Do I need prior experience to enroll?

No prior experience is required. The program is designed to guide you from fundamentals to professional-level knowledge.

Will I receive a certificate upon completion?

Yes, upon successful completion you will receive an official certificate from the Barça Innovation Hub.

How long do I have access to the course materials?

You will have access to all course materials for 12 months from the date of enrollment.

In what language is the course delivered?

This program is available in English. All materials and assessments are provided in the selected language.

Professional Diploma in Sports Communication and Fan Engagement

This in-depth training program offers a detailed exploration of sports communication, public relations, digital marketing, and fan engagement. It covers a variety of modules, from developing effective communication strategies to understanding fan behavior dynamics and building robust fan engagement structures.

Category: Marketing & Sponsorship
Level: beginner
Duration: 8 months
Price: 1150 EUR

Official courses from Barça Innovation Hub, FC Barcelona's educational arm, with experts who have worked inside the club. Earn an accredited certificate issued by the hub, available across the Middle East and North Africa through Champions Hub, its official partner for the fifth year.

What you will learn

Master central aspects of an external communication strategy.
Improve the public relations function in sports organizations, identify potential public relations threats, and devise appropriate crisis response strategies for execution via traditional and social media to address these issues.
Create a digital marketing plan.
Build an online brand presence.
Develop a communications and content plan.
Gain a comprehensive understanding of Fan Engagement: its definition, history, principles, practices, and rationale.
Understand the nature of fans and fandom to prioritize fans in club, league, and/or national association activities.
Create a Fan Engagement strategy and design an optimal fan experience, encompassing all relevant touchpoints for key fan segments.
Foster a culture of engagement within an association, league, or club (Fan Engagement Leadership).

Course content

Module 1: Communication Issues in Sports Organizations
- Describe the Role of Communication in Sports Organizations
- The History of Media in Sports Communication and Collaborating with Journalists
- Constructing Messages for Traditional and Digital Media
- Create a Communication Strategy to Maximize Impact
Module 2: Public Relations in Sports Organizations
- The Foundation of Sports Public Relations
- The Changing Landscape of Sports Public Relations: From a Sports-Information Model to an Active Communication Model
- Sports Public Relations and Crisis Communication
- Sports Public Relations and Social and Digital Media
Module 3: Online Strategy, Branding and Communications
- Trends, research and digital audit
- Digital marketing strategy and online branding
- Communications
- Content plan and crisis management
Module 4: Revenue Generation and Fan Engagement
- Data and resource
- Sources of digital revenue
- Fan engagement and eSports
- Fantasy gaming and Growing Attendance Model (GAM)
Module 5: Why Fan Engagement? Definition, Principles & Rationale
- The Origins of Fan Engagement
- Defining the Fan
- The Rationale for Fan Engagement
- Building a Fan Engagement Strategy
Module 6: Delivering Fan Engagement
- Club Identity: ‘Same song, different lyrics?’
- Understanding & Engaging with your Fan Base
- Delivering Value in the Fan Experience
- People & Culture
Module 7: What Is a Fan? Understanding the Nature of Fandom
- Fan v Customer: A love based on friction, emotion and irrationality
- Understanding Fan Behaviour
- Fan Consultation & Structured Dialogue
- Growing Engagement (Data and Measures)
Module 8: Leadership: Creating & Sustaining a Culture of Engagement
- An introduction to Fan Engagement Leadership
- A Model for Engagement
- Community Engagement
- Embedding Fan Engagement

Professional Diploma in Sports Communication and Fan Engagement