PROGRAMME IN SPORTS MANAGEMENT
Interview with

Szymon Kabatnik | graduate 2016

You are a member of the team that won the FIFA/CIES University Network Prize this year. Could you tell us something about your project?
In today's world, people pay more attention to healthy lifestyles and hence more often do sport at an amateur level. Besides football, which is the most popular sport in Poland, other sports such as volleyball and handball are gaining in popularity. It creates a need in the stakeholders for more business and sport oriented activities.
In order to respond to the demand in the amateur sport market it is necessary to create a communication platform that allows contact between amateur sports enthusiasts, trainers/coaches and representatives of sports facilities. The main goal of this site is to help interested institutions with their cooperation and which is favorable for all involved.
The communication network "druzynowo.pl" might become the very first social network connecting every stakeholder of amateur team games.

How is the idea developing?
We are looking for investors or support for start-ups, e.g. from EU funds. We have consulted our idea with IT experts and experienced start-up founders. I believe that we will implement our project in the near future and we will make amateur team games easier to organise.

Why did you choose to attend the FIFA/CIES Programme in Sport Management?
The Polish sports sector is developing and in the near future, there will be an increasing demand for highly-skilled managers. The FIFA/CIES Programme in sports management is a complex programme that helps with shaping a manager that is not only highly qualified but also multisport orientated. Moreover, it is a great opportunity to meet many inspirational and successful people who, in many cases, are innovators in this field in Poland.

What was your highlight of the course?
Meeting my fellow classmates and sharing experiences with them is something invaluable and not possible to gain elsewhere. Besides this, and thanks to the FIFA/CIES University Network Prize, I had the opportunity to meet the FIFA Master class in Switzerland. The visit to the FIFA headquarters in Zurich will also always be one of my best memories.

Would you recommend the FIFA/CIES Programme in Sport Management?
Of course, I would recommend this programme to anybody who is passionate about sport and who wants to pursue their professional career in sports management. It is a very interesting time, where you will meet lots of inspirational people and you will improve your knowledge of management and the sports sector more widely.