Tours & Friendlies Manager - #2157960

Lead the planning and delivery of elite domestic and international football tours.

We are supporting a leading sports organisation in Birmingham with the appointment of a Tours & Friendlies Manager to join its Commercial team.

This is a unique opportunity to take ownership of the planning, coordination and delivery of domestic and international friendly fixtures, pre-season tours and training camps for a professional First Team.

Sitting at the intersection of football, operations and commercial, you will bring together multiple departments and external partners to ensure every tour and fixture is planned and executed to the highest standard – from identifying destinations and opponents through to travel, accommodation, training facilities, security and matchday delivery.

The impact you’ll make

• Lead tours and friendlies from start to finish, taking ownership of the planning and delivery of domestic and international pre-season tours, training camps and friendly fixtures.
• Identify the right destinations and opportunities, assessing potential opponents, markets, training facilities and match venues alongside senior football and commercial leadership.
• Bring football and commercial objectives together, ensuring programmes meet the performance requirements of the First Team while supporting wider commercial ambitions and growth markets.
• Own complex international logistics, coordinating travel, accommodation, ground transport, visas and immigration, accreditation, training facilities, security and venue readiness.
• Bring multiple departments together, coordinating Football Operations, Performance, Medical, Commercial, Communications, Security, Ticketing and Finance through clear project plans, timelines and responsibilities.
• Build influential relationships across international football, working with clubs, promoters, agents, leagues, federations, competition organisers and other external partners.
• Support negotiations and commercial arrangements, working with senior leadership on fixture agreements, contracts, suppliers and financial terms.
• Manage budgets and financial delivery, controlling expenditure, negotiating supplier arrangements and supporting post-event reconciliation.

You will be responsible for bringing together the sporting, operational and commercial considerations behind major First Team tours and fixtures, working with senior stakeholders internally and a network of clubs, promoters, federations and partners internationally.

The successful candidate will need to understand what an elite football team requires to perform while also recognising the wider commercial opportunity that international tours and high-profile friendly fixtures can create.

It is a role for someone who enjoys complexity: multiple countries, stakeholders, deadlines and workstreams, where exceptional attention to detail and the ability to anticipate problems before they happen are essential.

Your skills and experience

• Demonstrable experience planning and delivering complex tours, events, fixtures or international operations ideally within professional football, elite sport or a comparable high-performance environment.
• Strong project management experience, with the ability to coordinate multiple workstreams, stakeholders and deadlines simultaneously.
• An understanding of professional football operations and the performance, training and practical requirements of an elite First Team.
• Experience managing complex international travel, including accommodation, transport, visas, immigration, accreditation and venue requirements.
• Excellent negotiation, influencing and stakeholder-management skills, including experience working with senior internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience managing budgets, suppliers, contracts, expenditure and financial reconciliation.
• Exceptional organisation and attention to detail, alongside the ability to remain calm, adaptable and solutions-focused when plans change.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a high level of professionalism and discretion.

Due to the nature of the position, the successful candidate will need to be comfortable with extensive domestic and international travel and flexible working during evenings and weekends.

If you have experience delivering complex tours or international sporting operations and are excited by the opportunity to take ownership of major First Team programmes within an elite football environment, click Apply to begin your application.

Please note that due to the volume of applications received, we are unable to provide specific feedback to unsuccessful applicants.