Spanish football giant Real Madrid has entered into a partnership with Australia’s newest highest education establishment, the Adelaide-based Torrens University to jointly deliver a sports-focused Masters of Business Administration.

The partnership, Real Madrid’s second with an Australian higher education establishment after an agreement with Victoria University announced earlier this year, will see the establish of an international MBA in Sports Management with graduates earning a joint degree from Adelaide-based Torrens University and the Real Madrid Graduate School Universidad Europea.

In Sydney at the launch of the partnership on Wednesday (22nd July) Real Madrid Club legend Emilio Butragueno, now Chief Executive of the Real Madrid Graduate School said the increasing sophistication of the sports industry made more intensive graduate qualifications necessary.

Butragueno stated "we need professionals with sports-focused expertise in business, management, finance and communications, and this will help."

Torrens University Vice-Chancellor Justin Beilby added “we expect to attract people in business already, the CEOs and COOs, who want to work in sport.

"Then there are the ex-athletes that want to stay in the sport."

Beilby said the price of the two-year course has not been finalised but will be in line with other MBA programs around Australia.

He expects the first classes to begin in early 2016, with 75% of the course delivered face-to-face and the remainder online. A two-week intensive program in Madrid at the club is also included.

Established in 2012, Torrens University is Australia's third private university. It is part of the Laureate International Universities network of more that than 80 higher-education institutions owned and operated by Laureate Education, of Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States.

The most successful club in European football history having won 10 European Cups, Real Madrid already has a presence in 10 business schools around the world, developed in conjunction with Laureate.

With education part of Real Madrid’s increasingly diverse revenue streams, the club is banking on its global reputation to attract students.

Forbes recently valued Real Madrid at $4.4 billion, while Club Vice-President Pedro Lopez Jimenez, also in Sydney this week, said it had turnover of $812 million in the 2014 financial year.

Its revenue is derived roughly equally from three sources: matchday income, broadcast revenue and sponsorship and marketing.

Jimenez said the club was keen to monetise its growing digital business, having recently signed a $US30 million partnership with Microsoft to develop a fan app and other digital platforms.

He added "we have 400 million fans so imagine getting just 1 euro from each of them to see what Ronaldo is doing in the dressing room and other important information from the club."

Butragueno said students of the Real Madrid MBA are taught by about 65 of the club's marketing, commercial and media executives, concluding that students will be “learning from the very people running the club.

“Some of our students have gone on to work for us and the current coach of Deportivo La Coruna, Victor Sanchez, is also a graduate."

About 13% of club revenue, or €72 million, comes from international tours and friendly matches, including the current games Real Madrid is playing in Melbourne.

For more information go to www.torrens.edu.au/courses/sports-management/master-of-business-administration

Top image shows (from left): Real Madrid Vice-Chairman Pedro Lopez Jimenez; Laureate Australia Chief Executive, Linda Brown; Torrens University Vice-Chancellor, Justin Beilby and Real Madrid Graduate School Chief Executive Emilio Butragueno. 

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