The International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) recently signed a partnership agreement with the Universidad de Puerto Rico - Recinto de Mayagüez (UPRM) and the Federación Puertorriqueña de Fútbol (FPF) in order to offer the FIFA/CIES International Programme in Sports Management to Spanish-speaking people from Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and the United States. The official announcement was made by the two local partners at a press conference held on 27 October in San Juan. The CIES confirmed its satisfaction and outlined the Programme in question by presenting a short video to the participants.
At the press conference, Iván Rivera said, "As President of the FPF, one of my objectives was to bring the FIFA/CIES Programme to our island to offer sports management education at a high level. As an alumnus of this prestigious Programme, which I attended at the University of Costa Rica in 2017, I can testify to its rich content and how it will benefit all the students who take the course. It will be a great contribution to Puerto Rican sport, through the training of better leaders for its administration."
The FPF President added, "The academic proposal of the FIFA/CIES Programme aims to offer students a global vision of sports management through six fundamental areas: communication, sports law, marketing and sponsorship, administration, finance and sports event organisation. With the implementation of this project, Puerto Rico joins 17 universities around the world that offer this Programme and forms a unique network supported by FIFA. "
For his part, Vincent Schatzmann, Secretary General of CIES, explained in a message sent to the two Puerto Rican partners; "It is a great pleasure for us to sign an agreement with the Universidad de Puerto Rico - Recinto de Mayagüez - and the Federación Puertorriqueña de Fútbol with the aim of training Spanish-speaking sports managers from Puerto Rico as well as from the Caribbean and the USA. This partnership is complementary to those we have already successfully established for many years in Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as in other countries around the world. This alliance between a renowned university and a football federation is a concrete example of our efforts to offer the managers of today and tomorrow an education based on solid academic foundations and which is designed for the realities of local sport and football.”
Finally, Dr Agustín Rullán Toro, Rector of the UPRM, said he was honoured by this historic agreement, which will strengthen the educational mission of the Recinto de Mayagüez in two areas of great importance to the institution: entrepreneurship and sport. He noted, "We are delighted to be part of this multi-sectoral cooperation. We are also pleased that our professors and colleagues from the Department of Kinesiology and the College of Business Administration (ADEM) are collaborating in the project to infuse this Sports Management Programme with the excellence that is the hallmark of our century-old institution. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Luis Del Río, Director of the Department of Kinesiology, and Dr. David Muñoz, Professor at ADEM. Indeed, they have coordinated this excellent educational opportunity which, I am sure, will open many doors for those who attend."
On 17 November 2021, the three partners and CIES representatives plan to organize a conference which will provide further information on the new partnership and the programme itself.
UPRM will be the official institution where the students will be able to follow the Programme and thus obtain the necessary tools to improve their sports environment. In order to participate in this course, those interested must have a university degree and/or hold a managerial position in sport-related institutions, associations, federations or companies. In addition, they will have to take part in a preliminary interview. They will have to submit all the required documents by mid-January. The first edition will start in February 2022.
For more information:
Prof. David F. Muñoz González, david.munoz@upr.edu
Prof. Luis O. Del Rio Perez, luiso.delrio@upr.edu
Luis Mozo, secretariotecnico@fpfpuertorico.com