The ESA Diploma – a graduate’s story
As a partner of the 2014 ESA Diploma, the first academic qualification designed specifically for the needs of the sponsorship industry, Sports Sponsorship Insider presents a first-hand account of this year’s course from a recent graduate.
Jenny Clark, sponsorship executive at The Football Association, was one of the 48 students who qualified from the class of 2013. This is her account of the course, its challenges and benefits as a career development tool.
Jenny Clark writes: “I began my career in the sponsorship industry in 2008 at a research and evaluation agency, before moving on to work with rights holders – including Epsom Downs Racecourse and subsequently The Football Association – focusing on account management and the delivery of sponsors’ rights.
"As my career developed I was keen to increase my grasp of the wider industry and through personal research I found out about the ESA Diploma qualification. I learnt that the diploma aims to provide an in-depth overview of modern day sponsorship best practice and seemed like an ideal course to further develop my industry knowledge and my career.
"The structure of the course is a distance learning platform which was appealing as it enabled me to study when (and where) convenient around full-time employment at The FA. The diploma is made up of six modules. For each, we had to complete two assignments designed to demonstrate our understanding of the core subject. Module topics included a range of industry practices such as the regulation of sponsorship, sponsorship research and sponsorship activation, covering areas across sport, the arts and music.
"For each module we were supplied with comprehensive course notes which were supported by monthly seminars. The seminars were run at Sport England’s head office in London where we were given an insight and overview to each module, and leading industry professionals were in attendance to present specific case studies to us. This included presentations from, among others, William Fenton (Director, Sponsorship Consulting ‘World Sponsorship’), Tim Crow (CEO, Synergy) and Andy Sutherden (Global Practice Director, Sports Marketing & Sponsorship, Hill & Knowlton).
"As well as module assignments, there is also an ongoing project worth 40 per cent of the course weighting. For this, students are challenged to present a solution to a realistic industry brief. We were asked to create a sponsorship strategy for the British Olympic Association (BOA), which would raise sufficient funding to ensure the Team GB legacy is sustained to Rio 2016 and beyond. We attended a special briefing session with The BOA’s Michelle Webb (Corporate Partnerships Manager) and Leah Davis (Brand and Marketing Manager), plus Sally Hancock (ex-LloydsTSB), who presented their London 2012 partnership.
"Throughout the duration of the course the assignments were certainly challenging, but I have found it extremely beneficial building my knowledge of the sponsorship industry and my confidence working within it. The seminars gave me an excellent opportunity to meet high profile and experienced industry professionals and to build my network of contacts.
"The qualification certainly delivered on my objectives and I would highly recommend the course to any individual who works within the sponsorship sector.”
The 2014 ESA Diploma has five Official Partners. Along with Sports Sponsorship Insider, these are: Sport England, ICON, Activative and Sponsorium.