Gerard Kelly, Football Association of Ireland
I currently work across two areas, International Team Operations and Corporate Relationship and Sales with the Football Association of Ireland. I am also Head of Performance Management with Drogheda United Football Club in the League of Ireland. The MSc programme covers many of the elements involved in the business of sport and provides a well-rounded educational environment to develop your skill set for working in this industry. Interacting with the guest lecturers who held senior roles in the industry ensured I was able to get great insight into the “real life” workings of sports organisations and the roles within those organisations. The experience of completing the MSc programme in a focused and intense environment really prepares you for life in high level sports organisations where everything can change from day to day and deadlines are very tight.
Erin Brown, World Rugby
I currently work as a coordinator for strategy and organisational performance at World Rugby. My work involves strategic and operational planning, supporting internal projects, and providing analysis and recommendations to management on how our organisation can continue to achieve its strategic goals. I considered a number of sport management programmes but UCD was best positioned to provide me with the skillset I was seeking to break into a career in sport. My favourite part of the programme was hearing from a variety of guest lecturers from across the sport landscape. It really gave me an appreciation for the breadth of the modern sports industry and encouraged me to continue to build my knowledge in areas that I would previously would not have considered related to the business of sport. For me, one of the key aspects was that I got a true sense of the skills in demand from the modern sports professional and was provided with knowledge that I could apply both inside and outside of the industry. I was also really pleased to discover after enrolling in the programme that the faculty were deeply interested in their students’ success post-UCD. The faculty were always open and available for a discussion over a coffee to delve into topics deeper, answer career guidance questions, or provide connections to someone in their network who had experience navigating the same career path. That really made a huge difference to my career prospects post-graduation.
Alison Nolan, Counties Manukau Sport in South Auckland, New Zealand
I am currently working as a Primary Sport Advisor with Counties Manukau Sport in South Auckland. I have always had an interest in working in sport and I chose the MSc based on the variety of content, high calibre of lecturer and guest speakers and because it seemed to sit well with what I wanted to gain from a return to education. Although it was difficult at the beginning, having to present during each module as part of a group really added to the learning process. Getting the perspective of class mates and peers for content and presentation techniques was really beneficial within the programme and in turn for outside delivery of information to sports groups. Interacting with and learning from individuals with first-hand experience of working within sport and within sporting bodies gave me an detailed understanding of the professional sporting environment and of the differences and similarities between sport and business. Having the MSc qualification has definitely helped to open more doors for me in the pursuit of a career in sport.
Dissertation Testimonials
“I found the dissertation to be one of the most valuable elements of the programme and treated my research as a professional learning opportunity. It allowed me to engage with established industry professionals and look beyond the existing literature and my own experiences, helping me develop a more critical understanding of the leisure and fitness industry. Through the connections made during the process, I also had the opportunity to have aspects of my work featured by Ireland Active which was an encouraging experience. Most importantly, the dissertation allowed me to explore a topic I genuinely cared about in depth.”
- Adam Byrne, Duty Manager, Kildare Leisure, Class of 2024
“My dissertation was an autoethnography that explored the professionalisation of women’s rugby in Ireland through my own lived experience as an international player. Rather than feeling intimidating, the process was deeply reflective and empowering. I was able to combine theory with real-world insight, using my journey to examine identity, team culture, leadership, and performance pressures. The dissertation didn’t require a “ground-breaking” discovery, but instead valued authenticity, critical thinking, and applied understanding. It helped me make sense of a major cultural shift in my sport and showed me that research can be personal, impactful, and professionally relevant.”
- Linda Djougang, Sports Development and Outreach Support Officer, Trinity College & Member of the Irish Women’s National Rugby Team, Class of 2025
“My dissertation didn’t feel like a traditional academic project — it was a chance to explore a real sports issue that I was passionate about. I surveyed sports fans about their customer experiences and spoke directly with people working in the industry, which made the research practical and engaging. Faculty staff assisted me in breaking the work into clear, manageable steps, so it never felt overwhelming. By the end, I had built useful industry contacts, stronger research skills, and insights I now use daily in my sports technology career.”
- Daragh Searing, Business Development Manager, TicketCo, Class of 2025
“Having attended the Dissertation lectures it was evident there were several subject areas which would be interesting to explore and different research approaches which could be adopted. I aimed to make the project straightforward, choosing a topic that hadn’t been studied before, and filling a gap in the literature. I also wanted to carry out the research at my own pace and reduce any factors that could slow things down. Having chosen the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Sustainability Strategy, and the role of policy actors as the basis for my study, through consultation with my mentor Eleni Theodoraki, I was drawn to Qualitative Content Analysis as the methodology for the study. This allowed for an interpretation of the content of text data through coding and identifying themes and patterns. In this way, I could complete the paper iteratively allowing me to be thorough in my analysis and present the appropriate conclusion. I was delighted having completed the study, a revised version of the paper is now published in the Frontiers in Sports and Active Living Journal, with Eleni as my co-editor.”
- Andy O’Rourke, Staff Officer, Local Enterprise Office Fingal, Class of 2021
“My dissertation allowed me to explore a real-world issue within sport rather than treating it as a purely academic exercise. Instead of focusing solely on theory, I approached it as a practical research project — conducting an analysis of government-published documents outlining EU member state engagement with Environmental Sustainability within their sports strategies and policies. During the methodical document content research I had the opportunity to personally engage with EU Sports Ministries, and apply concepts from the M.Sc. programme to an emergent topic in modern sport. The process was challenging but rewarding, as it helped me develop research, critical thinking, and communication skills that are directly applicable to professional environments. It also showed that a dissertation can be a flexible opportunity to investigate meaningful questions within sport management without always having to make a novel contribution through primary research.”
- Dave Broderick, Club & Community Development Lead, Squash Ireland, Class of 2025
