Pillai College collaborates with CIES to launch 1st Edition of the FIFA/CIES Executive Programme in Sports Management

by Chittu Shetty September 17, 2019

CIES Partners with Pillai Group of Institutions to launch the 1st Edition of the FIFA/CIES Executive Programme in Sports Management in India

Mahatma Education Society’s Pillai Group of Institutions, a Mumbai based Trust that manages over 48 educational institutions in Maharashtra, today inaugurated the first edition of the  prestigious PILLAI/FIFA/CIES Executive Programme in Sports Management in collaboration with FIFA(the World’s Governing Football body) and CIES (the International Centre for Sports Studies – Switzerland).

This Executive Education Programme is currently conducted in 15 different countries across the world and India is the 16th country in the global map to have such a programme and first in South Asia to get an authorization for running such an initiative.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Guest Ms. Vita Dani, CEO Ultimate Table Tennis League & Co-Owner Chennaiyin FC spoke about the growing sports industry and said “It is endearing to see so many budding, passionate and aspiring minds aiming to make a career in sports. It is their endeavour that is going to help the Indian sporting eco system grow from strength to strength. I would also like to congratulate the Pillai Group and FIFA-CIES for introducing the prestigious Executive Programme in Sports Management that aims to give that endeavour the perfect platform to thrive. I wish everyone the very best of luck for the programme ahead.”

The inauguration ceremony marked the culmination of three years of intensive discussions between the Pillai Group of Institutions and CIES. Sports Summits and Conclaves conducted by the Pillai team in the cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kochi and Kolkata in the past few months attracted enthusiastic participants with diverse profiles from all sports. Over 300 applications were received from across Asia for this exclusive programme and after a rigorous admission process a cohort of 40 enthusiastic professionals were recruited for this year.

This Executive Programme allows managers from various sports organizations to gain knowledge of management principles in fields such as marketing, sponsorship, finance and accounting, communication, management, law and event management. In addition to the universal contents of the curriculum, the Pillai group has partnered with leading sports firms to conduct guest lectures, internships and special talks for the programme.

TheGuest of Honour for the Opening Ceremony, Mr. Roland Chavillon, Manager, FIFA/CIES International University Network, Neuchatel, Switzerland, observed “The University has fully understood our objectives. The Pillai Institute of Management Studies and Research has already perfectly integrated itself into the FIFA/CIES University Network, which now consists of 17 universities. Our cooperation will contribute to the training of a new generation of football, and of sports, managers in India. This is a great satisfaction.”

Elated at the response the first edition has garnered, Franav Pillai, Director of the Executive Programme, said:  “We are proud to be a part of the FIFA/CIES University Network and happy with the tremendous response garnered for the very first edition of the Programme. I am confident that the programme will enrich the participants to be catalysts of positive change in the sporting industry across the world”.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for this strategic partnership was signed in December 2018 by Mr. Pierre Cornu (President-CIES) and Dr. K.M.Vasudevan Pillai (Chairman-Pillai Group) in the presence of Mr. VinodTawde (Minister for Education and Sports – Government of Maharashtra), Mr. Kushal Das (General Secretary – All India Football Federation), Mr. Bimal Parekh (Co-owner –Mumbai City FC) and many other prominent professionals from the sports industry in India. The Pillai Group of Institutions has focused on excellence in education for the past five decades and is also known for encouraging its students to pursue a career in sport. The alumni of the college include nationally and internationally known athletes who have participated at the Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games, Indian Premier League (IPL) and Indian Super League (ISL).

Talking about his milestone moment in the history of Mahatma Education Society, Dr.K. M Vasudevan Pillai, Chairman, Pillai Group of Institutions, said “Our partnership with FIFA/CIES has come at a crucial time where our country is all set to take its sports ecosystem towards a new direction. We are convinced that being part of the FIFA/CIES University Network will allow us to become a leader in the field of sports management in South Asia.”

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