BA (Hons) Football Business & Media

Understanding Football Business

The football business is a constantly growing global industry because of its increased popularity and revenues. The unique role that clubs play in society creates an environment that distinguishes the football business from other industries. Administrators of the game need to respect and retain both its spirit and the impact of contemporary issues on its global operations. You will learn how different factors have influenced the development of the football business. Applying basic business theories, you will begin to understand the framework within which all football-related institutions coexist and the decision-making process of clubs, players, agents, governing bodies and other stakeholders. The impact of the external environment, the supporters, ownership models of clubs and social context which has shaped the game will also be considered.

Principles of Sports Media

This module provides students with an understanding of the multi-faceted world of sports media and an appreciation of how the modern media relates to sport and the business of sport. Sport plays a major role across all media platforms, including print, broadcast and online, and operates at multiple levels: as a source of content, as a competitive business tool in the pursuit of audiences, and as a forum and environment for social media discourse. Students will examine these at both practitioner and academic levels, gaining practical and theoretical knowledge of relevant skills and techniques.

Understanding Football Fans & Customers

This module examines our understanding of the football and sports consumer, their motivations, the difference between a ‘fan’ and a ‘customer’, and their level of involvement in purchasing decisions. You will examine the unique relationship between the fan and the team and consider the growing number of supporter led organisations and their influence on the national game. In collaboration with other students, you will carry out market research using both primary and secondary research techniques to look at the characteristics of a football fan and their decision-making process, conducting research for the benefit of the sport and its interested parties.

Social & Digital Sports Media

This module considers the evolving digital environment and allows students to develop an understanding of how new technologies are used in, and impact upon, today’s media industry.

Students will be encouraged to explore how social and digital media can be used as news-gathering and information research tools and also as a means of publishing work suited to a range of audiences within an ethical and legal framework.

Students will develop a theoretical understanding of the adaptation of conventional skills to meet the demands of the digital age while expanding practical skills to enable them to work professionally in the digital arena.

International Football Business Analysis

This module examines football organisations from a functional perspective, considering the roles, operations and challenges impacting on the international business environment. The purpose of the module is to help you to become more familiar with key business functions and indicators of the different football associations and leagues around the world and their connection with their respective business environments.

Broadcast Journalism

This module introduces students to broadcast journalism, television and radio. Storytelling within the broadcast media is powerful and can shape public opinion, but with that comes ethical and intellectual responsibility. The importance of balanced and accurate stories will be explained across the module.

Students will be taught the practical skills of broadcast production, reflecting current advances within the broadcast profession. With the growth of 24-hour sport channels and web streaming, the opportunities in broadcast journalism have expanded and students need to be prepared for the challenges of a fascinating and exciting future. In order to succeed in this competitive field, it is vital to be multi-skilled as broadcast professionals are often expected to be able to research, write, shoot and edit their own content. This module will teach students how to operate industry-standard television cameras, audio recorders and editing software. Students will learn to structure their work in a logical and coherent manner and produce TV and radio news assignments for clearly defined sport audiences. Assessment is via a portfolio of TV and radio packages. The radio assignment will take the shape of a match report, which will combine the student’s writing skills with the ability to conduct journalistically-strong and relevant post-match interviews.

Students will also be introduced to the growing importance of smartphone journalism, as well as the ethics of broadcast regulation, in particular the impact of the Ofcom Code on the broadcast journalism profession. Their knowledge of broadcast ethics will be assessed in a summative essay. By the end of this module, students will have received a comprehensive introduction to broadcast journalism.

Research Methods

The aim of this module is to provide the student with an understanding of research principles, a range of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and appropriate analysis for these. This will enable the student to develop the research skills and knowledge necessary to undertake an independent research project. Students will be provided with support in developing their writing style to incorporate citations and make use of referencing.

They will be introduced to Academic Journals and will use these to inform their understanding of the research approaches used in the sector. This will also serve to familiarise the learners with the role of Journals in their wider study. The final aspect of this module will introduce hypothesis testing, with learners making use of a computer package to undertake simple statistical tests commonly used within their subject area.

Television Production

This module builds upon the skills acquired in Broadcast Journalism, and will allow students to create more advanced TV sports news stories. In pairs, students will demonstrate journalistic skill and rigour in gaining access to a sports news story; they will develop, film, write, present, narrate and edit the news story into a TV sports new package (CW1). This practical process will help them understand the importance of multi-skilled broadcast professionals in the industry today.

These stories will then be showcased in a TV studio show at the end of the module to which they will also contribute (CW2). This studio production will be their second assessed piece of practical coursework on this module. In groups, students will originate the look and content of the sports television programme that will contain four pre-recorded sports news stories (from CW1 above). Students will have individual roles within this ‘as live’ studio production including presenter, producer, floor manager, autocue operator and assistant director. The studio production will be assessed as per a carefully constructed marking grid that will reflect the following criteria:

• Choice of sports news content

• Production skills

• Journalistic and ethical rigour during content creation

• Good timekeeping

• Attendance and effective participation within the team

• Attention to deadlines

• Successful completion of role within production to standard required

This studio production process will further emphasise the importance of multi-skilled broadcast professionals within the industry as the digital media landscape changes and more localised, smaller-budget television news channels appear.

To demonstrate a contextualised understanding of this, students will also submit a 1,500 reflective essay referring directly to their roles and experiences within both the production of the news item and the more layered television studio project. They will reveal an understanding of the various production roles in programme-making and a recognition of the importance of being multi-skilled within the modern media environment.

Professional Practice Portfolio

This module is based around a work placement. Under the supervision of a lecturer, you are encouraged to demonstrate initiative by acquiring your own work placement and establishing contacts within the media industry; but the lecturer, who will already have extensive industry experience, will help and guide you through the process. You will also have the opportunity to gain work experience on a sports news website designed specifically for UCFB students where you will have an active role within the editorial team and create original content. You are asked to write a reflective journal that critically relates your work experience to your study on your chosen degree and training.

You will accompany this with the production of a portfolio which will include: a literature review on your chosen field within the media; a consideration of relevant professional and ethical concerns and samples of your work. This will enable you to showcase your skills and knowledge as well as your ability to extract information from a variety of primary and secondary sources. The aim of all this is to help in your search for employment in your chosen profession.

Public Relations Strategy

This module concentrates on the complexities of the range of issues, contexts and audiences facing organisations today. It recognises consumers’ and stakeholders’ growing awareness of the social contribution and impact of organisations, whether for profit or not for profit. Students will build knowledge and skills in how to research the contexts and make recommendations for courses of action. Management will form a key aspect of this module – the management of internal and external relationships, crises, and corporate communications.

Research Project

This module aims to provide students with the opportunity for independent learning through the completion of an individual, extended research project. The project requires a high level of individual application and commitment to research and enquiry. It provides students with the opportunity to identify, reflect upon and explore a topic that has implications for their own professional development.

Contemporary Issues in Sports Media

This module introduces you to many of the challenging and complex contemporary issues that face journalists working in the rapidly-changing, and demanding, world of sport and the media. It will allow you to build and consolidate knowledge and understanding of these issues within the broad arena of sport, media and culture in a discursive manner that will underpin your work in sports media. You will be encouraged to research events, themes and issues that have affected the work of the sports media and, in some cases, changed the structure and administration of sport and the behaviour of journalists.