Curious about studying Sport Business Management - BA (Hons)at Birmingham City University? We've gathered all the key details—entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Hear from real students by checking out reviews, or take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
City Centre Campus (The Curzon Building)
Full Time
Sep 2027
3 Year
Sport business is also big business. What do sportspersons’ contracts include? Why are image rights so important and lucrative? How are multi-million-pound football transfers structured and executed? How do stadium naming rights work? These are all a part of a day’s work in the exciting world of a manager in sports business. The exciting and evolving global sports market is estimated to be worth over £400bn and is growing at a significant rate year on year. Over the past decade, there has been a huge increase of career opportunities in the sport sector that require graduates with the skills, attributes and experience to thrive in such a dynamic industry. From organisation executives to agents and commercial managers, this is an industry for business-minded people with a passion for sport. This course is designed to explore topics around digital innovation in sports business such as social media representation, modern marketing and online opportunities, events management and delivery, crisis management and sportsperson care and representation such as being a manager or agent looking after any and all needs from contract negotiations to advising on PR and media responsibilities. Employability and entrepreneurship are at the core of this course and these transferable skills will give you a solid foundation from which to build your career. Placements, project fieldwork and workshops will prepare you to hit the ground running the second you graduate.
What's covered in this course?The course has a clear focus on preparing you for a career in sport business by providing a strong understanding of media handling and sponsorship alongside care and representation of athletes. The course covers a variety of skills required to become a professional in Sport Business Management including technology and digital innovation, marketing, events, venue management, operations, player care and representation, sport tourism, sport media, and crisis and risk management.
Professional Placement YearThis course offers an optional professional placement year. This allows you to spend a whole year with an employer, following successful completion of your second year, and is a great way to find out more about your chosen career. Some students even return to the same employers after completing their studies. If you choose to pursue a placement year, you will need to find a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. You will be able to draw on the University’s extensive network of local, regional, and national employers, and the support of our Careers teams. If you are able to secure a placement, you can request to be transferred to the placement version of the course. Please note that fees are payable during your placement year, equivalent to 20% of the total full-time course fee for that year.
This module offers an in-depth exploration of Data Analytics and its application in different aspects of business. The module also explores Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its role in contemporary business practices. It is designed to provide you with a practical understanding of the real-life application of data analytics in Business settings. The module brings together the worlds of business and technology and is ideal for those pursuing careers in business related fields, or business analytics. It equips you with essential critical thinking and data analytics skills that are highly in demand in today’s as well as the future employment market.
In Marketing Principles and Practice, you will learn the role that marketing plays within an organisation and how to apply some of the key tools and techniques that professional marketers use on a regular basis. For those undertaking a marketing degree, this module will provide a solid foundation for your course; for those studying other disciplines, the concepts presented here are valuable tools for a future career in all walks of business.
This module is designed to introduce you to the concept of management in the sports business industry. The module encourages you to think about what skills, attributes and tasks managers perform in different situations with the purpose of recognising what makes effective sport business managers. This module aligns with the course philosophy by providing an insight into the respective industry, integrating sessions from industry experts to facilitate this. The module balances theory and concepts, supporting you to reflect and apply this content into real life scenarios. In particular you will be introduced to the major business functions and how they operate in a variety of sport business contexts
This module provides a comprehensive exploration of entrepreneurship, equipping you with the skills, perspectives, and theories applicable across industries and professions. It covers both new venture creation and innovation within existing organisations, emphasising entrepreneurial thinking and mindset.
This module will provide a gentle introduction to the world of accounting and finance for business managers of the future and is designed for those new to accounting or those studying on non-accounting related degree programmes. You’ll explore key areas of accounting including gaining an appreciation for how basic financial statements are prepared and how you can assess both the financial performance and financial position of a business.
The objective of this module is to provide insight into sport for development and the multiple aspects associated with this topic. The module looks to develop your understanding of how international policies drive sport for development while breaking down key areas such as UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Venue Managers – otherwise known as General, Venue or Stadium Managers -are pivotal actors in ensuring the successful execution of multiple events across a variety of industries – for example, Sport and Esports. They require a subtle blend of technical, behavioural and cognitive skills and knowledge, although their core capability –given their operational closeness to the customer –is principally technical (i.e. how to get things delivered on time to specification). Great Venue Managers are the linchpins of successful occasions –the correlation between Venue Manager effectiveness and customer safety having been proven as a principal determinant of success.
This module enables you to develop, understand and apply key knowledge and skills to be successful in the fast-changing sport media environment. The module is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops in which you will be expected to contribute.
The aim of this module is to provide you with the practical industry skills in creating and developing a live event. In this module you will devise, plan, implement and evaluate the running of a live event to meet the business objectives of a live client. Whilst completing this task, you will also develop knowledge and skills in wider project management, administration, problem solving and creative thinking.
The aim of this module is to provide you with the knowledge, skills and insights to research a ‘live’ issue in your industry with a view to formulating a practicable, impactful and value-added research project proposal which can be actioned in the final year.
This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a credit bearing, 40- week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Undergraduate Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.
The module will allow you to demonstrate your ability to evaluate a business issue relevant to your discipline of study and utilize the theory from your study to date to generate recommendations at either a theoretical or practical level. It will allow you to demonstrate your analytic and time management skills in a practical way.
The aim of this module is to provide you with a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the intricate nature of event bidding and the legalities within contracts associated with the processes. Therefore, in this module you will gain valuable insight into the legal terminology, theory and application required for event bids. You will explore current and previous case studies of events which involve extensive bidding process (e.g. Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, World Expo’s, City of Culture).
The overall objective of the module is to provide an understanding and awareness of Crisis Management strategy, planning, operational and organisational responses. The module will develop your learning by focusing on a range of crisis issues, such as pandemics, crowds, terrorism and scandal.
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