Where pro footballers learn about investing in football

The FIFA Women’s World Cup has launched with three times the total remuneration on offer against the previous tournament – by Christian Leeming 

And top players from European leagues are being targeted for acquisition by new powerhouses in the game – Saudi side Al Hilal pitching a EUR300m bid for Kylian Mbappe being the biggest so far.   

The MAPFRE AM Behavioral Fund is investing close to 25% of its assets under management in sports related companies, including two listed football clubs: Borussia Dortmund (top holding) and Ajax Amsterdam. 

In recognition of this thematic exposure and the fund’s long-term engagement investing in the sector, Luis Garcia has been picked by the PFA Business School in the UK to lecture Premier League players on investments into sports. 

 He said: 

“Now we are starting to see a big wave of investments into sports, but the MAPFRE AM Behavioral Fund spotted this opportunity in advance and started investing into sports already in 2018-2019, being very contrarian at that time, as almost no one in the market was then interested in this opportunity.” 

“My talks at the PFA Business School will be focused mainly on why it is interesting to invest into sports and in particular into football: How have the financial control rules transformed the industry? Can football clubs be profitable and pay dividends? Are financial targets and sporting success opposed or complementary? What are the new ways of investing into football (mainly Multi-Club Ownership)? Could it be interesting for a football club to list in the stock exchange and are there already a few successful case studies? How do we value a football club and when is it attractive from a value investing perspective? Is sports and football a new asset class for value investors?” 

  
 
Alejandro Cardenas, director of the PFA Business School, Professional Footballers’ Association, collaborated with La Liga and La Liga Business School to create and manage a Sport MBA in Spain. 

He said the Postgraduate Diploma in Global Football Business Management offered by the PFA Business School – where Luis García will lecture – is specifically designed to be more focused on the business side of club management than generic Sports MBAs. 

“The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) is keen for the PFA Business School to facilitate players to stay in football after retirement, to specialise in football, hence they have sought to introduce football management products distinct from any other.” 

The Postgraduate Diploma course – one of two offered by the School – also reflects the particular demands placed on professional players, who cannot attend during the training and match days. This has required adaptability in the course design. It is also structured to reflect the way that people in the industry have traditionally learned: by practical application on the field of play. 

“That is how they learned play football, so it is the best way to engage them,” Cardenas said. 

All Postgraduate Diplomas offered by the PFA Business School are fully accredited by the University of Portsmouth.