The ‘Liverpool Way’ – learn while engaging with one of the world’s most popular football brands

By Kenneth Cortsen on July 31, 2013 in Sport & Events, Sport Economy, Sport Management, Sport Marketing

Liverpool Football Club and London School of Business & Finance (LSBF) have joined forces to introduce a new educational opportunity to sport management practitioners and general business people. Under the umbrella of LFC E.L.I.T.E.S. (Education and Learning Initiative Training Entrepreneurs in Sport), the educational programmes will offer courses, which combine classroom theory and football (soccer).

On the LFC E.L.I.T.E.S. web site, it is emphasized that there is much to learn from the intersection between football/sports and the business world. Take a look at the following citation from the web site:

“For those with an interest in the business or sporting world, you will already have an appreciation for the transferable skills between effective management and sports coaching – team building, leadership, motivation, crucial elements of any successful team whether on or off the sports field.”

As a way to grow the brand of LFC further by giving a wide variety of stakeholders insight into the LFC ‘way of management’, the programmes are now to be delivered outside the UK. Denmark is among the locations outside the UK, where LFC E.L.I.T.E.S. will take place (in September 2013).

In that regard, LFC E.L.I.T.E.S. states that:

“Following the success of the highly-acclaimed Management & Leadership programmes at Liverpool Football Club Academy in June, E.L.I.T.E.S is delighted to start the global tour in Aalborg, Denmark. It will be the first time the programme is delivered outside the UK.

Providing a rare insight in to the management skills and strategies Liverpool Football Club employ in the running of their business, the programme explores the transferable skills that sport coaching can bring to any leader in any business through world-class management theory, innovative practical sessions and engaging seminars, all taught the ‘Liverpool Way’.

These unique and inspiring programmes will be run in association with UCN Sport Management at the Nordjyske Arena located in the Aalborg Stadion stadium complex; the home ground of Danish Super League club AaB.”

From my perspective, this initiative is an example of exciting innovation from one of the world’s leading football brands. The best football clubs in the world continuously aim at expanding the reach of their brands. In doing so, this serves as an alternative, yet an effective, brand building tool, which blends well with other innovative ways of providing fine access to the ‘Liverpool Way’ or LFC’s brand, e.g. the documentary ‘Being Liverpool’. LFC’s initiative reflects the importance of modern sports branding where the request for dynamic transparency around the brand is met.

In an article from SportsPro Media, Aaron Etingen from LSBF stated that “We’re extremely proud to have entered this partnership with Liverpool FC. Both LSBF and the club have put a lot of effort into the development of the programmes, which are unique to the market.” In the same article, Billy Hogan, chief commercial officer from LFC said that “Football develops many transferable skills, including team work, leadership and management through change. The Management and Leadership course offers participants the chance to enhance these skills using football as a tool to learn.”

For more information about the programmes, check the video below: