In a first-of-its-kind partnership for sports management education in India, the Mumbai based Global Institute of Sports Business (GISB) announced a partnership with The University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management on August 28. The partnership provides GISB students with exposure to top-tier sport management coursework taught by full-time professors from the world’s #1 ranked sport management masters programme. GISB students will be challenged and trained by UMass faculty in core sport management subject areas, while securing a postgraduate degree in sport management and studying in India – one of the fastest growing sports markets.

As part of the partnership, GISB will host UMass faculty in Mumbai multiple times a year for week long, on-ground masters level seminars. GISB students will be immersed in specialised sport management modules covering topics such as sport marketing, consumer behaviour, corporate sponsorship, fan engagement, strategy and leadership. Students will also have access to an online learning platform, as well as the McCormack Case Study Collection housed within the McCormack Center for Sport Research & Education. Also, UMass officials will support with the planning and execution for any GISB international study trips organized within North America, building a bridge between GISB students and the McCormack Department’s unrivalled sport industry alumni base.

The partnership provides another boost for GISB which made headlines in 2018 for establishing India’s first internationally certified sports management course. Located in a state of the art campus in the heart of India’s business capital, Mumbai, GISB has been created as an industry-driven approach to sports management education focused on furthering individual growth, fostering student employability and generating sector impact. The Institute was established to address the growing demand for professionals with relevant educational background and training to join the USD 700 Billion global sports industry.

Commenting on the partnership, GISB programme director Neel Shah, said, “UMass offers the best postgraduate sports management programme in the world and I am thrilled that they have made a long-term commitment to educate and empower our future global sports industry leaders at GISB.”

He added, “This partnership aligns with GISB’s vision to provide our students with access to world-class education, exposure and experiences.”

Comments Steve McKelvey, McCormack Department associate chair for external engagement, “When our department procured Mark McCormack’s IMG archives, one of the goals was to continue to expand his innovation legacy on an international level. This multi-year relationship with GISB provides a unique platform for us to further this objective, and positively develop India’s future sport management leaders.”

Will Norton, director of McCormack Center, said, “In GISB, we see a trusted partner that is committed to providing substantive, industry-designed training for intelligent and driven students looking to impact the Indian sports ecosystem. With over 50 years of proven thought leadership and academic excellence, the McCormack Department is excited to further enrich the postgraduate experience for GISB students, and deliver differentiation for the future leaders of the commercial sport industry.”

The 2019-20 batch of GISB’s Post Graduate Program in Sports Management commences on August 19.

Mumbai based Global Institute of Sports Business offers India’s first and only industry designed and internationally certified sports management course. For more information, visit www.gisbindia.com.

Ranked #1 globally, the Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is one of the few sport management programmes housed within a business school: The Isenberg School of Management. For more information, visit https://www.isenberg.umass.edu/programs/depts/sport-mgmt.