In an unprecedented partnership, the São Paulo Futebol Clube, the SEB Group and the University of Football announced, this Monday (18), a society to create the so-called “SPFC University” – a type of “sports college”, with free courses in different specialties, undergraduate and postgraduate, aimed at training professionals to work in this market.
It is the first time that a football club in Brazil has entered the educational sector with a project regulated by the Ministry of Education (MEC). The college will begin its activities in 2025, offering 11 courses.
These courses will be in a hybrid format and will have practical and face-to-face classes at the Morumbi Stadium, in São Paulo (SP), the São Paulo club’s field, and at the Athlete Training Center, in Cotia (SP), where teams in the sports categories train. base of the Tricolor.
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The courses will be managed by the Centro Universitário UniDomBosco, which belongs to the SEB Group, and will have academic support from the University of Football, which has been operating in this market for 20 years. Each of the partners owns a third of the business.
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“Today, an athlete’s performance is accompanied by a very strong scientific basis. An athlete’s recovery from surgery, nutrition, high-performance physiotherapy and the emotional support work of the athletes we have in São Paulo can be great content for the courses”, stated the president of the São Paulo club, Julio Casares, when announcing the partnership.
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The idea of São Paulo’s board of directors is that professionals who work and have worked at the club can collaborate with SPFC University, giving lectures and master classes. Casares even mentioned the name of former coach Muricy Ramalho, who is now the team’s technical coordinator.
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“He [Muricy] go there and speak the language of football, explain the practice to people”, explains Casares. “We can also take the [ex-goleiro] Zetti, who can tell you about the goalkeeper’s performance”, added the director, referring to the idol who played for the team between 1990 and 1997 and today works in training young goalkeepers in Cotia.
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According to the president of São Paulo, athletes from other clubs and professionals from different areas, such as law, marketing and business, will also be invited.
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“This partnership is born from the common desire to transform the educational experience, offering practical and applied training. Our commitment to academic excellence, aligned with tradition and expertise from one of the biggest football clubs in the world, creates an unprecedented program that will prepare students not only as professionals, but as leaders who understand the value of sport in society”, said Chaim Zaher, president of Grupo SEB.
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Heloisa Rios, CEO of the University of Football, said that “the partnership comes to add a lot of value to the sports industry in Brazil”. “SPFC University innovates by bringing to its students the combination of practical experience within one of the most respected football clubs in the world with the expertise of the UniDomBosco University Center and the pioneering performance of the Football University”, he stated.
The selection process for SPFC University began this Monday, with limited places. Classes will start on February 24, 2025.
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