Your career at the Center for Sports Management
Leading the way into sports business.
The Center for Sports and Management offers WHU students as well as external prospects excellent opportunities to enter the sports business - both in practice and in science. Students of all disciplines can write their thesis at the Chair of Sports and Management. In addition, the CSM provides internships to students or employs them as academic assistants at the Center itself. The Center for Sports and Management, together with the WHU, the foundation "Deutsche Sporthilfe" and the SPOAC - Sports Business Academy by WHU, also serves as a training institution for former top athletes and future executives in the sports business. Graduates and professionals are offered excellent career opportunities in the scientific field, e.g. as internal or external doctoral candidates and research assistants.
Former employees and alumni of Professor Schmidt now work at some of the finest addresses in the sports business, including the German Football League (DFL), the German Football Association (DFB) or German record football champion FC Bayern Munich. Have we aroused your interest in a career at the CSM? On these pages you will find all the information you need. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions.
The CSM offers internal and external doctorate programs on the “future of sports”.
Find out more about our doctorate program and kindly send your application including motivational letter, CV and transcripts to Kerstin Forword (Kerstin.forword(at)whu.edu).
Subsequent to a successful application, you will receive two online interviews with Prof. Schmidt and Jun.-Prof. Dominik Schreyer. The objective of the interviews is to get to know one another: a high personal fit is crucial for the small team at our center and hence a top priority for us. Therefore, please feel free to also use this opportunity to ask questions and to find out more about what we do, how we work and what your day-to-day life as a doctorate student would look like. As part of the interviews, we will also work through a case study to evaluate problem solving abilities. Shortly after the interviews, you will, of course, receive detailed feedback.
Should you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!
Since 2014, the WHU has cooperated with the German Sportsaid supporting their initiative “Sprungbrett Zukunft”. Together, they annually bestow two scholarships for their Part-Time-MBA program to previous top athletes of the German Sportsaid’s talent pool.
Applications should be addressed to Kathrin Boron from the Deutsche Sporthilfe: kathrin.boron(at)sporthilfe.de
During their active sports careers, many successful sportsmen and women –in particular outside of professional football- consider how to secure a long-term living following their professional sports career. It is often possible to complete an apprenticeship or a degree program.
Therefore, several years ago, we have addressed this topic in our study "Kollege Spitzensportler - Chancen für Wirtschaft und Athleten" (Top athlete colleagues – oppurtunities for business and athletes). This resulted in various cooperations.
The WHU MBA scholarship program is hence aimed at current and former high-performance athletes. In 24 months (part-time MBA), it imparts the necessary skills to succeed in a dynamic, highly competitive and international market. Please find information on the WHU MBA-program at https://www.whu.edu/de/programme/mba-programm/part-time-mba/.
In 2016, the Center for Sports and Management, in cooperation with the Career Center of the WHU and clubs of the Bundesliga, launched an internship program exclusively for WHU students. As part of the program, selected WHU students have been given the opportunity to complete an internship at top clubs and organizations in the German sports business.
The application process at a glance:
- Sport-interested WHU students of all programs and classes who are interested in a career in sports business are eligible to apply. Please note that strong German language skills are mandatory.
- Internships will take place in spring of 2023 at the following clubs / organizations:
Eintracht Frankfurt
FC Bayern München
Hertha BSC
DFL
DYN Media GmbH
- Detailed information can be found in the following links with documents on the job postings. .
All job postings for Spring 2023:
• Further information on the vacancies can be found in the job postings on this page.
• Application deadline is on November 13th, 2022. Please send your application via e-mail to bewerbung.csm(at)whu.edu including your CV, a highly convincing motivation letter and all of your certificates. Kindly also state your preferred internship. Please note: Fluent German language skills are mandatory for either of the internships. Please also check the different requirements of the respective internships.
• Together with the WHU Career Center the CSM recruiting team will review your application and conduct online interviews on 6th and 7th December 2022.
• Successful applicants will be introduced to the club or organization, taking their preference into account. If applicable, the club/organization then conducts a final interview and finalizes the internship contract directly with the applicant. Framework conditions for the internship are agreed directly between the intern and the Bundesliga club.
The "SPOAC - Sports Business Academy by WHU" also offers the opportunity for further professional development, not only to the junior executives of the sports business, but also to former top athletes. It provides leaders and high-potentials in the sports business industry with participant-centric, cross-functional, and application-oriented advanced education and training. It has been established in 2014 as a cooperation between WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management and SPONSORs, the leading information processor and convention organizer.
By combining the competencies of both partners, SPOAC aims to develop future decision-makers in sports business, who learn from the best in the field, both from academia and practice. To that end, the CSM ensures successful incorporation of cutting-edge insights from research into teaching in order to maximize relevance of the course contents for real-life applications. This is guaranteed through close integration of the SPOAC partners DFL, DOSB and WWP.
Important dates
CSM Internship Program:
Applications for internships in spring 2023 close on November 13, 2023.
Application Deadline MBA Scholarships 2023:
You will find information on the application process here in spring 2023.
Making an impact on the sports business world –
Get to know our CSM alumni.
Top athletes at WHU –
Meet some of our former students.
Get in touch with us –
We look forward to hearing from you.

Kerstin Forword
Project Manager
+49 (0)211 44709 746
kerstin.forword(at)whu.edu