Neill Wood

Loughborough to launch unique football finance course

Colleagues from Loughborough University are set to launch a new football finance programme – the first of its kind in higher education.

Delivered by alumnus and finance expert Neill Wood, the online programme hosted by the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences has been designed to provide delegates with a broad understanding of football finance using first-hand industry experience.

Starting with the basic principles of financial accounting and progressing to the more complex areas, the course allows individuals to build a foundation of practical knowledge of football finance, culminating in a review of UEFA Financial Fair Play.

The programme is designed with flexibility in mind for the learner, allowing content to be consumed on demand. Delegates from a broad spectrum of experience, including finance and non-finance specialists, current or former players, agents, or whole football clubs are encouraged to apply.

Professor Mark King, Associate Dean for Enterprise in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, said:

“It has been an honour and pleasure to work with alumnus and Visiting Fellow in Sport & Football Finance, Neill Wood on this unique, on-demand digital football finance programme. This programme aligns with our strategy to reach out worldwide to deliver high quality sport related content on a digital platform.”

Neill, who graduated from the University with a Sports Science and Maths degree in 2006, added:

“I am delighted and honoured to be collaborating with the best sporting educational establishment in the world to bring innovative learning opportunities to ambitious sports professionals using the exciting medium of sport.

"Loughborough University was transformational for me personally and professionally and the experience I gained at the University provided the foundations for me to pursue a career combining my passion for sport with a talent for finance.

“Finance is a life-skill I feel privileged to have learned throughout my career. Now it's time for me to continue my life-long passion for learning, by teaching others, whilst sharing my experience and giving something back to the University which helped me to achieve my sporting dreams, beyond the pitch."

For more information on the programme and to register interest, visit Home - Football Finance Professionals.The course will be launched at the beginning of August 2022.

Neill also recently appeared on the Loughborough University ‘Experts in Sport’ podcast. To listen to the episode, visit: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/media-centre/press-releases/2022/march/experts-in-sport-neill-woods-story/

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: 22/129

Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2022 QS World University Rankings and University of the Year for Sport by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2022.

Loughborough is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 7th in The UK Complete University Guide 2022, and 10th in both the Guardian University League Table 2022 and the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022.

Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

The Loughborough University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.

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