How And What

FA Qualified Coach – how to become an FA Qualified Coach

Fancy being an FA Qualified Coach? Do you know how to become an FA Qualified Coach? If the answer is yes, then please keep on reading! The Football Association of England have set out a comprehensive approach to train potential grassroot coaches all the way to elite level. The FA have set out a pathway from a grassroots level coach undertaking their first course all the way to the elite training courses required to manage an international team. There are three main areas of the coaching pathway set by The […]

Understanding Ansoff matrix – an example of Coca-Cola

By: Zia Ahmed | Tags: Business Environment & Strategy

What is Ansoff matrix? Organisations often need to decide on the best strategy for growth. Although a number of options are available, not all strategies are suitable for every organisation. Factors such as market demand, capabilities of organisations and their willingness to take or avoid risks impact on the choice of strategies. Ansoff matrix guides organisations in their pursuit of strategies. Harry Igor Ansoff, a Russian American mathematician, developed the Matrix in 1957. The matrix outlines four possible growth strategies available for an organisation. These strategies are market penetration, market […]

English Premier League – Introduction

By: Zia Ahmed | Tags: Sports

Last updated: October 2016 Image: Pixabay English Premier League The English Premier League is the top tier of the English football league system. It was formed in February 1992 as part of an agreement by football clubs in the old Football League First Decision. There were originally 22 members of the inaugural English Premier League season, which was then revised to 20 members in the 1994/95 season. 3 teams are relegated and promoted to the English Premier League each season, with the top 3 teams also directly qualifying for the […]

Sport Business Development

By: Zia Ahmed | Tags: Sports

Last updated: October 2016 Image: Pixabay Sport as a business development. The history of sport can be dated back to ancient eras, but there eventually came a time when sports were formalised and structured in the way we know it today. The mid to late 19th century provided the foundation for most international sports to be formalised. Beech and Chadwick’s (2004) ‘Seven Phases Model’ can be applied to various sports when trying to gain an understanding of how the sport has developed over time from its inception, to modern day appeal […]

Should boxing be banned?

By: Zia Ahmed | Tags: Sports

On the 30th September 2016, 25-year-old professional boxer, Mike Towell from Dundee, Scotland tragically lost his life after suffering severe bleeding to the brain in a bout he lost. He was immediately taken to Queen Elizabeth university hospital on the Thursday and was later declared dead on the Friday. It inevitably again raised questions about the dangerous consequences of boxing as a modern sport and whether or not it should have any place in this current age. Just earlier this year, British Boxer Nick Blackwell, who suffered a 10-round stoppage […]

Has the Rio Olympics been a success?

By: Zia Ahmed | Tags: Sports

On the 2nd of October 2009, Rio de Janeiro won a majority 66 votes over the 32 of Madrid to be granted the rights to host the 2016 Olympic Games. The occasion marked the first time a Portuguese speaking country as well as the first city in South America to be granted the rights to host the summer and Paralympic games. The Rio Olympics have since come and gone but was it a success? With almost 100 world and Olympic records being broken it would have to be suggested from […]

Governance and control in the international sport industry

By: Zia Ahmed | Tags: Governance and control in the international sport industry, Sports

Last updated June 2016 Beech and Chadwick (2004) explain that there are three types of governance that can be applied to international sporting organisations. These are systemic, corporate and political governance. Systemic governance can be argued as being the overriding approach to governance, with corporate and political governance subsets of systemic governance. Major sporting organisations such as FIFA and the IOC have had issues of corporate scandals and corruption. FIFA and IOC delegates have been accused of taking bribes in exchange for bids from prospective host nations of the respective […]

The role, purpose and impact of FIFA

By: Zia Ahmed | Tags: purpose and impact of FIFA, Sports, The role

Last updated June 2016 FIFA was founded in 1904 by representative nations of Western Europe as the main governing body of football. The organisation had subsequently expanded to 24 member nations in 1914, from the original 7. Today FIFA has 209 member associations and to FIFA, its goal enshrined in its statutes, is the constant improvement of football. FIFA employs some 310 people from over 35 nations and is composed of a Congress, Executive Committee, Administrative Body and committees that assist the Executive Committee. The organisation state that they hold […]

What is the Sports Development Continuum?

By: Zia Ahmed | Tags: Sports, What is the Sports Development Continuum?

A contentious area surrounding sports development has been that of work at grassroots and elite level. Disagreements and conflicts have arisen as to where the focus should be, and debates about the importance of both grassroots and elite sport have clouded this area. In essence, sports development is all about encouraging change and the only way for change to happen is by all departments and individuals to understand and agree on the objectives set to reach the ultimate aims (Eady, 1993). UK Sport, and more recently Sport England and many […]