Emmanuel Rombouts was born and raised in Antwerp, and although he spent a year in Dallas in the U.S.A following his studies at EU, travelling extensively for work since, Belgium has always been his home base. Despite cutting back on running marathons, you’re still most likely to find Emmanuel keeping active on the golf course, which is where he now works as the president of Golf Vlaanderen.
Could you tell us about your career journey since graduating from EU?
After completing my studies, my goal has always been to join our family-owned coffee roasting company. There, I spent a little over 25 great years globe-hopping and focusing on expanding our export markets, licensing agreements, and production sites. After stepping down and selling my shares, I explored new territories as an investor in various industries such as mining, transportation and logistics – but ultimately my love for sport and management would come together.
I have always been passionate about sports, trying my hand at almost anything. I started playing golf at the age of nine and was a decent player when I was younger, but as you grow older you find alternative ways to engage with your sport and that’s how I first got involved at the club level. I first became president of Royal Antwerp and later, the Belgium National Federation. I am still vice president there as well as president of the Flemish Federation, which I love.
What first interested you in golf?
I was always into sports, as a child I remember playing golf in the morning, tennis in the afternoon and then going running in the evening. But golf is where I made most of my friends and I think it is the friendship that has kept me so attached to the sport.
What made you decide to move to the managerial side of golf?
It was natural. When you are young, you have more time to play but as you get older, you don’t play as well so you try to find joy somewhere else. I found joy in helping the clubs to develop. I still play, but not competitively anymore. My goal now is to build on the sport both qualitatively and quantitatively.
What are your most important roles?
Due to the restructuring in Belgium’s politics, whereby everything is now managed on a regional level, we had to create two regional federations so we could get subsidies and help from the Ministry of Sport. One of my main ambitions at the National Federation was to create a better collaboration between the regions and a lot of work has gone into that. We also deal with the urbanization and environmental sides of the sport, and it is our job to manage any issues with the government while keeping the best interest of the clubs in mind.
Other than that, the National Federation, which I’ve been president of for four years, deals mainly with high-level sports, such as the organization of professional tournaments and training of national teams in order to send them to European or World Championships. This also includes the technical side: referees, the rules and handicaps of the players.
Is golf a popular sport in Belgium?
Golf in Belgium has been growing in popularity over the years, especially since its reinstatement as an Olympic sport in 2016, but it is still facing some hurdles. The outdated stereotype of exclusivity is often pushed by the press and on social media, whereas we need to promote accessibility to all and inspire the youth to take up the sport and be passionate about it for it to grow.
When I started playing, there were 12 golf clubs in Belgium, which were all privately owned and very selective with membership, but it has become more and more popular and democratic. There are now 90 golf clubs in Belgium, many of which are open to the public and there are around 80,000 registered players.
One of my biggest wishes is to see a Belgian player win a major tournament in my lifetime, so we’re actively working on our communication channels to change the old perceptions of the sport only being for the rich and elderly.
How do you think you can get younger people involved in golf?
First, there is the image. Young people like to identify with stars like Messi or Ronaldo. In golf, it’s the same. There are upcoming professional golf stars like Thomas Detry and Thomas Pieters, which makes the sport more appealing to youngsters.
Secondly, it’s important that they have fun with the sport. If they are joining a club, they need to feel a sense of belonging, have friends there and enjoy playing. As golf is an individual sport, it is challenging to see the fun factor from the outside but, in reality, it is the social side to it.
Why did you decide to study at EU Business School?
The curriculum was much more practical than other schools at the time, which were more theoretical. I also had a very good friend who was studying there and talked me into it. I already had my sights set on studying an MBA in the U.S.A, so it made sense to start with a school which followed an American-style education.
I enjoyed my studies at EU very much and made many friends there. It was eye-opening to study in such an international environment and EU provided me with the perfect foundation of knowledge and tools to confidently follow my career path, wherever it led me.
Do you have any advice for our students who are looking to work in the sports industry?
It’s an exciting time for the sports industry as a whole, it’s booming. There are so many opportunities in this sector – it’s a big business but it also does a lot of good. Sports teach people how to treat opponents with respect, how to win, how to lose and how to achieve goals. There are also many fantastic charities and programs for young people to educate them and keep them out of trouble. I would encourage prospective students considering this line of study to just go for it!
