PIA Sports Business Program 3rd Term Completion Ceremony Held

On Saturday, October 28, a ceremony was held to mark the completion of the 3rd term of the PIA Sports Business Program (PIA SBP), which Blue United Corporation operates as an official academic strategy partner with PIA Corporation. 20 students who completed the seven-month program and a number of related parties attended the ceremony.

The greatest feature of this program, in which our President ＆ CEO, Takehiko Nakamura, serves as a regular lecturer, is that participants can learn the principles of the sports business through a curriculum consisting of “Introduction,” “Case Study,” and “Practice” and acquire practical skills that can be applied in the field.

In addition to lectures by people active in various fields as well as those at the forefront of the sports industry, the program also included a visit to Yokohama Stadium and on-the-job training at J-League match venues. Students were able to gain a wide range of knowledge and experience in the sports business, from the basics to the more advanced.

This year, we invited many speakers including Yota Kimura (President, Yokohama DeNA Bay Stars, Inc.), Yohei Kasuga (Director, Kashima Antlers FC), and Tomoki Negishi (CEO, Pacific League Marketing, Inc.). Also the lectures by Masakuni Nagahiro (Senior Executive Officer, AZUSA SEKKEI Co.,Ltd.), Keiji Ito (President/CPO, playground, Inc.) and Hironori Inagaki (Partner, Nishimura & Asahi) were very interesting.

This year, students engaged in lively discussions. By exchanging opinions, especially during the lectures, they were able to deepen their learning, build trusting relationships, transcend the barriers of age and occupation, and create a positive environment as time passed.

In the middle of November, a new initiative, “PIA SBP Homecoming Day,” is scheduled to provide an opportunity for graduates from the first through third terms of the program to gather together. There, they will have an opportunity to see former friends and meet new colleagues, as we believe that by building relationships even after program completion, the value of the PIA SBP community will increase year by year.

We are currently accepting applications for the 4th term, with the first round of applications being accepted now through Sunday, November 12, 2023. The second round of applications can be submitted from the beginning of December. We look forward to receiving your applications!

PIA Sports Business Program, 4th term, is now accepting applications for students!

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