Member Article

Lancashire sports business college nominated for top industry award

Students and staff at a unique college preparing students for careers within the business areas of sport have been nominated for a top industry accolade at this year’s North West Football Awards (NWFA).

The higher education institution, UCFB, is dedicated to the business side of football and the sport industry. It has two sites – one at Burnley FC’s Turf Moor ground and the other at Wembley Stadium

The college has been shortlisted for the Best Club Sponsorship Engagement & Partnership Award at the 2013 NWFA. The other nominees are Liverpool Football Club and the official sponsor of Manchester City FC, Etihad Airways.

The event, which will take place on Monday 4 November at Lancashire County Cricket Club’s ‘The Point’, will pay tribute to those who have achieved football excellence both on-and-off the pitch during the 2012/2013 season.

Philip Wilson, Provost and Chief Executive of UCFB Wembley and Burnley, said: “It’s a real honour to be recognised in this way, especially being lined-up with two of the country’s leading industry giants.

“The nomination is testament to a successful year for UCFB. Our Wembley Stadium campus is going from strength-to-strength ahead of opening the doors to its first cohort of students in September 2014. Our Burnley campus has enjoyed working with a number of leading figures in football and sport and interest from prospective students, both male and female, has consistently grown each year.”

Meanwhile, the build-up campaign for UCFB’s Wembley campus has received international recognition and has been shortlisted for the Most Innovative Sports Event award at this year’s International Sports Event Management (ISEM) awards.

The awards ceremony, which will take place on Wednesday 6 November at The Cumberland Hotel in London, recognises “excellence and outstanding achievements in the organising of major sporting events across the world”.

UCFB degrees are designed to prepare students for careers within the football industry. Its Burnley campus launched in 2011 with facilities that overlook the famous Turf Moor stadium. Students not only benefit from practical assignments but also by being surrounded by the operational machinery of a football club. They are immersed in all of the business aspects of the sport on a daily basis.

UCFB Wembley’s first student intake arrives in September next year and prospective undergraduates have been attending open days to find out more about being taught within the iconic stadium.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .