Football Academy Business Plan

The paper is a comprehensive illustration of a football academy business plan. It shall contain an introduction of what it entails to start up the business. An executive summary will also be essential to give the details on objectives, mission, and vision of the organization. A well-researched market analysis will be incorporated into the business plan to showcase all the strengths and weaknesses within the business environment. That is to be made possible by use of market analyzing models such as SWOT, 4Ps of marketing and the PEST analysis. Financial statements will be included to end of the business plan to present estimations of the expected return at the end of every fiscal year. Finally, the appendices and reference section cannot be omitted since it will aim at supporting the theoretical arguments and statements in the business plan. 

Executive Summary 

In the 21 st century, the football game has become more popular than before. Young people are interested in playing and watching the game ( Barengo et al. 2014) . Therefore, it is an idea that many people can embrace and support for the benefit of the community. Old people can also be seen in the football mix as they like watching matches either live or via the television. Indeed, football is a game used for entertainment purposes and as an income generating activity that can provide good returns when managed properly. In that case, the football academy to be built will aim at providing training to young stars who are willing and capable of utilizing their talents. Athletes will also make good use of the field for their practices and performance during competitions. 

Making a decision to build a football academy is influenced by the idea of having an all-around pitch. That means there will be sections for all games associated with football, a conducive environment for players and audience as well as maximum safety for everyone in the academy. By so doing, there will be a sense of confidence in players to help them achieve their goals in life. The emergence of numerous football competition in the country such as Confederations Cup of Russia and other leagues acts as an inspiration towards setting up the business. The upcoming football academy has an end goal of improving the standards of the game in Russia. The main areas of focus targeted by the Academy include but not limited to the strength of participants, speed, and interest to develop their talents. Since the academy is not biased on the athletes, they will also have an opportunity to affirm their neuromuscular coordination as well as balance during competitions( Barengo et al. 2014) . Additionally, quality practice techniques offered at the academy will help them gain flexibility and spatial knowledge on how to encounter milestones in their events. 

Though Russia has got numerous football academies that hold local and international matches, the upcoming football academy will have world-class training equipment to make it more unique. It services and standard of operations will campaign for a chance to hold the long-awaited world cup games in 2018. The facilities shall enhance the process of training and use proper biomechanics to empower players. Beginners in the football game are going to benefit mutually from the Academy by learning new tactics and having enough time as well as space to practice them. Numerous competitions and friendly matches are to be organized in time to ensure that young football stars develop their skills. Their success in the game will act as the business product setting a good profile in the market segment. 

Though there have been a tendency of football academies dominating the market for a short period and then varnishing, the newly planned football academy is going to be different ( Melo et al. 2014) . Its legacy will dominate the market both in the short-term as well as long-term. Reason being, there will be a simultaneous evaluation of its progress to determine the weaknesses and risks that need to be controlled. Students enrolled in the academy will benefit from adventurous experiences to other countries and friendly competitions to improve their capability. The motive of trainers in the football academy will be making the best players in the country every season. Collaboration with other academies will be emphasized on to learn more skills and ways of making the coming Academy a place to be for everyone. 

Company Description 

To begin with is the location of the football academy. The world-class facility will be constructed in Moscow, Russia. The primary reason for choosing this place is because there are minimum stadiums and academies in Moscow. Most entrepreneurs in the field of football avoid investing in this region due to the high initial capital required. There is also the risk of low-density population. Therefore, there is an opportunity that lies in Moscow if well utilized. The academy will open in between the Novorizhskoe Highway and Rublevskoe. That means it shall be well accessible by anyone using the great highway. Figure 1.1 and 1.2 in the appendices represents geographical location of the academy in scale. 

The first thing that people value in a football academy is the stadium. Therefore, the newly build football academy will have one field stadium that has a five-star UEFA rating. That means the pitch will be classic enough to hold international games comfortably. In business, the structure of premises matters in giving the customer an image that is enticing. For the football academy to be super, the duct company will be awarded the contract build the stadium to resemble that of the FC Ajax Amsterdam. The capacity of the premises is estimated to have 5o1 regular seats, 20 VIP seats, and 100 car parking slots. Hence it will have enough capacity to hold over 520 people in at a go. Another major section of the stadium will be the press room. The architectures must position the chamber at a strategic place to enable clear photographing without any interference. 

Being a business expected to bring in return every month, the Academy stadium will be open for people who would like to rent. The prices charged during game time per person are going to be subsidized and flexible to accommodate every citizen in Russia. Their stadium must have four changing rooms to allow participants organize themselves quickly to avoid unnecessary delays. Next from the stadium will be a football academy that targets to enroll students from 4 to 18 years of age. The charges made for training will be set on an individual capacity basis. The well-furnished football school shall have mastering programs to those who have a desire to polish their talents. Nobody will be denied a chance to become the best player in the world as a result of quality training offered in the academy. 

For those above 18 years, the Academy has a place for them. They can enroll as a group or even individual training. Experts in football hired to train them will avail themselves of part-time training and evaluations. To better the learning experience provided inthe academy, connections with other football clubs in Russia will be a priority. Exchange programs with the linked football schools shall be enhanced to ensure students get the best experiences ever. Examples of big football clubs that the academy may be related to including FC Spartak Moscow, FC Lokomotiv Moscow, FC Krasnodar, among others. 

Industry Analysis 

The football industry has grown big over the last two decades. Many training institutions have been opened to offer skills to footballers who turn to be world stars. However, that does not limit the advantage of setting up a new academy as a business. All that is needed is a unique competitive strategy to thrive over other competitors. There are hundreds of football clubs and academies in the world offering football training and more than 50 organizations in Russia alone. However, the increase in some football fans in the industry creates an opportunity for more facilities. There are young football talents in Russia and all over the world that need a place where they can develop. Therefore, the world-class upcoming football academy will aim at nurturing those talents and making the best out of them. 

Market Analysis and Marketing Plan 

When starting a business, it is always advisable to do market research to know the probability of the business doing well in future. Forthe football academy in Moscow, there will be an SWT analysis as well as PEST analysis. 

SWOT Analysis 

It is a model of a market survey that aims at determining the strengths, weaknesses, threats as well as the threats that the organization will face( Bull et al., 2016) . The advantages that might be associated with a football academy include school Tie-ups, experienced staff management, international tours and programs to enhance experience level of students. All strengths and weaknesses are internal factors in a business and affect the day to day operation of the institution. On the other hand, defects that are prone to a football academy include but not limited to dependency on available infrastructure as well as an unrecognized brand name for the organization. 

In the external environment of business, some factors affect it either positively or negatively. They are termed as opportunities and threats. When it comes to analyzing opportunities, a comprehensive market research must be conducted before the starting of the business. The most likely opportunities that lie in the football industry include increased viewership and interest to play football, newly emerging leagues local and internationally, and the most awaited world cup tournament in 2018. All these can be achieved if the business will have a well-organized management system. In other words, the football academy managing team must be in a position to utilize all the strengths in the internal environment. Contrary to the opportunities, some threats put the business at significant risk of failure. Market analysis shows that football academies are prone to political interference, unmanageable fans and losing teams. If all the threats are not well handles and control, the organization may end up collapsing. 

PEST Analysis 

PEST analysis is all about determining the political, economic, social and technological factors that may affect the business. Consideration must be made to the state of government at that time to start up a football academy( Bull et al., 2016) . The unstable government will always affect the rate at which the business generates returns. Secondly, low budget allocation towards sports affects the number of events a country will hold at a particular season. Other political factors are like regulations and policies set by lawmakers to regulate sports. Economically, the business may be affected by a steady growth rate of the economy as well as poor spending behaviors of the government. 

Talking of the social factors, potential students who come from different backgrounds might affect the growth of the company. The management must be quick enough to notice well-talented students who come from humble backgrounds and support them to become football stars. The ability to influence youths is will also be an important social factor in the company.On the other hand, technology is a key input towards good returns in a football academy business. Up to date facilities will allow efficiency in the training period. The kind of infrastructure build is also essential in defining the capability of the academy. 

Operations Management and Company Structure 

Operation management is all about the human resource system and the hierarchy of responsibilities in the business. The staff team shall be in charge of all operations of activity in the day. Primary figures in the academy will include head coaches. They will take charge of all the training programs to ensure effectiveness and efficacy. They shall be selected from big football clubs that have been running for more than five years. Next in level will be the assistant coaches who shall facilitate implementation of decisions made by the head coaches. They will control the daily activities in the academy. The last but not least level of staffs will be the international coaches as well as footballers. Their tasks are seasonal, so they will not be involved in the normal operations in the academy. They shall be hired when there are international games or friendly matches going on in the academy. 

Financial Projections 

These are numerical estimates made to forecast on the approximate returns the business will give. They include the projected sales, statement of expenses, and income generated statement among others. 

Projected Sales 

Different packages will be introduced which the participants will be required to subscribe for every month. These packages include FIFA, RIO, PREMIER, UNDER 18 LEAGUE. They shall have different charges depending on the year and period of enrollment for five years consecutively as follows, 

packages	YEAR1 (US$/month)	YEAR 2 (US$/month)	YEAR 3 (US$/month)	YEAR 4 (US$/month)	YEAR 5 (US$/month)
FIFA	4500	5000	5500	6000	6500
RIO	4000	4500	5000	5500	6000
PREMIER	3000	3500	4000	4500	5000
UNDER 18 LEAGUE	2000	2500	3000	3500	4000
TOTAL	13500	15500	17500	19500	21500

The estimated return from monthly packages in the next five years is $437500. The money shall be collected at the beginning of every month. The higher the number of subscribers, the higher the income. 

Statement of Expense 

They are the estimated costs to be incurred to run the football academy for the next three years. 

Particulars	2018 ($ 000)/month	2019	2020
Licensing and registration	5	5	5
Transport	6	7	9
Equipment	3	4	6
Salaries	10	9	8
Bills	7	9	10
Marketing	10	6	4
Royalties	3	2	2
Totals	34	42	44

The total cost of operation tends to increase as the academy grows and enrolls a higher number of students. 

Financial support 

To build the football academy funding is required from potential investors. The plan for sources of financing is as follows. 

Investor	Amount	Percentage
FIFA FOOTBALL FOR HOPE	105900	30
GENNADY SEMIN-VADOV	183560	52
RUSSIAN FOOTBALL UNION	63540	18
Total Cost for the Project	$353000	100

Sponsorship and Partnership 

The football academy will be in collaboration with companies like Football for Hope, Sporting Portugal, Feyenoord Rotterdam among many others. They will help in sponsoring local and international events. The academy shall choose the best football clubs in the least to partner with. That will increase the chances of faster growth. 

Conclusion 

How successful the business plan shall depend on the management of the organization as well as input made in marketing. Despite the fact that the competition in this industry is stiff, the proposed football academy must thrive over its competitors. The secret behind the business is knowing how to handle the target group and record significant development in future. The academy will shed light for those with a football talent globally. The end goal is to become the best football academy that is defined by its quality services and products. 

Appendices 

Figure 1.1 

Moscow, Russia 

Figure 1.2 

The geographical representation of the Academy location on a scale map 

Figure 1.3 

Picture of the proposed stadium 

References 

Barengo, N. C., Meneses-Echávez, J. F., Ramírez-Vélez, R., Cohen, D. D., Tovar, G., & Bautista, J. E. C. (2014). The impact of the FIFA 11+ training program on injury prevention in football players: a systematic review.    International journal of environmental research and public health ,    11 (11), 11986-12000. 

Bull, J. W., Jobstvogt, N., Böhnke-Henrichs, A., Mascarenhas, A., Sitas, N., Baulcomb, C.,& Carter-Silk, E. (2016). Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats: A SWOT analysis of the ecosystem services framework.    Ecosystem services ,    17 , 99-111. 

Melo, F. P., Siqueira, J. A., Santos, B. A., Álvares ‐ da ‐ Silva, O., Ceballos, G., & Bernard, E. (2014). Football and biodiversity conservation: FIFA and Brazil can still hit a green goal.    Biotropica ,    46 (3), 257-259.