Elevate knowledge. Accelerate career growth.
The world’s leading professional qualification in sponsorship
Gain the strategic toolkit, critical thinking skills and commercial confidence needed to build, plan, execute and measure high-impact sponsorship programmes.
- 100% online & flexible | Designed around full-time work commitments (4–6 hrs/week)
- Immediate workplace value | Zero lost working hours. Directly applicable learning
- Globally recognised | Add the credential ‘Dip ESA’ to your profile.
Why the ESA Sponsorship Diploma?
Delivering commercial excellence in a changing industry
In today’s market, sponsorship has evolved beyond logo placement into a sophisticated commercial discipline requiring strategic objectives, professionalised processes and measurable results.
Established in 2012, the ESA Sponsorship Diploma bridges the gap between marketing theory and real-world execution, turning strategy into measurable impact.
Programme benefits:
- Understand the sponsorship environment and emerging trends and how they can be applied to your organisation.
- Understand the role of sponsorship within each stakeholder type and across the broad spectrum of sponsorship sectors.
- Gain confidence in decision-making from sponsorship strategy development to implementation and evaluation.
- Develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills to challenge and innovate the sponsorship process.
- Improve your daily practice and progress a career in sponsorship.
- Connect with an international cohort and join an active alumni network of over 800 professionals across all sponsorship sectors.
ESA Sponsorship Diploma students also receive individual ESA membership for the duration of the course, providing access to a high-value range of events and resources to supplement the learning.
Diploma impact at a glance
(Data collected from ESA Sponsorship Diploma Satisfaction Survey, 2023-2025)
- 92% of students rated the Diploma 7/10 or higher in terms of ‘ability to meet your educational/training needs’
- 97% of students rated their overall experience 7/10 or higher
- 832 global graduates leading sponsorships across 36 countries worldwide
- 397 companies to date have trusted the ESA Sponsorship Diploma to upskill their staff.
Maximising value for individuals & employers
Whether you want to climb the career ladder or build a world-class commercial team, the ESA Sponsorship Diploma is structured to deliver clear return on investment.
| Feature | For Individual Professionals | For Employers |
| Primary Objective | Fast-track career growth and gain the industry-standard Dip ESA designation | Upskill teams and acquire commercial best practice across the sponsorship function |
| Commercial Impact | Gain authority and confidence in decision making, improving sponsorship outcomes | Beyond improving effectiveness and efficiency, teams are now empowered to identify new opportunities |
| Measurement & ROI | Master analytics frameworks to prove impact on the metrics that matter | Equip staff with the evaluation models needed to prove sponsorship performance |
| Workplace Integration | A part-time online course that allows you to control your learning schedule without interrupting your day job | No loss of working hours and immediate benefit felt as staff apply learnings directly to active work |
| People, Culture & Standing | Learn from a diverse network of leaders and peers across the sponsorship ecosystem | Invest in staff development and talent retention, helping your team to take ownership and responsibility |
Trusted by leaders across the sponsorship ecosystem
“The ESA Diploma is unique, which is absolutely fantastic, and it can only raise the standards of the industry. I learnt through marketing and then being a sponsorship manager you’ve got to figure out the ecosystem – learning about all the different rights and what sponsorship means. Having a diploma in sponsorship is fantastic because it’ll fast-track the students in the industry. Their understanding of the industry will just be at a different level, and they won’t have to learn on the job. That is one of the key successes.“
Steve Elworthy
Managing Director, ICC Cricket World Cup & Graduation Guest of Honour
Proof in action: what our alumni say
Curriculum overview
Six practical modules. One industry-recognised credential.
Updated annually to address market shifts, industry innovations and evolving commercial standards:
- Module 1: Foundations of Sponsorship & Market Context | Establishing foundational knowledge, defining sponsorship within the broader marketing mix and understanding current market dynamics.
- Module 2: Stakeholder Dynamics: A 360° Perspective | Understanding the perspectives, priorities and inter-dependencies of the primary players in a sponsorship relationship.
- Module 3: Sponsorship Sectors & Formats | Analysing the diverse environments where sponsorship operates, including sector strengths, weaknesses and modern niches.
- Module 4: Strategy, Selection, Contract & Planning | Navigating the deal-making process from strategy and negotiation through to formal legal agreements.
- Module 5: Execution, Activation & Management | Bringing the sponsorship to life across integrated channels and managing day-to-day delivery.
- Module 6: Measurement, Research & Evaluation | Measuring success, assessing ROI/ROO and leveraging research to validate sponsorship investments.
Flexible learning format
Professional education built around full-time work.
- Manageable workload: 4 to 6 hours per week over 8 months (January to September).
- On-demand portal: Live online seminars hosted by industry leaders and available on demand for learning across all time zones.
- Continuous assessment: No traditional exams. Module-specific written assignments and a final real-world capstone project (The Set Brief).
Tuition fees
- Standard rate: £3,495 + VAT
- Early bird saving: £500
- ESA Members: Save up to 30% depending on membership tier.
- Corporate teams: Save an extra 15% when enrolling 3 or more candidates. For ESA Members only.
- Charities & concessions: 10% discount for registered charities; special rates for unemployed applicants.
Please note:
- Fees are due in full before login details will be provided.
- Full payment of the Early Bird fee rate must be received by the Early Bird deadline (27 November 2026) or the full rate will become payable.
- Payment available by bank transfer or card payment.
- UK companies and individuals are charged 20% VAT – all prices are shown ex VAT.
ESA Sponsorship Diploma Scholarship
We are committed to developing a more equitable and inclusive industry. The ESA Sponsorship Diploma Scholarship scheme offers 100% fully-funded tuition to candidates from under-represented backgrounds or those facing financial barriers.