England Cricket’s performance director Mo Bobat features among a line-up of well-known sporting names graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University’s Master of Sport Directorship (MSD) this month. The sports stars are the latest to graduate from the course that has inspired a host of professional sportspeople go back to the classroom and qualify for top jobs at clubs and sports organisations.
Northamptonshire County Cricket coach John Sadler, along with former Everton and Rangers player and current Brighton and Hove Albion loan manager David Weir, and Lee McCulloch who is currently in advanced negotiations for the assistant manager role at Hearts, are among the latest crop of professional sports people to graduate with an MSD this summer. England’s director of cricket Ashley Giles also graduated from the course in 2017.
Mo Bobat said: “I opted for the MSD partly because I hoped to get a directorial role in elite sports at some point. The timing was perfect for me, moving into the performance director role with the ECB in October last year.”
He added: “The personal and organisational leadership elements of the MSD, and being exposed to creative thinking and innovation frameworks, have been excellent The insight into organisational governance and change management will no doubt also stand me in good stead in my role, particularly in this post-covid era.”
Manchester Metropolitan University’s unique MSD prepares sports professionals for the role of sporting director and other senior management positions within sports organisations. As well as Ashley Giles, alumni from the post-graduate course include Manchester City and England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley, former Aston Villa director of football Steve Round, and Hull City’s head of recruitment Lee Darnbrough.
Mark Batey, who heads the MSD course, said: “The sporting director role has become integral to a wide range of organisations across sport. Our unique MSD has earned a reputation as the go-to qualification in the field, and it has been transformational to the careers of so many of our students.”
He added: “This latest group of new MSD graduates leave us with the skills and knowledge to guide their organisations through these times of great change. They will bring the skills of high-performance leadership, governance and commercial management, along with practical insights for harnessing creativity and innovation that are more essential than ever to successful and resilient sports organisations.”
The academically rigorous two-year, part-time masters course is designed to develop the commercial skill sets and personal attributes that are essential for success in a sporting director role. The course features masterclasses from world-renowned speakers and engaging sessions that mix expert insight with practical tools. Working alongside fellow sporting directors from a wide range sports, students cover leadership, managing high-performing organisations, creativity and innovation, sporting governance and compliance, and finish with an applied research project to develop their deep expertise in an area important to them.
For more information on the Masters of Sport Directorship course at Manchester Metropolitan University visit the MSD website.
