Professional Certificate Programme for

Sports Agents

— Online

A cutting edge programme for today's sports agents.
Covering sports regulations, ethics and integrity, business practices and skills, and legal frameworks governing the sports agent profession.

The Programme

This unique online programme, delivered by Loughborough University - the No.1 ranked university in the world for sport-related subjects (QS Rankings 2017-2023), in collaboration with the prestigious business school, Johan Cruyff Institute, provides the knowledge and skills required to help you operate within the sport agency market.

The programme aims to raise the professional standards of agents in the sport industry through education, helping delegates to develop a comprehensive understanding around agent role and practice.

Football ball on field.

The programme is endorsed by the Association of Football Agents (AFA) - the representative body of football agents in England. It is also certified by CPDUK for continuous professional development credits

Objectives

  • To provide you with an advanced understanding of the regulatory and legal frameworks governing the sport agent profession.
  • To enable you to evaluate good business practices and ethics to represent the best interest of your clients.
  • To gain profession-specific competencies and skills to be successful in the agent industry.
  • To provide you with access to leading industry experts and help you to develop a strong network across the sport agent sector.
Smiling young woman working on a laptop.

Learning outcomes

On the completion of this programme the delegates should be able to:

  • Understand regulatory frameworks that surround the activities of sports agents and how the regulatory environment affects the agent profession in general.
  • Analyse key legal issues concerning the activities of sports agents.
  • Gain and demonstrate practical and cognitive skills related to being a successful agent in practice.
  • Generate key/transferable skills through managing their own learning and obtaining and applying information from a variety of sources.

Aimed at

This programme is for you if:

  • You are an agent wishing to professionally develop yourself.
  • You are an aspiring agent who needs to understand what it means to be an agent in practice and how to break into the agent industry.
  • You are a current or aspiring agent who wishes to show your commitment to high professional standards and the regulations which govern professional football.
  • You are a professional in the sports industry, eager to improve your knowledge and understanding around the agent profession and practice.
2 football players and a suited man on a football field.

People who have completed this programme are currently working in the areas of (amongst others):

  • Football agency
  • Sport agency
  • Sport governance
  • Sport Management
  • Sports Event Management
Portrait of Andreas Govas.

“The knowledge and skills that I have gained by completing the course have allowed me to be much more confident when having discussions and engaging with any stakeholders. I also now have a deeper understanding of the industry regulations and processes involved, from scouting and identifying talent, approaching players, parents or clubs all the way through to signing off a deal.”

Andreas Govas
Agent, Stone Mountain Management

Admission

Admission requirement
There are no formal academic prerequisites for the programme, however some business experience and numerical proficiency are recommended. The language of the programme is English and applicants are expected to have proficiency in English.

Admission procedure
Applicants are required to submit an online application form to check their suitability for the programme. If successful, the applicant will be given notice of acceptance and provided with information on the next steps for registering onto the programme.

If you have any questions you can ask us here.

A woman swimmer with a cap and her hands on her goggles at the edge of the pool.

Study plan

The programme is designed around 3 themes

The programme is structured on the three core pillars of the agent profession and practice. Each theme incorporates specific modules with bespoke study content and activities in order for delegates to achieve intended learning objectives.

Theme 1
Regulatory and Legal Frameworks
MODULE 1
Agents Regulations
MODULE 2
Transfers and Regulations
MODULE 3
Contracts
MODULE 4
Dispute Resolution
Theme 2
Contemporary Issues in Sports Agents Industry
MODULE 5
Representation of Minors
MODULE 6
Integrity Issues and Agents
Theme 3
Business Practices and Skills
MODULE 7
Business Practices
MODULE 8
Business Skills

Learning model

Delivered via our bespoke e-learning platform, the programme has comprehensive content specific to sports agents and consists of e-learning activities including videos, regulatory e-guidelines, case studies, reports.

  • Sports Agents Hub: Delivered via learning technology designed for the agent education
  • Fully online: Study the programme from wherever you are
  • Flexible: Study in your own time and at your own pace
  • Community networking: Interact and network with other community of learners via the Hub
  • Expert Interaction: Interact and network with academic and industry experts via bespoke activities exclusive to the programme delegates
A laptop seen from above with hands on it.

Join a community of sports agents who have completed the programme

Outcome benefits

  • Registration with Sports Agents Hub beyond the programme – so access to the content and the learner community during 3 months after the end of the programme.
  • CPDUK Certified – 25 CPD Credits
  • ECTS Points
  • Johan Cruyff Institute Alumni membership upon completion of the programme
Man working on a laptop with a headset microphone.

Faculty

Meet the programme team

Loughborough University

Loughborough is one of the UK's leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

Loughborough university sunset with students walking in the distance.
Loughborough university sunset with students walking in the distance.

It has been ranked 7th in The UK Complete University Guide 2023, 10th in the Guardian University League Table 2023 and 11th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023.

The Loughborough University has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2023 QS World University Rankings – the seventh year running – and University of the Year for Sport by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2022.

Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’, and in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 over 90% of its research was rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally-excellent’. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

The Loughborough University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.

Johan Cruyff Institute

Johan Cruyff Institute is a global business school founded by an exceptional sportsman based on his way of leading on and off the pitch, represents taking another step towards the professionalization of the world of sport that both institutions are committed to.

Johan Cruyff Institute classroom with students and a teacher. Johan Cruyff's silhouette can be seen on a wall.
Johan Cruyff Institute classroom with students and a teacher. Johan Cruyff's silhouette can be seen on a wall.

Sport, management and social work are three key words in the world of Johan Cruyff and basic pillars of his legacy. His own experience as a professional football player and later as a coach and advisor led Johan to devise a plan to help athletes to enter the working world at the end of their sports career and to promote the professionalization of management in the world of sport. Johan Cruyff Institute is the academic legacy of Johan Cruyff.

Since its founding in 2002, Johan Cruyff Institute has trained athletes, sport managers and other professionals in sport management, sport marketing and sponsorship, football business and coaching. Its expansion has been unstoppable, and it currently offers more than 90 programs. Today, Johan Cruyff Institute has centers in Spain, the Netherlands, Peru and Mexico, 11 offices around the world and 18 international agents in 19 different countries. More than 10,000 students have been trained in their classrooms, in on-campus and online courses.

Since its founding in 2002, Johan Cruyff Institute has trained athletes, sport managers and other professionals in sport management, sport marketing and sponsorship, football business and coaching.

Since its founding in 2002, Johan Cruyff Institute has trained athletes, sport managers and other professionals in sport management, sport marketing and sponsorship, football business and coaching.

Since its founding in 2002, Johan Cruyff Institute has trained athletes, sport managers and other professionals in sport management, sport marketing and sponsorship, football business and coaching. Its expansion has been unstoppable, and it currently offers more than 90 programs. Today, Johan Cruyff Institute has centers in Spain, the Netherlands, Peru and Mexico, 11 offices around the world and 18 international agents in 19 different countries. More than 10,000 students have been trained in their classrooms, in on-campus and online courses.

Training Course on FIFA Football Agent Examination

If you are also interested in preparing yourself for the FIFA Football Agent Examination, you can register for our Course on FIFA Football Agent Examination which offers regulatory and legal content specifically tailored for the Exam.

In the event you would like to register for both courses, special conditions will be granted. For more information, contact campus@cruyffinstitute.org.

More information