The jury selected their projects as the winners of the 2024 Sports Sponsorship MOOC, awarding them a scholarship to enroll in the Postgraduate Diploma in Sport Marketing and Sponsorship Online at Johan Cruyff Institute
Each year, Johan Cruyff Institute and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, the academic partner of the University Master’s Degree in Sport Management on-campus in Barcelona and online, provide a free massive online course (MOOC) on Sports Sponsorship. The best projects submitted compete for a scholarship for the Postgraduate Diploma in Sport Marketing and Sponsorship Online at Johan Cruyff Institute. In the 2024 edition, the jury decided to award the projects of Aina Moya and Žiga Jug.
Aina Moya: a creative project that combines sports and marketing
According to the jury, Aina Moya’s work demonstrated a strong command and application of the course content, as well as creativity in applying these concepts to the practical case. Additionally, the project stood out for its thoroughness in the development of specific activations and its consideration of the diverse interests of the different stakeholders involved.
Aina Moya, 26, currently works as an organizer of the Mobile World Congress for Fira Barcelona. She highlights the importance of the Postgraduate Diploma in Sport Marketing and Sponsorship Online, which she will pursue thanks to the scholarship, in her professional career: “For me, this program represents tremendous growth both professionally and personally, as it will allow me to acquire key knowledge to continue developing in the sports industry. I am grateful to Johan Cruyff Institute for this scholarship and for investing in education within the sports sector.”
A graduate in Business Administration and Tourism from Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Aina Moya has had a long-standing connection with sports since childhood: “I have been involved in football since I was 8 years old. I have grown up witnessing how women’s football has overcome barriers, becoming a true social movement. Over the years, I have experienced firsthand its evolution and the impact it has on so many people.”
Žiga Jug: an activation plan between Ikea and Cruyff Courts
Žiga Jug’s project proposed a hypothetical partnership between the Ikea brand and Cruyff Courts. The jury highlighted the activation plan and praised its development: “It is a thoroughly analyzed and developed activation plan that offers a realistic approach.” The jury also valued the inclusion of specific KPIs to measure the project’s success, along with a detailed and well-structured budget and financial plan that helps to understand the overall picture.
Žiga Jug holds a degree in Marketing and is originally from Slovenia, although he currently resides in France. He has over 20 years of extensive experience in the sports business industry, holding various positions in international basketball, from front-office roles to on-court experiences. “ Johan Cruyff Institute MOOC perfectly complements my background in Marketing and my extensive experience in the basketball world,” he says of the course. “I’m grateful to the course organizers for offering me this extended opportunity to deepen my knowledge of the sports business.”
Thus, the Online Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Marketing and Sponsorship Online at Johan Cruyff Institute becomes a key step in Aina’s and Žiga careers, providing them with the necessary tools to continue advancing in the sports industry. Their passion, creativity, and commitment to sports sponsorship position them as a reference in a constantly evolving sector.
