A Day to Remember
Camp de Mestalla did it again. Once more, one of the most iconic stadiums in Spanish sport became the backdrop for something bigger than football: the graduation ceremony of ESBS European Sport Business School’s 17th cohort.
Over 700 people filled the stands to share a moment that, if you’re an ESBS student, you already know is different. Because graduating here isn’t about sitting in an auditorium. It’s about walking out of the players’ tunnel onto the pitch. It’s about feeling the stadium around you. It’s about doing it surrounded by people who understand exactly why sport matters.
200 graduates. 48 nationalities. One family.
This year, nearly 200 students received their degrees at Mestalla. Coming from 48 different countries, they represent exactly what ESBS is built to be: a global community of professionals ready to work in any corner of the sports industry worldwide.
The ceremony brought together students from the Master in International Sports Management (the programme developed in partnership with Valencia CF), the Global Sport Business Master and the Bachelor in Sports Marketing and Event Management. Three programmes, one shared ambition.
The voices of the day
The cohort’s godmother was Irene Hvidkjaer, representative of the FIA, whose presence was a reminder of something worth holding onto: the world of sport is vast, and there is room to build extraordinary careers within it.
Javier Solís, General Director of Valencia CF, addressed the graduates with a message worth keeping: “We live in a professional environment that is increasingly global, competitive and fast-changing. That is why continuous learning, curiosity and the ability to keep growing will always be your greatest tools.”
Paula Robles, Country Manager of ACE Education and General Manager of ESBS, spoke about what makes an ESBS education different: “It’s not just what you learn in the classroom, but the experiences, the connections and the real industry exposure you build along the way.”
And Jorge Coll, founder of ESBS and president of ACE Education in Spain, put the moment in perspective: “15 years after opening the doors of this school, watching each new cohort graduate is still just as exciting.”
🎓 To the Class of 2026
You did it. You crossed the Mestalla pitch with your degree in hand, and nobody can ever take that away from you.
Sport needs you, and you are more than ready. Once part of the ESBS family, always part of the ESBS family. Now go get it. 🚀