The Business of Soccer:
What Leaders and Entrepreneurs Can Learn from the Game
Wednesday, April 15, 2026 | 12:45 – 1:25 PM (Lunch will be provided)
Room 620, Geffen Hall, Columbia Business School (map)
(645 West 130th Street, New York, NY 10027)
Note: This event is limited to Columbia Business School community members and CJEB visiting scholars.
Cosponsors: CBS Football Club, Japanese Business Association, and Sports Business Association
Featuring:
Shinji Okazaki
Premier League Champion with Leicester City
World Cup Player and
Manager of FC Basara Mainz
Yusuke Katoku
Founder and CEO
Sporta Japan Corporation
Moderator:
Ryoko Ogino
Managing Director; Co-Founder, Japanese Management Leadership Program, CJEB
About the event:
This exciting event will explore the business behind the world’s most popular sport. The conversation will feature Shinji Okazaki, former member of the Japan National Team, who was also part of the historic 2016 championship squad of Leicester City F.C. that won the English Premier League—the club’s first league title in its 132-year history—together with Yusuke Katoku, a Columbia alumnus and the founder and CEO of sports technology and consulting startup Sporta.
Through their experiences on and off the pitch, the speakers will share insights into leadership, teamwork, entrepreneurship, and the evolving business models of professional soccer in Japan and the United States. The discussion will highlight lessons that business leaders and entrepreneurs can apply—from building high-performing teams to navigating the dynamic global business scenes.
Biographies:
Shinji Okazaki is a former Japan national soccer team member and 2016 Premier League champion with Leicester City. He represented Japan at the 2008 Olympic Games, as well as several AFC Asian Cups, FIFA World Cups, and Kirin Cups. Internationally, he earned 119 caps for Japan and scored 50 goals, making him one of the national team’s all-time leading scorers. After a successful playing career in Japan and Europe, he helped establish the soccer club FC Basara Mainz in Mainz, Germany, which has attracted attention as the only Japanese-run club in Germany.
Yusuke Katoku is the Founder and CEO of Sporta Japan Corporation, a rapidly growing global sports tech distribution and consulting firm. Sporta Japan Corporation partners with leading international sports technology providers to bring innovative solutions to teams, leagues, and organizations across Japan and beyond.
Prior to launching his own venture, he served as Manager of the Global Engineering Sales division at Mitsubishi Corporation.
He holds a Master of Science in Sports Management from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Laws in Political Science from Keio University.
Cosponsors: CBS Football Club, Japanese Business Association, and Sports Business Association
Admission and Contact:
You must register to attend this event in person.
Special Notes:
● This event is limited to Columbia Business School community members and CJEB visiting scholars.
● This event will not be livestreamed.
● Please be advised that this event may be photographed, so your image may appear on our website later. If this is an issue, please let us know.
● Please bring a government-issued ID or Columbia University ID to access Columbia Business School
If you have questions about the event, please contact us at cjeb@gsb.columbia.edu.
