Arnaud de Brouwer – the legal eagle with a sporting ambition
Following studies in Sports Law, Arnaud de Brouwer joined the emlyon business school MSc in Sports Industry Management in 2022 with three clear objectives – to discover another facet of the sports industry, to add management and marketing skills to his profile, and to put his expertise in law and personal affection for sports to professional use. He recounts the motives behind this journey and the ways in which he is putting his dual skillsets to the service of the ever-changing sports industry.
What made you switch from legal studies to sports management?
“It was the combination of a personal interest in sport and how the sector operates, not forgetting the legal knowledge I had already acquired during prior studies and wanted to continue applying as part of my career. I had already gained some work experience in these dual areas prior to coming to emlyon, for legal firms in Paris, then a blend of internships and apprenticeships in Paris, Lille, and Brussels. The more experience I could get under my belt, the greater the chances of putting my subsequent studies at emlyon to the best possible use.”
You are imbued with the spirit of enterprise too, creating your own business.
“Indeed. In 2020, I established Jurisportiva, which offers a service featuring sports legal news through news posts and informs legal and sports circles through the sharing of specialized articles, including interviews with key sportsmen and women or stakeholders. A dedicated section on sports case law has also been created. Since 2023 I have been working in parallel as a Talent Acquisition Specialist for Bloch Consulting, a highly reputed headhunting firm specialized in sports and lifestyle. The two activities dovetail very nicely. And when I’m not doing that, I am also teaching Sports Law at Masters level at two different business schools in the Paris area, on a self-employed basis.”
How did your choice of emlyon and the MSc in Sports Management fit into your professional project?
“In a number of ways. In comparison to certain other French business schools offering a similar program, I felt that emlyon would give me genuine international exposure, in terms of course content, the cohort, the learning and work opportunities, and the institution itself. Not only did I want to develop a hybrid Law-Sports profile, but I also wanted to give myself options abroad. At emlyon, you quite literally live international studies, hence my choice of school.”
What kind of international opportunities have you benefitted from?
“For starters, the semester abroad which I spent at HEC Montréal and University of Laval in Quebec in Quebec. There was also case study work with Paris St Germain, a club that is developing its brand on a massive scale outside of France. I also got the chance to visit two of London’s most impressive sports set-ups, Wimbledon and Tottenham Hotspur FC’s jaw-dropping stadium. All of this has been with the clear objective of acquiring experience and knowledge that will set me out from the crowd. I’ve gained a broader outlook on the sports industry, how it is managed from country to country, and grown both personally and professionally.”
What vision of the sports industry have you gained so far, based on these various experiences?
“It very much depends on the sport itself and the country. For example, the US and the UK are streets ahead of us in France. Regardless of the country, though, it is a sector in an almost constant state of change and growth at present. Let’s take an example closer to home – this year Paris hosts the Olympic Games. This has led to significant recruitment for the event but that also means a good 3-5000 people will be available to potentially continue working in the sports industry upon completion of the games.”
How do you consider your prospects and the niche you have created for yourself?
“Thanks to the MSc in Sports Industry Management, my employability has been boosted and my range of skills increased, for sure. The legal angle I take on sports enters the very nitty gritty of management practices in the sector. It’s not the most pleasurable aspect of sports but it is a very necessary one – you can be misconceived as being a pain on legal issues but it’s an essential part of making sports organizations, events and the industry operate more effectively. Thanks to the legal-commercial-marketing CV I can now present, I can tackle the industry with a broad palette of professional competencies and a personal love for all things sport. My studies have now given me perfect insight into how the sporting ecosystem really works.”
Any recommendations for prospective students considering a similar path to yours?
“As far as emlyon itself is concerned, you’ll be studying in one of France’s top 4 or 5 business schools. You can’t put a price on the excellence of the school and the program I have taken. I studied the competition, but I found their offer far more franco-centric, whereas I was looking for international exposure and knowledge. The network you develop through the program is also invaluable to succeeding professionally speaking afterwards. And finally, it is clearly a school open to people from education backgrounds a little further removed from business and management. Thanks to the MSc, I can now truly wear two working hats – that of a legal expert and a sports management professional.”
