Football / Executive Course
Executive programme · Cohort 1 starts 12 November 2026
The Football Governance Executive Course
A practical executive programme preparing club leaders, future executives and advisers for the Independent Football Regulator and the new regulatory landscape. It translates the Football Governance Act 2025 into what the regime means in your boardroom, and what to do about it.
- Structure8 modulesOne fixed programme
- TimeAbout 3.5 hours a week~56 hours in total
- Live classesEvery other ThursdayOnline, one per module
- Cohort 112 Nov to 30 MarBreak over Christmas
Why this course, and why now
A licence regime with real, enforceable obligations.
The Football Governance Act 2025 created the Independent Football Regulator, the first statutory regulator of English football. In July 2026 the IFR published its final licensing rules, governance code and business-plan template. Every club in the top five tiers now needs a licence, with obligations across finance, governance, ownership and fans.
The curriculum
Eight modules.
Each module ends with something real: six of them produce a piece of work for your own club, assessed and ready to use in your licence evidence.
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Module 1: Introduction to the IFR and the new licensing regime
Live class19 Nov 2026What it covers
The Football Governance Act 2025, the regulator’s purpose and objectives, its scope and principles, and what the licence means for your club.
Dates
Opens Thu 12 Nov 2026, live class Thu 19 Nov 2026
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Module 2: IFR licence application and evidence readinessAssessed
Live class3 Dec 2026What it covers
Operating licences, the obligations that come with them, and the evidence and assurance behind a strong application.
What you produce
Licence application evidence map and readiness file
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Module 3: Financial sustainability and strategic business planningAssessed
Live class17 Dec 2026What it covers
Financial soundness, funding, stress-testing and risk, and the business plan the regime expects.
What you produce
Financial sustainability evidence pack
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Module 4: Corporate governance code and board effectivenessAssessed
Live class14 Jan 2027What it covers
The IFR governance code in practice: board effectiveness, delegation, conflicts and culture.
What you produce
Governance statement and board effectiveness record
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Module 5: Owners, directors and senior executives
Live class28 Jan 2027What it covers
Suitability, control, resources and stewardship, including the fitness regime for the people running the club.
Dates
Opens Thu 21 Jan 2027, live class Thu 28 Jan 2027
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Module 6: Fan engagement, heritage and communityAssessed
Live class11 Feb 2027What it covers
Engaging and consulting fans, protecting heritage, and earning legitimacy in the community.
What you produce
Fan engagement framework and consultation evidence
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Module 7: Risk management, compliance monitoring and regulatory engagementAssessed
Live class25 Feb 2027What it covers
Continuous compliance, assurance, and working well with the regulator day to day.
What you produce
Risk and compliance register
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Module 8: IFR readiness simulation and club action planningAssessed
Live class11 Mar 2027What it covers
A capstone regulatory scenario and governance maturity assessment that brings the whole programme together.
What you produce
Integrated simulation and board-level action plan
How each module runs
About seven hours a fortnight, built around a board-level diary.
a week, across two weeks per module. Most of it is self-paced; one live online class per module.
- 0.5hOn-demand foundationsCore concepts, key definitions and club implications, before the live class.
- 1hPre-recorded classTrainer-led walkthroughs with checkpoints and short knowledge tests.
- 1.5hLive online workshopScenarios, peer discussion and Q&A with the faculty.
- 2.5hApplied work on your own clubBuild the artefact using your club, or a supplied case study.
- 1.5hAssessment and reflectionSubmit, review peer decisions and record improvement actions.
Cohort 1 timetable
A new module every fortnight, with its live class a week later.
Content opens on a Thursday; the live online class is the following Thursday. The programme pauses over Christmas.
| Module | Content opens | Live online class |
|---|---|---|
Module 1: Introduction to the IFR and the new licensing regime | Thu 12 Nov 2026 | Thu 19 Nov 2026 |
Module 2: IFR licence application and evidence readiness | Thu 26 Nov 2026 | Thu 3 Dec 2026 |
Module 3: Financial sustainability and strategic business planning | Thu 10 Dec 2026 | Thu 17 Dec 2026 |
| Christmas break: 18 December to 6 January | ||
Module 4: Corporate governance code and board effectiveness | Thu 7 Jan 2027 | Thu 14 Jan 2027 |
Module 5: Owners, directors and senior executives | Thu 21 Jan 2027 | Thu 28 Jan 2027 |
Module 6: Fan engagement, heritage and community | Thu 4 Feb 2027 | Thu 11 Feb 2027 |
Module 7: Risk management, compliance monitoring and regulatory engagement | Thu 18 Feb 2027 | Thu 25 Feb 2027 |
Module 8: IFR readiness simulation and club action planning | Thu 4 Mar 2027 | Thu 11 Mar 2027 |
Final assessment | Tue 30 Mar 2027 | – |
All dates 2026 to 2027. Live class times are confirmed on booking.
Assessment and award
Applied to your own club and recognised by the University of Liverpool Management School.
- 01
Work-based and portfolio-led
Six assessed pieces of work, each built on your own club and weighted towards the licence evidence the IFR asks for. No memory tests.
- 02
Co-branded certificate
A certificate issued by the University of Liverpool Management School on completion.
- 03
Verifiable digital badge
A digital badge of your learning hours and competencies, shareable on LinkedIn.
Who delivers it
Real boardroom experience, meeting genuine academic depth.
The practitioner side
Fideo Global Fideo Be The Benchmark
An independent advisory and training firm, built by people who have worked inside a financial regulator, inside an English football club boardroom, and inside regulated firms applying for and holding licences.
- Regulator-side experience designing supervisory frameworks
- EFL boardroom experience and club acquisition due diligence
- Governance, finance, risk and regulatory expertise
- All courses built with industry experts
The academic side
An internationally accredited business school and the academic home of the Football Industries MBA and its Centre for Sports Business. It provides the academic review, faculty and the certificate.
- One of the longest-established degrees in the business of football
- Decades of research and teaching on football finance and governance
- Independent academic rigour and peer-reviewed standards
- An international alumni network across clubs, leagues and governing bodies
Information session
Prefer to hear it from the team?
Watch the 24-minute recording of the information session.
Investment
Book your place on Cohort 1.
One price per delegate, with a lower rate for early bookings and for clubs sending three or more people.
What is included
- All live online seminars and self-paced core content
- Recorded practitioner sessions
- The executive IFR simulation capstone
- A co-branded certificate and verifiable digital badge
- A guided walkthrough of the governance toolkit, applied to your club
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