Sport Event Management

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 7
• Convenor: Professor Geoff Walters
• Tutor: Mark Panton
• Assessment: a 2500-word individual report (40%) and two-hour examination (60%)

As recently as the 1970s, hosting a mega sport event was considered a financial burden due to the losses at both the Munich Olympics in 1972 and the Montreal Olympics in 1976. However, following the financially successful Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984, there has been an increase in competition to host the Olympics. This is also true of the FIFA World Cup, other sport events such as the Rugby World Cup, and smaller, showcase events in sports that receive less media attention.

Whether it is a mega event, a showcase event, or a calendar event, a sport event requires a significant level of planning, organisation and management. This module introduces you to a range of key topics associated with the planning and implementation of a sport event in addition to post-event legacies. As the largest global sport event, the Olympic Games will be used as a key case study to illustrate particular issues. The module will also draw on other case studies from sport events, both domestic and international, where relevant.

indicative module content

• The commercialisation of the sport event industry
• Sport events and government policy
• Sport events and economic impact
• Sport events and urban regeneration
• Bidding for an event
• Sport events and venue management
• Sport events and sustainability
• Ambush marketing
• Sport event legacies

By the end of this module, you will:

• understand the increasing importance and commercial significance of the sport event industry
• be aware of key issues involved at different stages of sport events
• be able to evaluate the positive and negative aspects of hosting a sport event
• be able to critically analyse the impacts and legacies of sport events.