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VCU Center for Sport Leadership and Real Madrid Graduate School – Universidad Europea have formed an exclusive educational partnership that will offer graduate students the opportunity to learn and gain experience from one of the most successful sport brands in the world.
Beginning in Spring 2022, future sports leaders will have the opportunity to be enrolled in the CSL’s internationally ranked Master’s in Sport Leadership program and take courses in Real Madrid Graduate School’s Master’s in Sport Technologies and Digital Transformation. Students will also participate in a five week residency, working with Real Madrid Next, the brand innovation department of Real Madrid C.F.
“We are honored to establish this partnership with Real Madrid Graduate School, one of the most respected and innovative brands in sport. Global mindedness is a core value of the CSL and this alliance validates our commitment to empower our students with knowledge and experiences from sport leaders around the world,” said Carrie LeCrom, Ph.D., Executive Director of VCU Center for Sport Leadership.
“It is very exciting for Universidad Europea to announce a new collaboration between two leaders in sports education. On top of becoming specialized professionals in the various areas associated with the world of sport and sports technologies, students participating in this VCU and Real Madrid Graduate School program will gain a unique insight and understanding into the workings of the world’s largest soccer club, Real Madrid”, said Marisa Saenz, Executive Director of Real Madrid Graduate School – Universidad Europea.
Over 18 months, graduate students will engage with Real Madrid Graduate School through online instruction in courses such as Sport Technologies and Smart Venues. During their five week residency in Madrid, students will collaborate with Real Madrid Next, an initiative formed in 2020 by the professional football club to work directly with a collection of start-ups and companies who share their quest for innovation through technology. Real Madrid Next focuses on six key areas: e-health, performance, fan engagement, audio-visual content generation, cybersecurity and technology, social and sustainabilitycybersecurity and technological and social infrastructures. During their residency, graduate students will also engage with personnel from Real Madrid C.F. and attend the organization’s White Week, an annual, week-long conference specializing in networking, entrepreneurialism, teamwork, integrity, and leadership.
Real Madrid Graduate School-Universidad Europea is an international education project that was created in 2006 as the first post-graduate center specializing in the sports industry. The mission of the School is to promote education, research and professionalization at a national and international level in every area and aspect of sports, a project that is the only of its kind in the area of education.
The alliance between Universidad Europea and Real Madrid C. F. offers this type of training, which brings excellence to sports through 25 master’s degree programs that focus on the areas of health, sports, management and communication. During this 2020-2021 academic year, students of over 50 nationalities are training at the Madrid campus, putting into practice each day the five fundamental values of the School: enterprising spirit, teamwork, integrity, leadership, and excellence. The purpose of the School is to transmit them and share them with the students to train them as future ethical leaders, who provide guidance in accordance with the historical values of Real Madrid C. F.