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If you’re passionate about sports, then there are few better places in the world than Bavaria, southern Germany.  

Home to one of the world’s biggest football clubs, FC Bayern Munich, the region also boasts prime skiing spots in the Alps, scenic forest hiking and running trails, big lakes for windsurfing and sailing, as well as fantastic sporting infrastructure in the Olympic Park.

Born and bred in the region’s capital, Munich, Antonia Landgraf unsurprisingly loved sports. From an early age, she engrossed herself in gymnastics, played football and loved skiing.

She’s combined her love for sports with her academic prowess (a degree in both Business Mathematics and Sport and Performance), which has pushed her to pursue a career within sports management.

Having worked and studied at the German Sport University in Cologne, the 28-year-old has now embarked on a new adventure. She is one of 27 international students who have come to Leicester to study on the award-winning FIFA Master Business Course at ¾Ã¾Ã¾«Æ· (¾Ã¾Ã¾«Æ·).

After enrolling on the course, we spoke to Antonia about the draw of the FIFA Master course and how she is settling into Leicester.

 

Hi Antonia, how have you settled into Leicester and ¾Ã¾Ã¾«Æ·?

So, I’m settling in nicely and enjoying spending time with my class and having so many interesting conversations about what women’s sport is like in Japan, for example, or how sport in China is evolving.

Since coming to Leicester, we have been to the King Power Stadium, visited Wimbledon through the All-England Tennis Club and visited Rugby School, the birthplace of Rugby.

We have also visited the Leicester Tigers, I had the opportunity to watch Leicester vs. Arsenal Women too. We will soon be going to Wembley to watch England vs Serbia too.

I’m enjoying getting used to the English culture. I think I’d like to try a few more pubs!

 

What first inspired you to apply for the FIFA Master Course?

I’ve always enjoyed meeting people from other countries, so I knew I wanted to study for my Master’s abroad. I also love sports; I’m a gymnastics and skiing coach back home and played football growing up, so it’s always been a big part of my life.

The FIFA Master course was just too good an opportunity to miss. I’ll be able to learn the historical context of sport and the different parts of running a sports business, which will hopefully help me in my career.

Sports just have the power to positively impact society and I want to be a part of that.

 
_{Antonia volunteered at Euro 2024, which was hosted in her home country, Germany}

So, how will your time on the FIFA Master Course help you make the impact you want to make?

It’s a good question. I think it’s important that if you want to reach a goal, you have to learn how to work with different people and different cultures.  The perspective can help you see different sides to a problem to work through it together, so I want to develop those soft, personal skills here.

At the same time, I want to deepen my understanding of the historical development of sport, as well as the legal and economic frameworks that shape the modern sports industry. By connecting these areas, I hope to better understand the broader relationships and dynamics that influence how sport operates on a global scale.

 

You have experience working with the German Football Association to inspire more women to play. Can you talk me through that initiative?

Yes, so the FF27 Women in Football strategy is great. It’s a four-year strategy with four main goals:

-        Increase the number of women in the game (coaches, players, officials) by 25 per cent.

-        Double the amount of media coverage of the women’s game across all platforms.

-        Ensure women hold at least 30 per cent of positions in DFB meetings or full-time leadership roles

-        Have the national team more Women’s Bundesliga teams win international competitions like the Women’s Champions League

I had an internship there and helped coordinate different projects that aligned with the goals, so for example, we set up career events for women who wanted to work in sports. We built up all-female networks during that time too.

 

Are there still challenges to the women’s game in Germany?

There are still people with an old mindset that football is a man’s world. They criticise the standard, believing it’s not that good but most women aren’t full-time professionals, so they still have to work or study while playing because there isn’t enough financial support.

We’re still fighting for the likes of equal play, better facilities and opportunities too. There is progress there and if we continue to make that progress, more opportunities will come through but that’s why the work with the German Football Association is so important.

 

If you had a magic wand, what would you change about women’s sports in Germany?

I want more people to take women’s football seriously.

 

Coming back to the FIFA Master course, what’s been your favourite element so far?

I’ve experienced so many special moments over the past weeks. First of all, I have to mention my classmates. I really appreciate getting to know them better, having interesting conversations, and learning from each other. They make the experience even more enjoyable.

From the academic side, I really enjoy the guest lecturers, both from other universities and especially from the sports industry. They provide us with such a diverse and fascinating insight into how the sports world operates.

And of course, the field trips have been incredible. They give us the unique opportunity to take a closer look inside so many different sports clubs and organisations.

 _{Antonia (five from the left) visits Wimbledon with students from the FIFA Master Business Course}

Finally, what are you hoping to do in your career after you finish the course?

I don’t have a specific job in mind. I know I’d like to do something that has a purpose.

Sport has such a huge influence and I want to help drive change in areas like gender equality and get more professional athletes sharing those messages. They inspire kids and help shape those values.

Thanks for your time, Antonia.

 

Co-ordinated by the Centre International d’Etude du Sport (CIES) and supported by football’s world governing body, FIFA Master involves students dedicating a term of study at ¾Ã¾Ã¾«Æ·’s International Centre for Sports History and Culture (ICSHC) before also spending a term at both the SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan, and at the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.

Earlier this year, it was recognised as the number one postgraduate sport management course in Europe in the 2025 SportBusiness rankings – a record 13th time the course has been honoured in this way.

Notable alumni include Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, President of the Japan Football Association and captain of the Japanese National Team at the 2002 World Cup, former Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung, Women’s Champions League winner Ami Otaki and New Zealand’s Olympic gold medal-winning rowers Emma Twigg and Phil Wilson.