Sport Business Management (High Performance Leadership)

Combine your passion for sport with business management skills and a specialist focus on high performance leadership.

You’ll explore how to lead and communicate effectively with athletes and teams, manage high-performance sport environments and understand what it takes to develop people and performance.

Alongside core areas including finance, marketing, strategy and sports governance, you’ll study transformational leadership, high performance sport management, coach development and ethical sports governance.

Take the opportunity to gain valuable experience and network by taking a placement, students have previously completed placements with businesses in the UK, and abroad.

You’ll take trips to local sports venues, expanding your industry insights. Trips include Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucester Rugby Club locally, and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. There’s also further opportunities with the Business School that have seen us with the McLaren Team testing their engines in Monaco, watching Nice FC play Paris St-Germain in the south of France or attending the World Handball Championships in Munich, Germany.

You’ll be equipped with a unique blend of business acumen and sports industry expertise, opening doors to careers in sports marketing, event management, sponsorship, and sports leadership worldwide. Turn your passion into a career.

Our course curriculum integrates sports management principles with essential business strategies, alongside a specialist focus on high performance leadership.

You’ll engage in interactive lectures, seminars and discussion-based tasks, analyse case studies, and apply theoretical concepts to real-world projects. You’ll explore the challenges of leading people and managing performance in sport, applying leadership theory to areas including high-performance environments, coach development and sports governance. ​

Your first year will introduce you to the fundamentals of sports business as well as community sports provision. Learn why sport is so important to people and examine the policies and protocols that govern the industry. In your second and final years you’ll develop your understanding of transformational leadership, high performance sport and coach development. Gain experience on a professional placement and apply your learning to real-world sporting contexts.

Assessment methods are diverse, encompassing coursework, presentations, and practical projects. ​

Throughout the program, you’re encouraged to engage in self-directed study to deepen your understanding of course material, complementing the structured contact hours. ​This approach equips graduates with the business, leadership and performance knowledge for a career sport business management.

Our graduates are well-prepared for diverse careers in the sports industry. The course equips students with skills in managing sports events, facilities, and personnel, while also focusing on business acumen in areas such as marketing, finance, and operations.

To ensure students graduate career ready, the course integrates professional placements with organizations like Ironman UK, Gloucestershire FA, and international sports businesses in the USA, Australia, and New Zealand. These experiences provide practical insights and networking opportunities, enhancing employability after graduating.

The course’s strong industry connections and comprehensive support systems position graduates for successful careers in the sports sector and beyond, with graduates working at Amazon Sports, Gloucester Rugby, Norwich City FC as well as broader business sector organisations such as IBM, Nationwide and in education.

Our Career Promise further supports graduates by offering six months of free post-graduation support, a paid internship if employment isn’t secured within that timeframe, and lifetime career coaching. ​