The Edufinet Project, a financial education programme promoted by Fundación Unicaja and Unicaja, held a new session of its series of conferences on Financial Education for Sport on Wednesday 11 March, dedicated on this occasion to highlighting the leadership role of women in management and executive positions within sports organisations.
This is the fifth session organised by Edufinet as part of this initiative, which it runs through its EdufiSport thematic strand, and whose work has been recognised by CECA at the 20th edition of its 2024–2025 Social Work and Financial Education Awards.
This event, held at the Faculty of Marketing and Management at the University of Málaga (UMA), brought together representatives from the academic, institutional and sporting sectors, who, drawing on their experience, reflected on and analysed the main financial, organisational and training challenges and specificities faced by female executives at the helm of elite clubs and sports federations.
The panel discussion featured María Martos, an executive of the Real Federación Andaluza de Fútbol; Pepa Moreno, president of Club Balonmano Femenino Málaga Costa del Sol; and Ana Vera, co-director of the Master’s Degree in Sports Organisation Management run by the University of Málaga and Málaga CF. The panel discussion was introduced by Daniel Ruiz, academic secretary of the Faculty of Marketing and Management at the University of Málaga (UMA), and Arnie Zareei, a member of the Edufinet Project team.
From their different professional perspectives, the speakers agreed on the importance of investing in specialised academic training as a key tool to facilitate access for new generations of women to leadership and management positions in the sporting sector. In this regard, emphasis was placed on the role of financial education in areas such as responsible saving and sound financial planning and management, which are fundamental to ensuring the future sustainability and stability of clubs and federations.
The session, which was participatory in nature, concluded with a final Q&A session, which fostered a direct exchange of ideas with the audience. The event was streamed live via the Edufinet website and its thematic portal EdufiSport, where it can also be viewed on demand, thereby extending its reach beyond the in-person setting.
Financial Education for Sport
This event marks the fifth session of the series on Financial Education for Sport, an initiative launched by the Edufinet Project last October to mark its Financial Education Week. The series, which is scheduled to run throughout the 2025–2026 academic year, is financially supported by Funcas Educa and organised in collaboration with the Faculty of Marketing and Management at the University of Málaga. It is delivered through Edufinet’s sports-themed platform, EdufiSport, where, since 2020, it has been promoting specific financial education initiatives aimed at the world of sport.
Edufinet, 20 years of experience
Over its 20-year history, the Edufinet Project has distinguished itself as one of Spain’s pioneering and leading programmes in financial education and inclusion, thanks to its commitment to society and the implementation of its sustainability policy. This ongoing work has resulted in an extensive network of partners, comprising around ten business organisations and 18 universities.