The business of football

Welcome to this free OpenLearn course produced by The Open University working in partnership with the EFL Trust, the educational arm of the English Football League. If you are fascinated by men's and women's football and interested in discovering more about business and management then this engaging and stimulating free course is for you. In the following video Eleanor Oldroyd from BBC Radio 5 Live explains a little more about the topics you’ll examine.TranscriptDuring this interactive course you investigate three main themes. First is the nature of the football business. You'll look at clubs, particularly those beyond the Premier League, exploring how their business model might differ from other industries. You draw on academic perspectives and interviews with those working in football at both a traditional club, Chesterfield, and a newer one, MK Dons, to consider different income streams and clubs' internal and external decision making environments.The second theme focuses on employees' motivation at work and the dynamics of working in a team. Interviews with professional footballers and club employees are used to illustrate some of the complexities that the research reveals. You will consider how to nurture an effective motivational and team climate.The final theme is globalisation and power relationships in football and in business. You will examine the commercial and global expansion of the game and how different dimensions of power are used in football and other businesses.If you have enjoyed this course and are interested in studying further with us find out more about this and other programmes within the OU. You might be particularly interested in our BSc (hons) Sport, Fitness and Coaching.