University Campus of Football Business (UCFB) and its Global Institute of Sport (GIS) celebrated the launch of its new Manchester campus at Old Trafford Football Stadium on Thursday 9 November. Guests from across the sports industry, local organisations and businesses joined UCFB Chairman and CEO, Brendan Flood, and his team for the unveiling. Attendees were given a look at two brand-new UCFB teaching facilities, including Quayside, a dedicated academic centre for sports media, communications, and marketing degrees, close to the regional BBC and ITV headquarters at MediaCityUK. Guests were also shown the new academic centre for Football and Sports Business at Exchange Quay, Salford Quays, the new home for UCFB's specialist business and management degree courses, a stone's throw from Old Trafford Football Stadium. Belle Vue Sports Village and Curzon Ashton FC will continue to host UCFB's academic centre for Performance and Football Coaching degree courses enabling students to study in high quality football and sport industry settings. Furthermore, a new inspirational series of Premier Events will take place at Old Trafford Football Stadium and the Etihad Stadium giving students unrivalled industry insights. UCFB and GIS will also maintain a strong presence in Manchester city centre, including Student Support Services, a library and study hub at Piccadilly Place close to its student accommodation. UCFB's expansion plans, with an investment value of £16m will cater for up to 2,500 students studying in Manchester by 2027, nurturing and developing the next generation of young talent for sports industry in this historic football city. Following the campus unveiling was a panel discussion chaired by Brendan Flood, featuring Sean Dyche, Everton FC manager; Stephen Wild, managing director of MediaCityUK; and Andrea Chiltern, CEO of English Schools Football Association. The special guests discussed the development of young talent, connecting talent to industry and driving growth in sport and sports education. Brendan Flood commented: "The expansion of our Manchester campus into MediaCityUK and Exchange Quay brings our students even closer to the high-profile employers on their doorstep. We pride ourselves on our industry-leading employee partnerships, which provide vocational experience that creates unrivalled routes into the sports industry for the young people who choose us to further their education. "I'd like to thank everyone for celebrating with us at our official launch event, in particular my fellow panellists who joined me for a lively chat, building a buzz around the future of sports education that's being forged right here in Greater Manchester." UCFB received a record number of applications from students for courses starting September 2023. In total, UCFB and GIS processed almost 5,000 applications for the new academic year – a 25% increase over the past three years. Furthermore, across the past five years at UCFB, the annual student intake has risen by 32%. In response to these record-breaking application figures, Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: "It's fantastic to see the expansion of UCFB and GIS across Greater Manchester, widening opportunities for the region's young people to access higher education, while developing a highly skilled workforce contributing to the economic growth of the city region. He continued: "Connecting young people to employment by creating strong links between employers and the regional education institutions is a priority for Greater Manchester and it's great to see UCFB and GIS succeeding in this area for its students."
