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Master in Communications Management and Sponsorship in Sports Organizations

Organized by:
Backed by:
Federació Catalana de Futbol

The professional sports sector is growing at a very fast pace in Europe and increasingly requires qualified professionals. Communication in sports is unique compared to other economic sectors, since it has become one of the main drivers of television audiences and revenue. Its media overexposure has led to the need for customized communication strategies that also create new opportunities for revenue for clubs and organizations through sports sponsorship. Elite sports bring about rewarding alliances with the world of communications, which is an opportunity for professionals trained in communications and sports sponsorship. A sports organization’s comprehensive communications strategy is intimately connected with the securing and maintaining of sponsors. Communications management in sports is intended to be a comprehensive process that takes into account not only relationships with the media but also the building of a sports brand, the proactive management of social media, and relationships with sponsors and partners. The program, which features contributions from Barça’s professionals, creates an atmosphere that favors active learning and an exchange of ideas on the latest organizational and sponsorship strategies, together with the protagonists of this transformation in communication.

START DATE

January 2020

COMPLETION DATE

May 2021

DURATION

15 months

LANGUAGE

Spanish (90%), English (10%)

FORMAT

On-site /On-line

PLACE

Facultat de Ciències de la Comunicació. Edifici I, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona

CREDITS

60 ECTS

PRICE

€ 7800

DEGREE

Master in Communications Management and Sponsorship in Sports Organizations UAB-Barça Innovation Hub

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LEARNING OUTCOMES

  • Understand the specific context of the communication and sponsorship system in sport and its communicative particularities.
  • Acquire leadership and public speaking skills.
  • Learn negotiation and management techniques for workplace meetings.
  • Put entrepreneurial elements into practice and apply them to the management of communications and sponsorship in sport.
  • Develop the creative and management capabilities required for leading sponsorship projects.
  • Learn and apply the logics of communication to conventional media.
  • Utilize specific logics of communication in social media.
  • Create messages for conventional media.
  • Develop the creativity necessary for the production of messages on social networks, and encourage the participation of different audiences.
  • Learn to use big data extraction and processing tools, and analyze the results.
  • Evaluate and determine an internal communication strategy for an organization.
  • Understand a brand’s values, strategies, and construction and maintenance criteria.
  • Manage sponsorship agreements and use communication tools to maximize these.
  • Use knowledge and strategies in order to manage crisis communications.
  • Develop a comprehensive and participative communications plan.

SYLLABUS

The first module looks at the context of communications in sport, in order to define its distinguishing characteristics and have a general look at the role of communications management in sport, with all its particularities.

- INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION IN SPORT AND COMMUNICATION THEORIES. Communications management in sport; the global sports system actors; sports sponsorship relationships and the media; communication theories applicable to sport; the sociology and history of sport; audiovisual rights in sports and sponsorship.
- REGULATION AND ETHICS IN SPORTS COMMUNICATION. International and European sports law; sponsorship rights in sports; the legal status of global sports organizations and communicational relationships.

The second module develops management, communication, and leadership skills that are necessary for a successful professional career.

- ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND NEGOTIATION TECHNIQUES. The nature of entrepreneurship; focusing on success; creating a professional social network; negotiation techniques.
- PUBLIC SPEAKING AND MOCK PRESS CONFERENCE PRACTICE. Public speaking techniques; public speaking practice; mock press conference.

The third module focuses on the external and internal communication of sports organizations, and differentiates between conventional media and social media communications. In this case, communication strategies for social media deserve special attention, since the organization itself becomes a means of communication, without intermediaries.

- LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS IN A SPORTS ORGANIZATION: INTRODUCTION. Defining communications management; the media ecosystems and ways of communicating; why is communicating through new media different from communicating through traditional media?; internal communication.
- RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE MEDIA AND SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS: RUMORS, NEWS AND SILENCE IN SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS. Rumor in organizational communication; off-the-record information and news from confidential sources; the press release: theory and practice; how to get people to talk a lot about us and always say good things; media planning.
- COMMUNICATING OVER THE WEB. Introduction to digital marketing; positioning in search engines; acquiring followers; posting on social networks; practical training in the use of tools for analyzing social networks; planning internet advertising; learning through what is said on social networks.
- CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS AND CASE STUDIES OF COMMUNICATION IN SOCIAL MEDIA. Definition of crisis communications; presentation of crisis communication case studies and their results.

Module four will develop aspects that are closely linked to communication, such as brand-building and sponsorship in the world of sport, which are interdependent elements.

- BUILDING THE BRAND. Brand values and perceptions; market positioning; brand values and attributes; brand storytelling; presentation of the Olympic brand case study; the athlete as brand; creation of an audio brand.
- SPORTS SPONSORSHIP. The regulation of sports sponsorship; design of the sponsorship program; sale of the program; sponsorship and image creation; actions which complement sponsorship; models of communication through sponsorship; sponsorship evaluation; fundraising; the concept of partnership.
- SPORTS SPONSORSHIP CASE STUDIES. Euroliga Basketball League, ACB [Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto, or Association of Basketball Clubs], International Olympic Committee: Olympic Partner Program.
- CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN SPORT AND THE KNOWLEDGE-GENERATING ORGANIZATION. Definition of CSR; its relationship to organizational communications, the FC Barcelona Foundation case study; the Barça Innovation Hub; FC Barcelona’s strategic plan.

In the fifth module, the criteria for the elaboration of a communications plan will be developed and implemented, and the methodological, conceptual, and expository criteria for the completion of a master’s thesis will be presented.

- THE COMMUNICATIONS PLAN. Planning systems; team coordinators; internal communication; who, how, and where; traditional media and social media; the communications plan for sports events; the support plan; storytelling creation; communications plan evaluation.
- THE SPONSORSHIP PLAN. The search for partners; the values you intend to transmit; the link between brands; creativity in complementary media; assessment systems and tools.
- METHODOLOGY AND PROJECT WRITING. Qualitative and quantitative methods; argument, citation, conclusion.

The development of a research project related to the subject area of the program that must be defended before a panel.

PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

  • Communications director and/or sponsorship manager at sports clubs and sports-related corporations, national and international federations, and Olympic committees for all sports.
  • Communications director for companies that manufacture sports gear.
  • Member of the planning team at sports television channels.
  • Social media and digital communications manager at all of the aforementioned entities.
  • Manager for sports brands and for sponsorship in sports organizations and their potential partners.
  • Communications consultant in sports organizations.