The Schulich School of Business at York University and the Canadian Sporting Goods Association (CSGA) have announced a strategic partnership aimed at infusing new talent into the Canadian sporting goods sector and generating career opportunities for business students.
The multifaceted partnership will integrate the CSGA into the Schulich‘s annual career-focused sport business events and initiatives. As part of the partnership, announced on May 9, CSGA will support Schulich students by securing member companies to participate in the School’s annual Sports, Media & Entertainment Career Fair – the only event of its kind in Canada – and will collaborate with members to create more internship and entry-level opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. In addition, CSGA will have the opportunity to promote the sector, the Association, its student membership program and jobs board to students across all programs.
“The CSGA is committed to building the Canadian sporting goods community and an important piece of this build is the addition of students and young professionals to our network of suppliers, retailers, agents and sport association,” said CSGA President and Chief Executive Officer, Jon Irwin, who collaborated with Schulich marketing instructor, Vijay Setlur, on developing the partnership. “We are honoured and excited to enter into this strategic partnership with one of Canada’s top business schools. It will provide visibility and inclusion to some of the best diverse business students in Canada and be an asset to strengthening the future of our industry.”
The partnership will further expose Schulich students to one of the most dynamic sectors of the Canadian sport industry. In recent years, advances in technology, the evolution of consumer behaviour, the application of data analytics and the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted companies in the sector. Top business talent will be critical for successfully navigating the increasingly complex business issues companies face going forward.
As part of the partnership, students will receive access to job postings from CSGA member companies, with those in Setlur’s Tourism, Sport and Leisure Marketing course benefiting from access to sector data, studies, reports and secondary research for use in course assignments, projects and exams.
“I created a vision that Schulich will be a talent pipeline for the Canadian sport industry, despite not having a sport business program, and since then have been working with York Sports Business Association – our undergraduate sport business club – to achieve that vision,” said Setlur, who specializes in sport marketing and sport business. “This partnership will provide students with career opportunities in the sector, thus contributing to realizing the vision.”
This strategic partnership follows a successful collaboration Setlur orchestrated in 2021 with SponsorPulse, one of the leading marketing and data platforms in the sport industry. That collaboration has helped students in Setlur’s course hone their data literacy by extracting, synthesizing and analysing data and then developing insights from the data – an increasingly critical skill for career success in business.
“I’m passionate about creating win-win-win strategic partnerships and am always contemplating the next collaboration,” said Setlur. “This partnership has the potential to have a significant positive impact by going beyond creating jobs for students to building Schulich’s brand in the Canadian sport industry and advancing the Canadian sport industry overall.”
The partnership will commence with the 2022-23 academic year beginning in Fall 2022.
About Canadian Sporting Goods Association
Incorporated in 1945 as not-for-profit Canadian corporation, the CSGA’s primary business was trade expositions. Originated in Montreal, Que., the association represented suppliers, retailers, agents and sports associations. Its mission is to deliver member services, current industry information and actionable business resources based on the needs of the industry and our associated members for the betterment of the Canadian sporting goods industry. Today, the CSGA is located in the Greater Toronto Area and represents businesses involved in the Canadian sporting goods industry. Its membership includes suppliers, retailers, sales agencies, sports association, students and business partners.