Arsenal Football Club Collaborates with Birkbeck Sport Management Students, Opening Doors to Unique Opportunities
On Thursday 9 November, students on Birkbeck’s MSc Sport Management swapped their usual classroom for one at Arsenal Football Club. Their visit was hosted by Samir Singh, Diversity and Inclusion Manager at Arsenal in the Community, and Sami Harb, who is Senior Partner Services Executive at Arsenal Football Club, and a former Birkbeck Sport Management student.
The Master’s students who are currently studying a module entitled Sport and Society, which looks at the role sport plays in contemporary society, used the visit to learn about this directly from those involved.
Samir discussed the work of Arsenal in the Community, the many projects it is involved with in Islington, Camden and Hackney, and the relationship between Arsenal in the Community and Arsenal Football Club. Sami then discussed the role of partnerships at Arsenal Football Club and the importance of authentic, credible partnership work.
Throughout, the students posed questions and discussed the social and economic dimensions of their work and how it connected to issues discussed in the module. The session closed with a discussion regarding career development, with Samir and Sami offering advice on how best to enter into, and advance within, the sport industry. Following the session, Samir and Sami took the students on a tour of the Emirates Stadium, stopping in to see the media centre, the changing rooms and the pitch itself.
Dr Richard Tacon, Co-Director of Birkbeck Sport Business Centre and leader of the Sport and Society module, said:
“This was a brilliant evening. Week in, week out, on this module, we discuss the role of sport in society and we draw on critical sociology and management theory to inform our debates. This was a chance for students to engage directly with sport industry professionals and connect their learning with current issues in sport. Thank you to Samir and Sami from all of us at Birkbeck and we look forward to continuing our association.”