Letter from the Director

City Football Leadership Institute is a future-forward idea of what education can and should be – for the sport industry and beyond. We are developing programmes which can offer invaluable insight, bespoke education, and unrivaled access for those aspiring to excel in the industry with our partners at City Football Group. Having seen throughout my career how the sectors of sport business and education are intrinsically linked, I am incredibly excited to join City Football Leadership Institute and have the opportunity to lead such a unique and innovative initiative in education, for sport business.

Quite often, in the day-to-day operational challenges of the industry, personal and professional development can become an afterthought. Also, despite being such a global sector, the area of sport business can seem quite a mystery to those with aspirations of wanting to work within it. To have been given the responsibility to guide the development of the Institute at such an early stage of its evolution and to ensure we deliver on our mission to empower better lives through sport and education is a charge I am honoured to accept and am committed to fulfilling. An incredible amount of work has already gone into establishing the vision for the Institute, and the potential for what comes next is nothing short of game changing for education, for professional training and careers in the sport world, and for transforming individual lives.

To help us achieve our goals to provide world leading education, we have invested time in establishing a strong network of stakeholders to support and guide our strategy. This includes forming an Advisory Board and appointing sector luminaries Geoff Thompson, Karen Bardsley and Michele Centenaro as our first Board members.

With a mission to empower better lives sitting at the core of our decision making, our ambition is to reach a diverse range of candidates and help both young students and professionals enter, succeed, and tangibly impact the industry. We want to develop an elite environment for learning that is accessible to everyone wishing to advance in the industry. Thus, our values resonate in the philosophy of being elite but not elitist, and of offering unique learning opportunities while being inclusive.

We want to lead the conversation on key societal issues and highlight how they impact the sport industry. We want to authentically intertwine thought leadership and education, providing forums for people to learn, challenge their perceptions, and develop fresh perspectives. Building a network and community will be a cornerstone of our strategy as we are motivated to demonstrate what is possible when there is a collective drive to open up access to insight and expertise from those situated at the heart of the global sport industry.

Enrolling with City Football Leadership Institute will be about more than just being a student on one of our courses or a delegate at one of our events, it will be about joining a community of leaders with a real desire to elevate the industry even further.

Jenny Morris
Director
City Football Leadership Institute