Professor Diego von Vacano organized the inaugural ‘Yale Soccer Conference’ at the Yale School of Management on February 9-10 2019. He was Co-Founder, with students Thairo Arruda and Joao Lacombe. The conference was made up of a variety of panels and speakers on many issues related to the global soccer industry. Themes included sustained commercialization, political and legal issues, as well as economic impact. Speakers included World Cup winner Mario Kempes, Texas A&M graduate Fernando Palomo of ESPN, Charlie Stillitano, CEO of Relevent, Inc., legendary broadcaster Andres Cantor of Telemundo, and Marta Plana, Board Member of FC Barcelona. Benno Ruwe of Bayern Munich presented on the German club’s partnership with Texas A&M. Plans are underway to hold the conference with A&M involvement in the next edition.
On Sept. 1, 2022, the Department of Political Science became part of the Bush School of Government & Public Service.
