BSL Summer School: A Day in the Life of the Football Industry

One week. Limited places. Direct access to the football industry.

Breaking into football is hard. The BSL Summer School in Lisbon is built to give early-career professionals the edge — direct access to the people, networks and insider knowledge that open doors to a career in football law, agency work, club management or sports media. In a single week you build real connections, gain practical insight, and leave with a clearer sense of where you want to go and how to get there.

Five days. Five roles. Five perspectives on what a career in football really looks like. Each day is built around a distinct industry role — Football Agent, Sports Lawyer, Club Manager, CAS Arbitrator and Sports Media Expert — through interactive workshops, live case discussions and real-world insight you won't find in a classroom. The week closes with a dedicated networking event on the Saturday and a certificate of completion from Berlin Sports Law.

Speakers are drawn directly from the football industry: club presidents and vice presidents, licensed FIFA agents, CAS arbitrators and sports media practitioners working at the highest level of the game — not academics talking about it from the outside. Programme leaders include BSL founding partner Jan Schweele LL.M., who represents clients before FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport, alongside Madrid-based sports lawyer Rosalía Ortega, President of the Ibero-American Institute of Sports Law. Guest contributors include former Portugal international and CNN Portugal commentator Dani Carvalho, and PR strategist Sabrina Carrozza, whose long-term clients include FC Barcelona and FC Bayern Munich.

The Lisbon setting is central to the experience. Workshops are hosted at the Centro Cultural de Belém, one of the city's most iconic cultural venues, and participants spend a full day at SL Benfica — touring the Estádio da Luz and the club's elite training campus at Seixal — alongside dedicated sessions with senior club lawyers and executives. It is the kind of access usually reserved for industry insiders, packaged into an immersive week with cultural experiences included.

The programme is designed for people looking to build real connections inside the football industry, those exploring a career in sports law, club management or football business, and anyone who would rather learn from practitioners than textbooks. No prior experience is required — what matters is curiosity, motivation and a clear interest in the football side of the business.

The cohort is intentionally small — capped at 25 participants — for personalised attention and a high-trust learning environment. The programme runs from 20 to 25 July 2026, is conducted entirely in English (B2 minimum), and is open to anyone aged 18+. The standard programme fee is €2,400 with a super early-bird rate of €1,900; travel, accommodation and meals are not included. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis with a short introductory call as part of the selection process.

Berlin Sports Law is a boutique sports law firm with offices in Berlin, Lisbon and Porto Alegre, advising athletes, clubs and sports organisations across Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia and Australia.