Credits: Lucas Radbourne-Pugh

MESGO IV participants graduated at UEFA HQ

16 April 2018MESGO Alumni, MESGO IVGraduation Ceremony, Viva Voceluczak@cdes.fr

Over two days, on 5 and 6 April 2018, 16 participants of the fourth edition of the Executive Master in Sport Governance (MESGO) defended their thesis and received their certificates at the graduation ceremony in Nyon, at the UEFA headquarters.

The graduation ceremony was chaired by Sean Hamil, director of the Birkbeck Sport Business Centre at the University of London. Also speaking at the ceremony were Giorgio Marchetti, UEFA’s Deputy General Secretary and Jean-Christophe Breillat, president of the CDES. They wished to thank, amongst others, all partners for their contribution to the MESGO programme and congratulate the participants for having successfully completed the 18-month course.

Sean Hamil, Director Birkbeck Sport Business Centre, University of London

Giorgio Marchetti, Deputy General Secretary, UEFA

Jean-Christophe Breillat, president of the Centre of Law and Economics of Sport, University of Limoges

Keynote speaker at the ceremony was the world’s youngest athlete to compete in the Olympic Games in luge, Shiva Keshavan, who is the first Indian to have won an international medal in a winter sport. Shiva Keshavan gave a motivational speech to the graduates, speaking of the need for perseverance, commitment and passion – elements which helped contribute to his successes.

Congratulations to the new graduates of MESGO IV: Loïc Alves, Kevin Ashby, Heidi Beha, Alexander Bielefeld, Razvan Burleanu, Alexandros Gerontikos, Dennis Gudasić, Jakob Høyer, Virgar Hvidbro, Igor Janković, Pavel Kolev, Kepa Larumbe, Jean Michel Ramaroson, Eduardo Tega, Elisa Turrioni and Magdalena Urbańska.

The fifth edition will start in September 2018 and will involve sessions in three new locations: Strasbourg, Rome and Beijing.

Ninth and last MESGO IV session in Tokyo

23 March 2018MESGO IV, NewsFuture of Sport Governance, MESGO IVluczak@cdes.fr

The final session of the fourth edition of MESGO dedicated to the future of sport took place from 5 to 9 March 2018 in Tokyo.

This session was directed by Holger Preuss and Jean-Jacques Gouguet, respectively professor of sport economics at Johannes Gutenberg University and professor in economics at the University of Limoges.

The Tokyo session was an ideal opportunity for MESGO participants to look at the future challenges they might face as sports industry leaders in the coming period and to analyse their specific organisations in the light of another culture.

The week was rather special, with a conference organised and coordinated by the Tsukuba International Academy for Sport (TIAS), the MESGO local academic partner. The discussion focused on the future of sport governance and challenges faced by sports organisations.

The TIAS conference concluded with joint presentations by TIAS students and MESGO participants, who reflected on the future of sports organisations, the future of competition design/regulation, the future of sports marketing, the future of sports events and future ethical challenges faced by sport.

Earlier, participants were given an outsider’s and insider’s view of Japanese culture and sport, in particular through the presentation of sumo, iconic Japanese sport, by Takanobu Nakajima, the former deputy chairman of the Independent Commission of Governance Overhaul at the Japan Sumo Association.

During the week, the issue of legacy of the Tokyo 2020 Games was the hot topic presented by Haruyo Fukuda, director of action and legacy for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.

At the Tokyo 2020 venue: Round-table discussion about “Tokyo 2020 and Agenda 2020 – The future of host cities” with Holger Preuss, professor, Johannes Gutenberg University; Haruyo Fukuda, director of action and legacy for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo and Hiromi Kawamura, PR secretary and senior project director for executive office, Tokyo 2020.

Finally, we talked about the future of football in Asia. Our day at the Japan Football Association started with a presentation of the history of Japanese football by Kohzo Tashima, president of the Japan Football Association and ended with a discussion about “markets for sport in Asia” included speakers such as Tom Byer, former AFC technical consultant; Kunihito Morimura, president and CEO at Dentsu Sports Asia and Alex Phillips, head of governance and compliance at UEFA.

At the Japan Football Association: Presentation by Kohzo Tashima, president of the Japan Football Association about football in Japan.

The MESGO participants will meet again at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon on 5 and 6 April as part of the viva voce exam session, during which they will each defend their professional thesis. The graduation ceremony on Friday 6 April will conclude the fourth edition of the programme.

The application process for the next MESGO edition is open until 12:00 CET on Saturday 31 March.

Welcome to our new partner: the Council of Europe

14 March 2018NewsFuture of MESGO, Partnershipluczak@cdes.fr

We are very proud to announce that the Council of Europe is joining MESGO as partner as of MESGO fifth edition. It will give government authority sports officials the chance to enhance their professional skills alongside representatives of sports bodies.

MESGO is expanding its reach to public authorities active in the field of sport through a cooperation agreement with the Council of Europe.

The agreement, under the auspices of the Council of Europe’s Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), breaks new ground for the MESGO programme, which has provided a vital source of learning, training and personal development, as well as contributing to the further development of sports bodies across this continent and beyond.

MESGO aims to attract participants from diverse countries and backgrounds. The objective of developing a partnership through this agreement is for participants from public authorities in charge of sport in a variety of countries to fine-tune their skills, knowledge and expertise.

For more details

The MESGO logo is getting a (slightly) new look!

22 January 2018Newsluczak@cdes.fr

With the overwhelming success of the previous 4 MESGO sessions in Europe, the direction of the program has made the decision to open the course up to the global market.

Following that decision, we have made some changes to our logo.

As you may have noticed, MESGO no longer stands for “Executive Master in European Sport Governance” but for “Executive Master in Sport Governance” reflecting the aforementioned openness to an international audience. This change will help us best position the program internationally.

We would like to thank all current and past participants for helping us make the MESGO what it is today and hope you like the revised logo of the course!

The MESGO Team

The MESGO in New York for the eighth session

14 December 2017MESGO IV, Newsluczak@cdes.fr

From 4 to 8 December 2017, the MESGO IV participants were in New York for the penultimate session of the programme, which was dedicated to the North American sports model.

Organised by Francesc Solanellas, professor in sports management at the National Institute of Physical Education (INEFC) and Didier Primault, general manager at the Center for Law and Economics of Sport (CDES), this eighth session was aimed at presenting the organisation of sport in North America from a legal, economic, sociologic and media perspective.

Over the five-day session, the MESGO group was hosted at key locations such as the Major League Soccer (MLS), the National Basketball Association (NBA), St John’s University, the FC Barcelona New York Office, the Major League Baseball (MLB) and Turner Sport (Bleacher Report office).

The participants were able to discuss the distinctive features of the American sports system, such as the salary caps, the draft and revenue-sharing systems, with prestigious speakers including Sunil Gulati (President of the US Soccer Federation), Mark Tatum (Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer, NBA), Jorge Perez (Senior Vice President of International Affairs and Litigations, MLB) and Matt Hong (Chief Operating Officer, Turner Sport).

Among the other topics covered during the week were college athletics and the university sports system (NCAA), the peculiar relationship between competition law and professional leagues in North America, with the specific case of baseball and the importance of collective bargaining agreements as well as the changing sports media landscape in the United States.

Participants also had the opportunity to attend a basketball game at the prestigious Madison Square Garden.

The next and final MESGO session will take place in Tokyo (Japan) from 5 to 9 March 2018 and will be dedicated to the future of sport.

Start of session 8 with the presentation of the development of soccer in the United States in the last 30 years by Sunil Gulati, President of the US Soccer Federation and Professor of Economics at Columbia University.

The MESGO IV participants at the Major League Soccer (MLS)

At the National Basketball Association (NBA): Welcome by Mark Tatum, NBA Deputy Commissioner.

Workshop related to European and American sport model with students from St John’s University.

At the Major League Baseball (MLB): Welcome by Jorge Perez, the MLB Senior Vice President of International Affairs and Litigation.

Presentation about NFL experience by Andrew Brandt, Former NFL Franchise Manager (Turner Sports – Bleacher Report office).

Ethics in Sports. Discover the 7th session of the MESGO that took place in Mainz and Frankfurt

9 October 2017MESGO IV, Newsluczak@cdes.fr

The seventh session of the MESGO programme, dedicated to ethics took place from 25 to 29 September 2017 in Mainz and Frankfurt.

Directed by Holger Preuss and Volker Bernardi, respectively professor of sport economics and sport sociology and sports law lecturer at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, the objective of this session was to introduce participants to the ethical challenges of sports governance and gave them the opportunity to reflect together in some depth on the different topics through work exercises.

The five days of this session were each hosted by a different academic or sports institution: Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz (MESGO partner); German Football Association (DFB); Opel Arena (Mainz 05 Stadium); Kupferbergterrasse (event location); German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB).

The week started with a workshop directed by Mike McNamee, professor of applied ethics at the College of Engineering at Swansea University, who introduced the participants to the basics of ethics and sports.

At the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz: presentation about the basics of ethical behaviour by Mike McNamee.

On Tuesday, the participants had the opportunity to discuss about match manipulation, illegal betting, match fixing, corruption, integrity and compliance in sport with highly qualified experts: Andrew Harvey (Lecturer, Swansea University), Daniela Giuffré (international match–fixing expert and former head of the integrity in sport unit, Interpol), Dr Jim Parry (professor, Charles University Prague) and Sylvia Schenk (lawyer and senior adviser for sport, Transparency International).

Round-table discussion about ethical governance of football – German Football Association (DFB). The speakers (from left to right): Dr Holger Preuss – moderator, Sylvia Schenk, Daniela Giuffré and Jim Parry.

During the two following days, the debates focused on ethical questions concerning the inclusion of disabled people and athletes, the social responsibility of sport and the fight against doping.

The day began with a guided tour of the OPEL ARENA (MAINZ 05 STADIUM).

Presentation about ethical challenges of the – factor system – in alpine skiing by Matthias Berg, Paralympic athlete and lawyer.

Frédéric Donzé, chief officer at the World Anti-Doping Agency, shared insider views regarding the global fight against doping.

At the Kupferbergterrasse, Claudia Bokel, Olympic medalist and former chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, shared with the participants her perspective on fight against doping.

On Friday, Marie Sallois-Dembreville (director of the IOC’s Corporate Development, Brand and Sustainability department) and David Stubbs (former head of sustainability, London Olympic Games 2012) have organized two workshops allowing participants to discuss about the need for greater sustainability in sport.

Workshop about learning from the IOC sustainability strategy journey moderated by Marie Sallois-Dembreville at the German Olympic Sports Confederation.

Social and sporting activities were held to mark this week in Mainz.

Guided tour of the Kupferberg wine cellars followed by a dinner at the Kupferberg restaurant.

Football match between participants at the Johannes Gutenberg University.

The next session will take place in New York City in December, when the North American model of sport will be studied in depth.

Barcelona, the ideal location to discuss about the successful organisation of sports events!

12 July 2017MESGO IV, NewsBarcelona, Session VI, Sports Eventsluczak@cdes.fr

From Monday 19 to Friday 23 June 2017, the MESGO IV participants were in Barcelona for the sixth session of the programme, which was dedicated to the organisation of sports events.

Organised by Francesc Solanellas and Andreu Camps i Povill, both professors at INEFC (Institut Nacional d’Educació Física de Catalunya) which has been an academic partner of the MESGO programme since its first edition in 2010, this sixth session was aimed at examining the critical elements in the successful organisation of sports event.

Introduction to Session 6 by Francesc Solanellas, professor in sports management at INEFC, at the Euroleague Basketball headquarters.

Various topics and issues were tackled during the week, in particular:

Previous experiences (Olympic Games, events, cities and best practices);
Bidding process (Why? What? When? Where? How?);
Governance models and main stakeholders;
Implementation of the event, with a focus on risk and crisis management;
Post-event issues (legacy, knowledge transfer and economic impact).

The MESGO session was held in various locations including the Euroleague Basketball headquarters, Barcelona World Race, Barcelona-Catalunya circuit and the RCD Espanyol Stadium.

Visit of FC Barcelona’s facilities at Camp Nou.

At the Barcelona World Race headquarters: presentation about knowledge transfer for the Olympic Games by Chris Pollard, IOC consultant.

We would like to thank all the speakers that contribute to this session: Jordi Bertomeu Orteu and Roser Queraltó (Euroleague Basketball), Chris Pollard (IOC consultant), Javier Sobrino (FC Barcelona), Vicenç Aguilera (Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya), Pau Serracanta i Marcet (Dorna Sports), Petr Stastny (IAAF Diamond League) and Mark Fenwick (architect of RCD Espanyol Stadium), to name only a few.

Guided visit of RCD Espanyol Stadium by its architect Mark Fenwick.

It was also an opportunity for the participants to listen and discuss with key representatives of MESGO sports partners: Lisa Wiederer (EHF Marketing), Jacques Hussy and Grégory Lepesqueux (UEFA) and also two former participants: David Rouger and Elkhan Mammadov. The MESGO team is very grateful to all of them for their availability and willingness to share their experiences.

The winners of the karting race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

On Thursday evening, a round-table discussion about the future of sports events was organised at the Museum and Study Centre of Sport Doctor Melcior Colet with various experts: Dr Holger Preuss (Professor at Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz), Jean-Loup Chappelet (Professor at IDHEAP, University of Lausanne), Iain Edmondson (Head of Major Events at London & Partners) and Enric Truñó i Lagares (sports consultant and former commissioner responsible for the management of the Barcelona-Pyrenees bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics). After an introduction speech given by Gerard M. Figueras i Albà, (General Secretary for Sports at the Generalitat de Catalunya), the panel was moderated by Francesc Solanellas, professor of sports management at INEFC and organiser of this discussion.

The speakers of the round-table discussion (from left to right): Enric Truñó i Lagares, Francesc Solanellas, Gerard M. Figueras i Albà, Dr Holger Preuss, Iain Edmondson and Jean-Loup Chappelet.

On Friday, the participants gave oral presentations on their thesis subjects to their mentors and members of the Scientific Committee; a first compulsory step towards the completion of their Executive Master’s degree in European Sport Governance.

The MESGO team at INEFC.

The next MESGO session, which will focus on ethics, will take place in Mainz and Frankfurt am Main (Germany) from 25 to 29 September 2017.

Congratulations to two of our MESGO representatives recently elected at the UEFA Foundation for Children!

28 June 2017Newsluczak@cdes.fr

On 24 May, the Board of Trustees of the UEFA Foundation for Children met at the Grand Hôtel in Stockholm under the stewardship of its chairman, José Manuel Durão Barroso.

At the meeting in Stockholm, four new members were elected by the necessary two-thirds majority of the members of the Board of Trustees, as required by the Organisational Regulations of the UEFA Foundation for Children, joining the five existing members.

The four new members are:

Ms Fiona May, former long jumper and a member of the UEFA Fair Play and Social Responsibility Committee and MESGO IV Participant;
Mr Elkhan Mammadov, the general secretary of the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan and a member of the UEFA Fair Play and Social Responsibility Committee and MESGO III Graduate;
Ms Esther Gascón Carbajosa, the new general secretary of the Royal Spanish Football Federation;
Ms Nathalie Iannetta, UEFA’s chief adviser on governmental and social matters.

Elkhan Mammadov and Fiona May, respectively MESGO III graduate and MESGO IV participant, both newly elected members of the UEFA Foundation for Children.

The UEFA Foundation for Children was established on the initiative of the former UEFA President, Michel Platini, reflecting UEFA’s desire to play a more active role in society. The foundation, which is a public body governed by Swiss law, was formally established and began operating on 24 April 2015.