Universidad Católica Argentina (UCA), Superliga Argentina de Fútbol (SAF) and the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) have recently signed a new partnership agreement. UCA has been the CIES academic partner in Argentina since 2004.
The main objective of this tripartite agreement is to bring a new dimension to the joint UCA/FIFA/CIES Programme in Sports Management by working with a partner who is active in football. It also involves setting up various activities (conferences, seminars, exchange of knowledge and experience) related more specifically to football.
Rafael Trevisán, Head of the UCA/FIFA/CIES Programme and UCA representative, was delighted with the new partnership.
“There is no doubt that our Programme - which already enjoys an excellent reputation built over the years - can only be enriched by the contributions of SAF. Our goal is to remain true to the objective we set with CIES more than 15 years ago - To provide management tools that support the professionalisation of sport. We will continue to do so in a spirit of continuous innovation”, he said.
CIES Secretary-General, Vincent Schatzmann, added, “In our opinion, this partnership is the result of the work done by CIES in Argentina. For almost fifteen years now, hundreds of students have enrolled on the UCA/FIFA/CIES Programme. Many of them now hold key positions in organisations such as AFA, Superliga, and football clubs at all levels in Argentina. Also, graduates can be found in other sports organisations in the country and other regions of Latin America”.
SAF President Mariano Elizondo concluded, “Our objective is to professionalise and improve the skills of SAF partners in the field of management. This partnership will do a lot to help us achieve that. Managers trained in the framework of the UCA/FIFA/CIES Executive Programme acquire valuable work tools and knowledge. Participating in such a project gives us added value that will be reflected in the institutional growth of football clubs in Argentina. We are very pleased to sign this cooperation agreement”.
The partnership is already bearing fruit. Matías Cecileo, current marketing manager at SAF, will actively contribute to the next edition of the UCA/FIFA/CIES Programme, which he already attended as a student.