A First in Türkiye: Major Collaboration to Train the Sports Managers of the Future

In a first, the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF) and Bahçeşehir University are launching the Basketball-Focused Sports Management Master's Program. Unprecedented in its broad scope and to be implemented for the first time in Türkiye, the program offers an important opportunity for anyone who wants to shape their future with basketball, while also providing a dual career opportunity for those who have been or are actively involved in sports. Candidates who wish to benefit from this program can apply online via the Bahçeşehir University website between 10 and 30 January 2023.

To apply and get more information, click here.

In his statement, TBF President Hidayet Türkoğlu emphasized the importance of the collaboration between the two institutions: "As the Turkish Basketball Federation, we are aware that success in every field is achieved through continuous and steady progress, and we act with that awareness. The point we have reached and the results we have achieved with our distance education platform TBF Academy, the TBF books we have published and our technological breakthroughs that set an example for the world have been the most concrete proof of this vision. Now, in order to achieve another first, we are entering into an important collaboration with Bahçeşehir University, one of our country's most established educational institutions. For the first time in Türkiye, the Basketball-Focused Sports Management Master's Program is being launched through the collaboration of TBF and BAU as of the coming semester. The program will offer a dual career opportunity with various scholarship options to anyone who wants to shape their future with basketball. This project will also contribute to bringing people who have served in different areas of basketball back to Turkish basketball as managers trained with scientific and academic methods. I wish that the Basketball-Focused Sports Management Master's Program, which we have prepared with Bahçeşehir University to take Turkish sports and our basketball further, will be beneficial for our community and our country."

Stating that they have been working in collaboration with the Turkish Basketball Federation since 2020, Bahçeşehir University President Prof. Dr. Şirin Karadeniz said, "As a first in Türkiye, we have created a very original program that brings together business science and basketball entirely. Our aim here is to integrate both theory and practice and to provide dual career opportunities to our athletes in active sports life and to those who wish to continue their careers after their sports life." Emphasizing that the program is entirely specific to basketball and has an original, business-oriented content delivered with subject-matter experts in theory and practice, Karadeniz concluded: "The Master's program we have designed is a new example of the young people our university has trained in the field of sports sciences for many years, the scholarships it has granted, the successes it has achieved with its university teams and its scientific contributions to this field. We fully believe that this project will yield great results and contribute to our country."

Stating that they aimed to create a program that would contribute to the sector and the academic field, TBF Basketball Development Director Fırat Eser said, "As the Turkish Basketball Federation, we are happy to add a new one to our breakthroughs in education that will sustain development and progress in basketball. The Basketball-Focused Sports Management Master's Program, a first in our country that we will launch in collaboration with Bahçeşehir University, will support Turkish basketball academically and bring academically well-equipped people to our community. Our stakeholders who have served basketball in various capacities, such as players, referees, coaches and administrators, will also be able to take advantage of this master's program for their academic development. Through this program, open to anyone with a four-year bachelor's degree, we aim to bring together the sports experts and professionals of the Turkish Basketball Federation and the strong academic staff of Bahçeşehir University, and to achieve positive results that will contribute to both the sector and the academic field. Care will be taken to schedule the courses, which will be delivered in a hybrid format, so as not to disrupt the ongoing commitments of participants during the year. I believe this important project will be beneficial for all stakeholders of basketball and our community."

Emphasizing that the aim of the program is to train managers who follow developments around the world and to support the basketball ecosystem, program coordinator Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gülberk Gültekin Salman said, "Our Sports Management Master's Program has produced many graduates since 2008. Our graduates are currently working in major sports organizations in Türkiye and around the world. Among our graduates are many national basketball players as well as people working at basketball clubs. With the opportunities we provide to our students within the Master's Program, I believe that, following its collaboration with TBF, BAU will train strong and well-equipped managers for the basketball ecosystem."

About the Program

The basketball-focused Sports Management Master's Program will be carried out within the scope of the collaboration between the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF) and Bahçeşehir University (BAU), with the support of the university's Graduate School. With this program, which will be delivered in a hybrid format with face-to-face and online courses, the aim is to approach the Turkish basketball industry from different disciplines with a business focus and to bring to our basketball well-equipped managers who follow developments in the field of sports management around the world.

In this project, implemented for the first time in Türkiye, courses will be delivered through industry-university collaboration. The program will be open to all stakeholders of basketball who wish to specialize in sports management, especially basketball players, managers, volunteers, coaches, marketing specialists, referees, statisticians and federation representatives, as well as anyone who wants to be part of basketball. Candidates can apply between 10 and 30 January 2023 by filling out the online application form on the Bahçeşehir University website.