The J.League has entered into a multi-year educational partnership with the McCormack Department of Sport Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The school will supplement one online course a semester for students enrolled in the J.League Human Capital Project. The program, in partnership with Kyoto-based Ritsumeikan University, is designed to groom students for entry into full-time management positions at the J.League or one of its teams. The top 10 students in the program will be approached for positions in Japan’s top-tier football league. “We want to give them a U.S. perspective on best practices and trends in the industry at the graduate level,” said Steve McKelvey, associate chairman for external relations and associate professor of sport management. An annual lecture by a member of UMass’s McCormack Sports Management Department faculty will augment the online program. JHC, which accepts 30 students into its program, will now offer two classes from the McCormack department of sport management, sport marketing and sport finance. McKelvey anticipates the partnership will continue beyond the initial two-year agreement. “We envision this for as long they continue to have their JHC program,” he said.
McKelvey said the idea for the partnership came from a University of Massachusetts alumnus who is heavily involved in the football space in Japan. N.Y.-based sport management consulting firm Blue United Owner Takehiko Nakamura initiated the communication between the university and the J.League to discuss providing online education through the JHC project.
Both parties said they were eager to see the program result in int’l expansion. “We see this as hopefully a launching pad to do more of these types of programs. ... [The J.League] is looking at ways to expand this program and the J.League in other markets in Asia,” McKelvey said. In a statement, J.League Chair Mitsuru Murai said, "I am excited about this partnership, and looking forward to this alliance not to be limited to JHC, but also to expand into a bigger relationship that would be beneficial for both sides down the road.”
