Member Article

Former footballer is Middle East’s Director of Sport

FORMER Sunderland footballer Gareth Mordey has become the first person in the Middle East to gain a Masters Degree in Sporting Directorship, studying alongside the likes of football manager Steve McClaren and cricket selector Ashley Giles.

Mordey, who captained Sunderland at every level from U13 to Reserve team but was unable to make that final step into the first-team in the Peter Reid era, has gone on to build a hugely successful second career in sports management in Dubai.

And the 34-year-old has now capped that success by graduating from Manchester Business School after spending two years commuting from Dubai to Manchester to complete the specialist course.

His classmates on the course included former Newcastle United boss Steve McClaren, Aston Villa’s Director of Football, Steve Round and Ashley Giles, sports director of Warwickshire Cricket Club.

And the former St Aidan’s schoolboy, now managing director at East Sport Management (ESM) which provides courses for more than 27,000 youngsters through 300 coaches, believes the Masters degree will take him to an even higher level.

He said: “I honestly believe that this will become one of the most important qualifications in sport in the years ahead and I really wanted to be ahead of the curve.

“I spoke to my family and the ESM management team because I knew the coursework and the commuting would be very demanding but everyone said ‘go for it’.

“The last two years have been an incredible learning experience for me but it is great that the sport now has this professional qualification, like other professions, and I think not just in football but in other sports too, this role is only going to get more important.

“So often in football and other major sports you get very wealthy owners on one hand and very accomplished managers on the other and an expert sports director and can make all the difference in making that relationship work better while also developing a vision and strategy for the club or organisation.”

The qualification helps cement Mordey’s journey from boot-room to boardroom having joined Sunderland as a 13-year-old in the 1995-96 promotion season.

The ex-central defender and defensive midfielder played in the same youth team as Grant Leadbitter, George McCartney, Kevin Kyle and Clifford Byrne, learning under the coaching of Ricky Sbragia and Pop Robson.

He said: “I’m still Sunderland through and through and get back to visit my friends and family whenever I can and I’m really hoping the club will stay up this season.

“But my day-to-day focus is Dubai and the United Arab Emirates and trying to give back a little to the country that has done so much for me.

“I think the role of qualified sports directors is set to become an industry essential in the future and I know I have a responsibility here as the first holder of a Masters in Sporting Directorship in the Middle East and Asia.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Graeme Anderson .