Ending the “brain drain” in UK sport

Olympians Kelly Sotherton, Goldie Sayers and Beth Tweddle, England cricketer Matthew Hoggard, Glasgow Rangers Director of football Mark Allen and from rugby league two time challenge cup wining boss Lee Radford and England international Matthew Tait will be among the first intake studying for the Masters in Sporting Directorship accredited by the University of Salford, working closely with VSI. 

International stars are also flocking to Salford, with sporting directors from Netherlands and Germany on the course to ensure that vital expertise and experience is not lost to the sporting industry. Athletes approaching the end of their playing careers can find it difficult to transition into the boardroom. 

Kelly Sotherton, who won two Olympic bronze medals in the heptathlon, said: “There has been a bit of a problem with a brain drain in sport, so this course is well needed. I’m very ambitious, I’m keen to eventually get a senior leadership role and I’m on this course to boost my profile and give me the skills to succeed. I want to be a bit more business savvy, so that when I look for a role I can add that to my CV on top of sporting success.” 

The course is not just designed for athletes who have competed at the highest level. This year’s cohort includes students with experience of sport at a local and regional level. 

VSI Chairman Andy McIntyre said: “A sporting director needs to have a performance background tied with commercial and strategic leadership background. What we found is that many organisations want to appoint someone like that, but they just can’t find them. We want to create that talent pool. 

Matthew Hoggard, who played 67 tests for England, said: “This course appeals to me because all the skills it teaches are transferable. You see that more and more, rugby players working in cricket for example. This course will hopefully enable me to get a real job after twenty years of playing sport!” 

“My passion is to pass on my knowledge to the younger generation of gymnasts who are coming through. Mixing with people from other sports has already helped, we were chatting about how things work across the sporting world, there is so much to learn.”