This module focuses on investment decisions and financing strategies in professional sports. Students learn the fundamentals of capital structure and explore various financing sources, from sponsorship and fan bonds to institutional investors. They analyze investor models such as private equity, multi-club ownership, and family offices, while considering relevant regulatory frameworks. The course also covers valuation methods for sports assets, business planning in an investor context, and international differences in financing logics, including digital finance models like crowdinvesting.
- Understand and explain core investment logics in professional sports by analyzing economic, strategic, and institutional frameworks
- Critically evaluate financing and equity strategies in professional sports, considering objectives, risk structures, and market conditions
- Independently develop persuasive business cases for sports investments, integrating economic viability, strategic fit, and investor interests
- Strategically assess current investor trends in international sports markets, identifying implications for various stakeholders and deriving actionable recommendations
- Recognize the strategic potential of fan and customer data in professional sports and critically evaluate data-driven monetization models for financial soundness
Prof. Dr. Andrej Gill
Prof. Dr. Andrej Gill holds the Chair of Corporate Finance at the Gutenberg University Mainz. Before joining Gutenberg-University Mainz in October 2016, Andrej was an Assistant Professor at Goethe University, where he previously also received his PhD (2013). His research focuses on issues in corporate finance, including managerial compensation, balance sheet structure, and listing and delisting decisions. Besides this, his research also combines methods from experimental economics with those from Finance and the questions asked there, and was published in the Journal of Corporate Finance and Management Science, among others. In addition to his research, Andrej collaborates with leading companies in their respective industries. These include Start-Ups and FinTechs as well as leading companies such as Deutsche Bank, Ernst & Young, KPMG, Aareal Bank, Santander Bank, amongst many.