In its eighth edition, Step Day gave Johan Cruyff Institute students the opportunity to connect with companies in the sports sector and meet professionals from the industry
Eight years ago, Johan Cruyff Institute held the first edition of Step Day. At that time, it was a bold initiative aimed at promoting students’ talent within the sports industry. In 2025, with the event now fully established, Step Day has become a key platform for the employability of Johan Cruyff Institute students. This year’s edition brought together 73 students and 20 companies from the sports sector.
Step Day: A meeting point between students and companies
As every year, Step Day took place at the Antiga Fàbrica Damm in Barcelona. Participating students came from various Johan Cruyff Institute programs: University Master’s Degree in Sports Management, Master in Sport Marketing and Management, Master in Sport Business, and Master in Football Business in partnership with FC Barcelona.
Laura Guitart, Career Services & Alumni Manager, highlighted the strategic importance of Step Day for Johan Cruyff Institute: “We work hard to ensure that every edition of Step Day can be as beneficial as possible for our students. In fact, many of the company interviewers are former Johan Cruyff Institute students”, she explained.
“The Step Day it’s a shared effort between the academic institution and the companies to help shape the future leaders of the sports industry.”
Among this year’s participating companies were Good Morning Sports and Stage Deportivo (sports events), Trib3 Sagrada Familia and Anytime Fitness Iberia (fitness sector), as well as technology companies such as 360Player and CeleBreak.
The participants’ experience
One of the participants in Step Day 2025, Alfredo Loaeza Martínez, student of the Master’s Degree in Marketing and Sport Management, shared his experience: “It was an enriching experience because it gives you a very close perspective of the sports industry”.
“The Step Day allowed me to understand what companies in the sector are currently looking for and what challenges lie ahead.”
Susana Torres Arenas, student of the same program, emphasized the interview format: “I think the interview timing was perfect. You need to have a very clear pitch about who you are and what you do. Seven minutes to introduce yourself and another seven to talk about the company seems just the right amount of time for an interview.”
Angie Medina is a student in the Master’s Degree in Sport Management and also participated in the 2025 edition of Step Day.“It was a rewarding experience. I could see how everything we are studying in the Master’s classes is applied in practice,” she explains.
“Being able to gain knowledge and first-hand insights from experts in the sports industry is extremely valuable for me as a student.”
A lasting commitment to education and employability
David Alegre, alumnus of Johan Cruyff Institute and Marketing & Communications Director at the Federació Catalana de Golf, highlighted the value of the event for companies: “Step Day is an incredible opportunity to meet the future leaders of the sports sector”.
“We want to give Johan Cruyff Institute students the chance to put into practice everything they are learning in class.”
Tennium, a company dedicated to the tennis industry, also took part in the 2025 edition. Andrea Plano Eslava, Resource Planning Manager, shared her perspective as an interviewer: “For us, it’s always very valuable to be close to universities and schools, and to their students”.
“We’re always looking for passionate people who are eager for an opportunity to show their talent.”
Step Day reaffirms Johan Cruyff Institute’s commitment to practical training and student employability. Beyond being a meeting point between talent and industry, the event strengthens a professional community that shares the values of sport and Johan Cruyff’s vision: transforming the sports industry through knowledge and passion.
