UCFB Future Sport 2018

DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS FOR THE BEST BUSINESSES IN SPORT
TOMORROW’S TALENT, TODAY
Part of coaching
is having a
thirst for
knowledge
and improving
Gareth Southgate
Exclusive interview with the England manager
Jamie Carragher
on getting started in sports media
Mauricio Pochettino
on developing talent through coaching
Hope Powell
on continuous learning in elite sport
Brendan Rodgers
on vision, commitment and resilience
Hayley McQueen
on the opportunities for women in sport
Also inside…
NFL in London
Is it now just a matter of time until London has its own franchise?
Promoting a mega-fight
Klitschko, Joshua, Haye… the different ways to sell a boxing match
A WORLD FIRST IN SPORTS EDUCATION

A world first
in sports education
UCFB delivers university degrees
in the multi-billion-pound
football, sport and events
industries in world-class campus
locations that have the iconic
Wembley and Etihad stadiums
at their heart.
Through a network of
sector-leading partnerships,
UCFB also connects our
students with unrivalled work
placement opportunities at
hundreds of sports
organisations, driving these
companies forward with the
next generation’s brightest
talent.
If you would like to speak to
UCFB about student or
graduate work placements at
your sports business and how
we can help drive your
organisation forwards, please
contact us on 0333 220 9351
or visit www.ucfb.com/talent.
WORKING IN PARTENRSHIP WITH

WELCOME
The future of sport is here
Hello, and thanks for choosing to read the
inaugural Future Sport magazine. Here, we will
share with you just some of the brilliant examples
of our students and graduates working alongside clubs,
governing bodies, events and brands as we drive forward
the industry together.
The sport industry is changing at an unprecedented
rate, and is now more professional than ever before –
on and off the pitch. The number of work and career
opportunities is increasing all the time, with new doors
opening every day to those willing to put the hard work
in. Simply put, the future of sport is here and now is the
time to tap into the knowledge and expertise of UCFB,
its students and graduates.
Across the following pages you’ll read about our
fantastic work at a number of the biggest sports
organisations around the UK and further afield,
including graduates at renowned institutions and clubs
such as Manchester United, The Football Association
and Sky Sports, and current students helping to
facilitate global sporting events. Since UCFB opened in
2011, we’ve partnered with over 400 elite organisations,
with our students having helped to take these
businesses to the next level.
On top of that we’ve also got exclusive interviews
with England manager Gareth Southgate ahead of
a vital World Cup year, and Tottenham boss Mauricio
Pochettino. Both managers talk of the importance
of education, communication across the workplace
and what it takes to succeed at the highest level in
professional sport. At UCFB we care deeply about
diversity within sport and actively encourage women to
participate at all levels of the industry. Our eight-page
women in sport special, which includes further exclusive
interviews and graduate highlights, shows just some of
the great work women are doing in sport right now.
UCFB and our network of employment partners
continue to drive innovation and success as the next
generation of talent takes its place in this exciting sector.
I hope you enjoy the read!
Brendan Flood
Chairman of UCFB
Director at Burnley FC
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 3

CONTENTS
6
8
11
12
Making sport work
Industry heavyweights
have their say
In conversation with…
Liverpool legend
Jamie Carragher discusses
his move into television
Did you know?
Fascinating facts
on the sport industry
Run the world
An in-depth eight-page
special on the huge role
women are playing across
the sport industry
21
22
UCFB partners with…
Isokinetic
Medical Group
Why the FIFA approved
company work with UCFB
The Bhoy done good
Celtic’s Brendan Rodgers
on dealing with set-backs
and creating a philosophy
26
FUTURE SPORT
EXCLUSIVE
England manager Gareth
Southgate tells us about
finding that winning edge
4 | Future Sport

CONTENTS
32
UCFB chairman
Brendan Flood
We’re in it together
36
Fight night
Good guys, bad guys and
the complicated world of
promoting a boxer
41
UCFB partners with…
Blackpool FC
Find out how one student
helped the club achieve
promotion last season
34
In conversation with…
Sky Sports’ Guillem
Balague on England,
Spain and football’s career
opportunities
42
What students
and employers say
about UCFB
Subject key
Each colour represents
one of UCFB’s four core
careers in sport and its
relevance to each article
in this publication.
MEDIA
COACHING
BUSINESS
EVENTS
Future Sport editorial
Editor
Neil Hawkins
Production editor
Daniel Brown
Art editor
Alex Cadoni
Pictures
Alex Dunn, Agnes Kotwinska,
The FA via Getty Images
Contributors
Brendan Flood
Sharona Friedman
James McKeown
Ray Boggiano
Danny Stroud
All written content by
Neil Hawkins unless credited
Special thanks to the League
Managers Association
44
Can London sustain
an NFL franchise?
We take a further look at
the UK’s love-affair with
American Football
48
Follow the leader
Tottenham manager
Mauricio Pochettino on
why education is important
to new coaches
50
Snapshot
A photographic look at
the exciting roles that
exist within the sport
industry and our students
54
In conversation with…
The FA’s law man
Mark Ives
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The contents of this magazine, both
words and statistics, are strictly
copyright and the intellectual property
of UCFB. Copying or reproduction
may only be carried out with written
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normally not be withheld on payment
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Tomorrow’s talent, today | 5

MAKING SPORT WORK
Making
sport work
UCFB is fortunate to count a number of elite professionals across the sport spectrum as advisors and
colleagues. Individuals regularly visit both UCFB campuses to speak with students and staff to pass on advice
and offer guidance on the intricacies of the industry. Here are just some of their thoughts on UCFB and the
vital role it plays in the sport industry…
“UCFB’s degree programmes and
Complementary Curriculum open
up new opportunities in the football
business and related industries. UK
and international students sharing
educational, business and cultural
experience in this context will be
invaluable for the future of football.”
Sir Dave Richards
Former chairman of the Premier League
“The industry needs graduates
with these qualifications and
work-based experience as a way of
both improving best practice and
standardisation across the football
business and associated industries.”
Neil Doncaster
Chief executive of the Scottish
Professional Football League
“UCFB is developing the future
best-in-class football and sports
business professionals with the
skills, knowledge and experience
to excel within the industry and
drive it forward, both in the UK and
internationally.”
Kelly Simmons MBE
Director of football participation and
development at The Football Association
“The interest level and the
questions I was asked by students
was phenomenal and really well
researched. I was very impressed
by the professionalism of the
organisation. I think it’s a terrific
place to learn.”
Chris Foy
Former Premier League referee
“I think UCFB is fantastic.
Getting people into the sports
industry and training them
in all of the different aspects of
the industry is absolutely great.
This is a great place to begin
your career in sport.”
Danny Mills
BBC Sport pundit and
former England defender
6 | Future Sport

MAKING SPORT WORK
“Sport is big business
and being here in
this facility is showing
people what the
potential is.”
Lee Clayton
Head of sport at
The Daily Mail
“What an incredible
campus; what a brilliant
place to learn and
engage in sport.”
Gabby Logan
BBC Sport pundit
“I think UCFB is definitely unique
and is offering something to
students which nobody else has. To
actually be in a stadium, immersed
in such history, and to see how
Wembley works as a business with
The FA here as well, I just think
UCFB is like no other.”
Hayley McQueen
Sky Sports News presenter
“I’m very impressed with
what I’ve seen at UCFB. I
applaud the good work that
is going on here and I think
it’s only going to get better
and better and get bigger
and bigger.”
David Dein
Former vice-chairman of
The Football Association and Arsenal
“I’ve been really
impressed by UCFB,
it’s a very clever idea.
I’d definitely enjoy
studying a course here.”
Chris Powell
Former Charlton Athletic and
Huddersfield Town manager
“The education you get at UCFB
about the professional sport
industry is first class. You’re often
talked to by industry professionals,
either past, present or even
future, and you assimilate a lot
of knowledge about how the
professional sport business works.”
Dr. Brian Barwick
Chairman of The National League and
Rugby Football League
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 7

JAMIE CARRAGHER
IN CONVERSATION WITH...
Jamie Carragher
Talk: Carragher spoke to UCFB students about his stellar
career and passed on advice to succeed in the sport industry
When he retired from playing in 2013, many
expected Jamie Carragher to go into coaching
and find himself in the Anfield dugout not
long after. So it was met with some surprise
when it was announced he was going to be
following one-time playing rival Gary Neville
into the TV studio at Sky Sports.
We spoke with Carragher during his talk to
students at the Etihad Stadium, where the
Liverpool legend explained his new career
choice and outlined the qualities needed to
succeed in the football and sport industry,
whatever the role…
As a pro who played under a number of great coaches,
you’ve seen first-hand the techniques that can galvanise
a squad as well as demotivate them. What would you
say to UCFB students looking to pursue a career in this
area are the key traits to be an effective coach?
I always think that if you listen to what players like in
a coach, they will always say honesty – just tell them
straight and where they stand. A lot of the time as a
player, although you’re part of a team, you’ll be thinking
of yourself. Does the manager like me? Is he going to
pick me? Am I leaving? Where do I stand? I think it’s a
big thing for the manager to keep a hold of the whole
25-man squad and their ups and downs at different
times, so I think man management is a massive part of it.
You’ll never keep everyone happy, but players will at least
respect what your job is and accept at times they’re not
going to play every week.
For a UCFB student going on to work in football and sport,
whether it’s coaching, media or otherwise, what are some
of the typical challenges they will face and what would
you say are some of the ways to face up to them?
Football, like any other industry, is very, very competitive,
whether going into playing, management, punditry or the
business side of it. It’s hugely competitive and there are
vast sums on offer, it’s high end stuff. I think that when
competitiveness gets involved in anything it should bring
the best out in you. If it doesn’t, and you shrink because
You’ve gone from Premier League player to Sky
Sports pundit – how did you prepare yourself to
adapt to your new role and how important is it for
students looking to work in the football industry to
be able to adapt to different environments?
Towards the end of your career the question for most
players now is ‘do I go into coaching or do I go into
punditry?’ I’d done a few of my coaching badges before
I finished playing and I also did a lot of work for ITV,
especially during the 2012 European Championships,
and I enjoyed it. So I knew then it was something I’d
like to go into. I’d always watched a lot of shows and
thought ‘could I do that?’ Going forward, and in terms
of joining Sky and Monday Night Football, I had a scaled
down version of the machine we use to learn with over
the first summer I had off.
Legend: Carragher made 737 appearances for Liverpool
8 | Future Sport

JAMIE CARRAGHER
STUDENT SUCCESS
Conor Creamer, UCFB graduate and reporter at Sky Sports
Conor’s dream one-two with UCFB and Sky Sports
UCFB hosts a number of unique media programmes to reflect the ever changing multimedia world. Such a
programme helped Conor on his way to a job with the nation’s most popular sport website…
Online: Conor now works as a reporter for Sky Sports
“UCFB OFFERED ME THE
PERFECT EXPERIENCE
TO HELP BOOST MY
CONFIDENCE AND
UNDERSTANDING
OF THE JOURNALISM
WORLD”
There can be no denying that Sky Sports has changed
the way fans watch sport forever.
Thousands of football, rugby, cricket and NFL fixtures
are beamed into living rooms around the country every
year in high definition, with some of the most talented
names in punditry analysing the games in fine detail.
But it’s Sky Sports’ journalistic efforts that have also
made others raise the bar. First came Sky Sports News,
the UK’s first dedicated rolling sport news service, in
1998. Now Sky Sports are offering more and more from
their digital news service through their website and
mobile apps.
At the core of each report is a focus on good
journalism. Just one look at any reporter role
advertised on Sky Sports’ careers website will show an
applicant must possess the necessary qualifications to
work for the company. UCFB alumnus Conor Creamer
came to the institution to study media and journalism,
and he now spends his days engrossed in his favourite
interest – sport.
“I’ve always been a massive sport fan,” he said. “Reading
and watching entertaining sport content is something
I’ve always enjoyed doing.” For an institution like Sky, only
the best education will do for their staff.
“UCFB offered me the perfect experience to help boost
my confidence and understanding of the journalism
world,” Conor said. “I’ve long believed that in order to
maximise your potential and become the best in your
chosen field, it is crucial that you surround yourselves
with the industry’s best and UCFB offers precisely that.”
of the competitiveness from someone else – say another
player or another team – and you can’t handle that, then
you’re probably in the wrong industry. I think if you have
the mental strength to handle that you will be OK.
What are your thoughts on opportunities available
at UCFB?
I think what UCFB does is fantastic for the students. There
are so many strands to the game now, it’s just becoming
bigger and better. The fact you have something like UCFB
and the facilities – that’s the future of the game now.
It was always felt in the past that it was just the players
and the manager, but now there’s so much more with
the likes of sports science, the business side of it and the
scouting departments behind the scenes at the clubs.
There’s a lot of jobs to go round so I hope UCFB students
will have a prosperous career in the game.
Meet: Carragher’s industry stories were a firm favourite with
UCFB students
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 9

THE WORLD’S LEADING
AUTHORITY IN AMERICAN
SPORTS SCHOLARSHIPS
SINCE 2001.
Created by athletes for athletes, FirstPoint USA is the original scholarship agency.
Since it was founded in 2001, FirstPoint has secured scholarships in over 20 sports for over 7,000 sportsmen and women
across the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. We have brokered over $150million in scholarship deals on their behalf
in sports including football, rugby, golf, field hockey and lacrosse.
Initially working with 14 athletes, FirstPoint now interviews over 26,000 applicants each year from around the world, with
600 scholarships secured by FirstPoint on an annual basis.
Past FirstPoint USA students include 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett, former England hockey player Dulcie Davis
and HSBC Shangai Masters champion Russell Knox.
Danny Willett – 2016 US Masters winner, Ryder Cup player and FirstPoint USA scholar
Danny signed with FirstPoint
USA in 2005 and secured a golf
scholarship to the NCAA Division
I program at Jacksonville State
University the same year. During
his amateur career, he won the
English Amateur Championship
in 2007 before becoming the
number one ranked amateur in
the world in March 2008.
Willett turned pro two months
later and earned his European
Tour card for the 2009 season
coming through qualifying school,
and the following year he entered
the top 100 world rankings for
the first time. His first success on
the European Tour came in June
2012 at the BMW International
Open in Cologne, beating Marcus
Fraser on the fourth extra hole of a
thrilling sudden death playoff.
At the 2015 Open, Willett
recorded his then-best major
finish with a tie for sixth on
the famous Old Course at St.
Andrews. The 2016 Masters
though is where Willett made
his name. A brilliant five under
par final found at Augusta
National saw the Englishman
take advantage of a back nine
collapse from home favourite
Jordan Spieth to become the
first Brit to win the famous
green jacket for 20 years.
info@firstpointusa.com
Tel: 0871 641 3010
www.firstpointusa.com

DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know?
Sport is worth £20 billion a year
to the UK economy
In the UK alone there are 450,000 people
working in the sport industry
UCFB partners with over 400 elite sports
organisations providing student
work placements for their businesses
Two in three UCFB graduates work in sport
Graduates in UCFB subject areas earn
on average £38,400 p/a over their career
There are currently approximately 9.5m jobs
in the UK in UCFB subject areas
Images created by Freepik
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 11

WOMEN IN SPORT
12 | Future Sport

WOMEN IN SPORT
RUN THE
WORLD
More than 7.2million women around the UK now participate
in some form of regular sporting activity – 250,000 more than
when the This Girl Can campaign was launched in 2015.
But it’s not just on the playing field where there has been
a drive to increase the number of female participants.
Newsrooms, training grounds, medical centres and finance
departments across the sport industry have also seen a positive
increase in numbers in their female workforce.
UCFB is proud to employ a number of the industry’s finest
female minds and educate the female stars of the future. In
this Women in Sport special, we spoke with former England
manager Hope Powell, Sky Sports’ Hayley McQueen and former
England goalkeeper and UCFB ambassador Rachel Brown-
Finnis. A number of UCFB’s female graduates also reveal what
it’s like to work in the sport industry...
Left: Just some of the fantastic female students, staff, graduates and guest speakers from UCFB
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 13

WOMEN IN SPORT
The roar of the lioness
History will show that Hope Powell changed the face of women’s football
in the UK for good when she took over as England manager in 1998. The
game is now at a higher level than ever, but that doesn’t mean her work
is done. Powell met with us to discuss how to stay ahead in today’s game
and advise students on being the best they can be...
There is no bigger champion and no bigger name
in women’s football in England than Hope Powell.
As national manager for 15 years, Powell is credited
with almost single-handedly transforming the game
from small crowds and Sunday league facilities into the
professional multi-million-pound industry it is today.
At a time when there was relatively little professional
interest in women’s football within the UK, Powell
demanded investment, opportunities and structures to
allow the game to develop.
“BY CONTINUAL LEARNING
YOU BECOME BETTER AT
YOUR TRADE”
“It’s a tough industry no matter whether you’re
male or female,” she says. “But it’s harder for women
because the industry is clogged by the male game.
The assumption is that men are more knowledgeable
on the game than women, and the lead roles
unfortunately fall to men.”
The 50-year-old added: “The decision makers are
quite often male and therefore a lot of people generally
employ people like themselves – it’s a fact.”
It’s comments like this which has seen Powell never
rest on her laurels. In recent years participation in the
women’s game has gone through the roof, as have
the number of coaches, the amount of TV coverage,
attendance at games, the wages on offer to players and
the success of the national team. But still she carries on.
Stubborn or determined? Powell doesn’t mind what
you think but she knows what it takes to succeed
and what women need to do to make themselves
impossible to ignore.
Advising female students, she said: “If you’re trying to
break into this industry as I did, I think the important thing
is to get qualified, get experience and don’t be deterred.”
She adds: “You’re competing all the time and you have to
stay ahead of the game and be better than the person next
to you – that means more experience, more qualifications,
keep upskilling yourself, volunteer and get a mentor. It all
puts you further forward than the person next to you.”
Powell’s record speaks for itself. A playing career spent
largely with Millwall Lionesses and Croydon, she also
represented her country 66 times, including playing in a
European final as a 17-year-old.
It’s her time as England manager though where she
made her name. Appointed as the first-ever full-time
national team manager, Powell became the first woman
to obtain her UEFA pro licence, and has since been
awarded an OBE and CBE for the way she transformed
the women’s game.
As manager, she led England to two World Cup
quarter finals and a European final in 2009 – a record
noticeably far superior to the men’s team during the
same period. It’s obvious to most though that Powell
wasn’t just the manager. Wearing the job as a badge of
honour, she grabbed the women’s game by the scruff of
the neck and dragged it into the professional era.
The FA couldn’t ignore her, but how did she convince
them to believe in her vision? She doesn’t deny it was tough.
“Something I learnt was that a win for me is a win for
them. It’s about how you sell it, how you negotiate and
how you work with your senior management to get what
you want, because first and foremost it’s a business and
it’s got to be a win-win situation.”
She added: “Managing upwards is about convincing
those people that if they agree to your idea then they’re
going to benefit from it – that’s really important.”
Now a female coach educator at the Professional
Footballers’ Association, Powell works with both male
and female coaches to help, educate and inform them
on how to better themselves and their coaching skill
sets. It’s a different kind of coaching and a different kind
of educating, not to mention a world away from leading
out England at a World Cup, but it’s yet another area of
the game Powell is hugely passionate about.
14 | Future Sport

WOMEN IN SPORT
“THE IMPORTANT
THING IS TO GET
QUALIFIED, GET
EXPERIENCE
AND DON’T BE
DETERRED”
Transformed:
Hope Powell
helped bring
women’s
football into the
mainstream
“Formal education in terms of coaching is really
important,” she says with absolute conviction. “It upskills
you in the knowledge of the game and allows you to
disseminate all that information appropriately to the age
group of players you’re working with.”
Powell goes on to say that education never stops, no
matter what level of the sport you are at. “The game
evolves so you need to evolve with it,” she adds.
“By continual learning you become better at your trade
and you then become better at dealing with players.
The idea of coaching is how you make players better, so
it’s important to continue upskilling yourself in order to
make you more proficient at your job and to help your
players develop.”
The first tournament England played in the post-
Powell era was the 2015 World Cup, where they caught
the imagination of the nation by reaching the semi-finals
and then beating the mighty Germany in the third-place
play-off. Undoubtedly their greatest ever moment on the
international stage.
She might not have been pitch side, but there can
be no denying the influence Powell had on the team.
If it wasn’t for her, the standards of the female game in
England would be very, very different.
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 15

WOMEN IN SPORT
This Girl Does
Sky Sports have led the way when it comes to championing the female
cause on the nation’s TV screens in recent years. We spoke with leading
presenter Hayley McQueen on her role in the media spotlight and how
women should believe in themselves to succeed...
Sky Sports’ Hayley McQueen knows a thing or two
about being a prominent female figure in the
world of sport.
McQueen, one of Sky’s most popular anchors and
presenters, is in the leading pack of female talent on Sky
Sports News which proudly boasts a number of the UK’s
most respected broadcasters, including Kirsty Gallacher
and Natalie Sawyer.
Thanks to campaigns such as This Girl Can, the
number of women participating in sport – on and off
the field – has seen a steady increase. Despite this,
there are still certain stigmas to overcome in the sport
industry. Fully aware of this, McQueen has a clear
message for women who want to pursue a career in
sport: “See yourself as an equal, because you are.”
“Don’t think of yourself as ‘I’m a girl, it’s going to be
tough’”, she says. “Don’t even see yourself as a sex - just
see yourself as an equal. As soon as you see yourself as an
equal, other people will see that too. Women are equal in
every other industry so why can’t they be in sport?”
No stranger to football growing up, McQueen,
whose dad Gordon played for Manchester United and
Scotland, added: “If you’re someone who has grown up
with sport, that’s what you should be doing. So don’t let
it put you off.”
“SEE YOURSELF AS AN
EQUAL, BECAUSE YOU ARE”
McQueen started her journey in the world of sports
journalism with Middlesbrough’s in-house TV channel
Boro TV as a reporter, before going on to Manchester
United and then making her name on Sky.
With media leading the way in the number of females
employed in its rank, McQueen highlighted the likes
of medical, marketing and sales roles as areas where
more and more women are being employed, but hoped
Popular:
McQueen is one
of Sky Sports’
most respected
presenters
that public incidents, like what was seen between
then Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and doctor Eva
Carneiro, doesn’t put females off working in the football
and sport industry.
“Unfortunately that was the worst thing that could
have possibly happened in that situation,” McQueen said.
“The headlines probably came out because she was a
woman and Mourinho undermined her position.
“I think that was frustrating because it set everybody
back a little bit and thought ‘well maybe women
can’t work in the industry’, ‘she made this mistake’ or
‘according to Mourinho she’s made this mistake’. I hope
things like that won’t put women off.”
With role models like McQueen leading the charge,
there is no reason why that should be the case.
16 | Future Sport

WOMEN IN SPORT
Riding the wave
She’s played at the Olympics, won an FA Cup and is an England
legend. Rachel Brown-Finnis had a colourful playing career and has
now transitioned into television. The UCFB ambassador spoke with
us about the expanding opportunities available to women in football
and her new career in front of the camera…
Adapting to a new country and new culture is
something sport industry professionals must be
prepared for at any given point in their career.
The global nature of 21st century sport means a move
abroad is never far away, something that’s especially true
for athletes.
Former England and Everton goalkeeper Rachel Brown-
Finnis had to learn quickly when she moved from her
native north west England to the United States aged just
18, where she was between the sticks for Alabama Crimson
Tide while attending the University of Alabama.
Rachel said she learnt “a lot” during her five years in
the US, and highlighted that her time there not only
developed her hugely as a goalkeeper, but also helped her
learn more about herself.
“Yes they spoke English but it was a very different
culture,” the 37-year-old said. “The education system was
very different, and how people perceived female footballers
in America was very different to here in the UK.”
Brown-Finnis added: “It actually made me more
determined to change how women’s football was
perceived in England because, when I went over there
the women’s team had won the Olympics and the World
Guidance:
Brown-Finnis is a
long-time UCFB
mentor and
ambassador
Cup and they were idolised in the newspapers. They were
household names and I wanted that for our country.”
Brown-Finnis soon returned to England and signed for
the Toffees. Her stellar playing career also saw her earn 81
England caps along the way and win the Women’s FA Cup
with the Merseyside club. She also made history when she
was selected as part of the first ever Team GB team at the
London 2012 Olympics.
It was during her time in the US that Brown-Finnis
experienced the professionalism of its female teams.
“It made me realise that where we were as an England
team was not good enough, as well as how we were
viewed from a media perspective. It also made me realise
how professional the players were over there; they had a
professional league and that was where I wanted to be
personally and as a team as well.”
Gradually, women’s football in the UK has caught up
with the US. From the 2017/18 season the Women’s Super
League will run alongside the Premier League season for the
first time, and in recent years the Women’s FA Cup final has
been played at Wembley Stadium, enjoying healthy crowds.
The England national team has also seen an upward
curve. The side finished third in the 2015 World Cup,
beating the mighty Germany in the third place play-off.
The women’s game is now also getting far more prime
time television coverage, something Brown-Finnis has been
quick to jump on. Since retiring from the game in 2014, she
has enjoyed a successful transition into sports broadcasting
and is regularly seen on the BBC and BT Sport. She makes
no bones about now wanting to make a career in the media
industry, citing the likes of Gabby Logan as “trailblazers”.
“Even away from football, more so than ever, there are
many female presenters like Gabby Logan, Sue Barker
and Hazel Irvine who have been there for years,” she
says. “These people have been trailblazers and the ones
who have really broken through and changed people’s
preconceptions about what voices they should be hearing
when watching football.”
The trajectory of her career so far suggests UCFB
ambassador Brown-Finnis will be on our screens for a while
yet. Watch out, Gabby.
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 17

WOMEN IN SPORT
Tomorrow’s leaders
A number of UCFB’s female graduates have gone on to land great jobs in
the football and sport industry. Here are just some of their amazing stories…
Alice Birch
Sponsorship operations assistant at Manchester United
Not many people are fortunate enough to say they work
at one of the biggest sporting institutions in the world,
but UCFB graduate Alice certainly can.
Combining her hard work and ambition with an
invaluable degree and an armful of work placements,
Alice landed the role of sponsorship operations assistant
at Premier League giants Manchester United.
Based at the club’s London office, Alice’s role, though
mostly confidential, comprises of helping to bring in
sponsorship and partnership deals for the club from all
over the world. With the club being a huge global brand,
Alice’s days are invariably busy.
With further ambitions of one day being a chief
executive at a leading football club, Alice cites West
Ham United’s vice-chair Karren Brady as an inspiration
Natalie Gradwell
Data analyst at Fleetwood Town
Everyone knows the tale of the local kid who goes on
to star for their hometown club – Alan Shearer, Steven
Gerrard and Paul Scholes to name a few. That’s what’s
happened to UCFB graduate Natalie Gradwell.
Natalie initially approached Fleetwood Town for work
experience opportunities and was given the chance to
work two days a week during the 2014/15 season. Now
three seasons later, she’s full time at the club working as
a data analyst alongside the League One club’s senior
management, including chief executive Steve Curwood.
Natalie’s role entails managing attendance and
programme sales reports. She also works closely
with the senior management team on maintaining
and expanding Fleetwood’s fan base through new
membership schemes.
and wants to see more women involved in the elite
levels of the game.
Alice said: “There are not as many women as I think
there should be doing these [business] roles, but my
boss at United is a woman and the office is divided
which I found very interesting as I thought there would
be a lot of men. But whether it’s the design team or the
operations team, there is a 50/50 divide which is good
to see.”
She added: “Whether it’s here at United or at UCFB,
women really support each other and push each other
to be the best we can.”
Alice studied BA (Hons) Football Business & Marketing.
Natalie said: “I was thrown into the deep end and I
was supporting on all different areas within the club
– it was a brilliant learning curve. Everything seemed
really complicated, but I stuck at it and as the season
came to an end I was able to tie my work placement
experiences together with the theory that I had learnt
at UCFB.”
Being a female in a traditionally male dominated industry
is something that doesn’t faze Natalie.
She added: “I don’t see it as a negative or being on the
back foot. It’s a pivotal time for women to take opportunities
and excel within the football and sport industry.”
Natalie studied BA (Hons) Football Business & Finance.
18 | Future Sport

WOMEN IN SPORT
Amy O’Connor
Business development executive at Watford FC
Many wish they’d followed their dreams when younger
and walked down a career path of something they were
passionate about.
For first class graduate Amy O’Connor there will be no
such regrets – just months after leaving UCFB she landed
herself a job at Premier League Watford as a business
development executive.
Despite never having had an interest in playing the
game, Amy says her biggest passion is football. So
when she discovered UCFB, Amy’s pathway into the
sport became clear. Based at the club’s Vicarage Road
stadium, Amy’s role is to make new key contacts with
local and national businesses.
Amy, who has ambitions to be chief executive of a
football club in her future career, backed up her UCFB
degree with a CV full of brilliant work placements from
clubs and institutions like Millwall and The Football
Association.
Also on her CV was a match day hospitality role at
Vicarage Road, where Amy impressed so much they
created the business development position at the club
especially for her so they didn’t lose her skills and ability.
Amy said: “I was able to achieve things beyond my
imagination whilst at UCFB because I was learning
about something I cared about and had lecturers
around me who had both knowledge and experience
in the industry. The support I received throughout
Jessica Morgan
Reporter at the Evening Standard
By-lines in one of the UK’s most read newspapers, covering
a fascinating general election and interviewing some of the
most influential sport stars in the country – the beginning
of Jessica’s journalism career has been quite a ride.
A keen writer from a young age, Jessica started a blog
before deciding it was something she was determined
to turn into a career. She joined the programme at
UCFB through the Media Diversity Bursary Scheme,
which is aimed at opening up opportunities for young
people from diverse ethnic and social backgrounds,
in partnership with the Evening Standard and
Independent newspapers. Through this scheme she
balanced her studies at UCFB with work at the Evening
Standard – London’s leading newspaper.
In her role as a news reporter she has covered politics,
sport, business and community, and the fast paced,
ever changing landscape of the job sat alongside her
20-week NCTJ programme perfectly, complementing
classroom learning with on the job experience. The
NCTJ Diploma in Journalism is one of the most
recognised qualifications in British media, and is often
quoted as the “kite mark” of quality when employers are
looking for new staff.
Jessica said: “There have been tonnes of stories I’ve
loved covering but I’ll never forget my first ever by-line
which was a story about a Fort-Knox style vault opening
in London, now that was exciting!”
developed me as an individual in terms of confidence
and communication.”
What would she say to other females interested in
going into an exciting career in the football and sport
industries?
“Don’t see yourself as a female in the football industry,”
Amy says. “Would you think of yourself as a woman in
an alternate industry? Don’t treat it any different to an
industry that your friends may be working in. If you
work hard people won’t see you as a ‘female working in
football’, they will just see you as their colleague and a
fellow professional.”
Amy studied BA (Hons) Football Business & Marketing.
She added: “The NCTJ course has been a challenge but
100 percent worthwhile. It has given me the foundation,
skills and knowledge both personally and professionally.”
Jessica also had a strong message for women looking
at a career in media and journalism – go for it.
She said: “If you enjoy writing and have an interest in
news and current affairs, irrespective of whether you
are male or female, go for it. We need more women
in the industry – 50 percent of people who consume
news are women. It is important that we have a strong
representation of female journalists to cover all aspects
of news.”
Jessica studied the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism.
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 19

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PARTNER CASE STUDY
UCFB partners with… Isokinetic Medical Group
Breaking records in Barcelona
It was Camp Nou calling for two UCFB students, who put their degrees to the test at the biggest football
medicine conference that’s ever been held. The pair are the latest students from UCFB entrusted by
Isokinetic in playing an important role at their worldwide events...
“WE GET THE PERFECT
CANDIDATE EACH TIME TO
ENABLE US TO CARRY ON WITH
OUR DAILY JOBS”
Nou Camp: Benedikt and Albert at the home of
the Spanish giants
Mike Davison
Managing director of Isokinetic
Blue skies, sandy beaches and warm sunshine.
When it comes to offering students unique work
experience opportunities with the world’s leading
organisations, UCFB likes to deliver.
But don’t be fooled into thinking it’s all one big jolly
and five-a-side in the sun. The nature of 21st century
football and sport is that it is truly global, so it’s vital that
those who aspire to work in these industries have a firm
grasp and understanding of how practitioners from
around the world operate.
Previous years have seen UCFB students work with football
clubs in Brazil, youth camps in America and tournament
organisers in Hong Kong. Now to add to this exciting list
students Benedikt Neumeier and Albert Bassols flew to
Barcelona to participate in a special football medicine event.
Attending The Future of Football Medicine conference at
the world famous Camp Nou, the pair acted as press liaisons
for event organiser and long-time UCFB partner Isokinetic
Medical Group, a FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence.
The event was attended by some of the world’s top medical
institutions, as well as over 100 football clubs and thousands
of dignitaries from the world of medicine and sport.
With so many distinguished and experienced names
in attendance, the event was the perfect opportunity for
Albert and Benedikt to network and make future contacts.
“The event was a lot of fun and a great experience,” says
Benedikt. “Meeting and being among so many professionals
from in and around football from all over the world felt very
rewarding. To talk to them, get to know them and first of all
introduce myself was a valuable opportunity.”
For Albert, a Barcelona fan, the event experience was
also extremely helpful: “It was great to see first-hand how a
three-day congress is organised and how the partnership
between FC Barcelona and Isokinetic was put into practice.”
UCFB and Isokinetic have been working together
for a number of years. While students are able to gain
valuable experiences and industry lessons from one of
the world’s leading sport medical groups, Isokinetic are
able to strengthen their workforce with knowledgeable,
passionate and eager individuals.
That’s why managing director Mike Davison and the
rest of his team continually request the assistance of
UCFB’s Complementary Curriculum and Employability
team to provide them with students to assist at some of
their biggest events.
Mike said: “We’ve worked with UCFB for a number
of years now. Like previous UCFB students we’ve
had come to work for us, Albert and Benedikt were
engaged in their work and willing to go the extra
mile in their roles with no task too much trouble. It’s
because of this we continue to work with UCFB and
their dedicated, driven students.”
For Benedikt and Albert, the event will now sit proudly
on their CV as they progress through UCFB before
looking for full time work upon graduation.
As for Mike, he’s sure to be back in contact with UCFB
again very soon for help with more student assistance.
“The service provided by the Complementary Curriculum
and Employability team has never been anything but
exemplary,” he says. “The communication with students
has been great and ensured we get the perfect candidate
each time to enable us to carry on with our daily jobs.”
Albert studies BA (Hons) Football Business &
Marketing, and Benedikt studies BA (Hons) Sports
Business & Sports Broadcasting at UCFB Wembley.
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 21

BRENDAN RODGERS
The Bhoy done good
Following his time at Anfield and a perfect first season in Scotland with Celtic,
Brendan Rodgers has established himself as one of the brightest young minds in
football. We visited Rodgers at the treble-winners’ training ground to talk vision,
commitment and resilience, and to hear the Ulsterman pass on his advice to the
next generation of successful coaches...
It’s a Saturday evening in late May and Brendan
Rodgers would be forgiven for straying from football
and thinking about his summer.
He and his Celtic team have just beaten Aberdeen at
Hampden Park in the Scottish Cup Final to complete
the domestic treble, going the season unbeaten and
breaking years old records along the way.
Many would sit back and soak in the glory of being
one of few teams in history, anywhere in the world, to
achieve such a feat. But Rodgers is a perfectionist. Even
while parading the cup around Hampden to thousands
of adoring fans dressed in the famous green and white,
Rodgers would’ve been thinking of how to improve on a,
quite literally, perfect season.
Watford came knocking for his first taste of management.
After keeping them in the Championship, the lure of the
chance to take the hot seat at Reading was too much.
However, Rodgers lasted only six months at the Madjeski.
His coaching career had come to an abrupt halt.
“I was an aspiring coach, then I became a manager,”
he says. “But I made a mistake and left Watford too early.
When I was relieved of my duties at Reading, it was the
first time and was very difficult because, at that point,
you’re not sure if you’re going to get another chance.”
So how did he deal with the first big setback of his
coaching career? “I think the approach is to work and
understand that in this modern world and modern
football, you’re going to lose your job. All the statistics
“THERE’S NO TEMPLATE IN BECOMING
A TOP COACH, YOU HAVE TO CREATE YOUR OWN”
“If you’re going to reach the very top there’s a lot of
work in it,” he says. “There are no shortcuts.”
Rodgers’ path to management is an unorthodox one by
today’s standards. A playing career ended in his youth by
injury, he soon set off on a journey of discovery to become
a coach. Much like his mentor and friend Jose Mourinho,
Rodgers travelled – he’s fluent in Spanish – observed and
watched others from afar as he laid the foundations for
his new career with the youth team at Reading.
Laying out his philosophy to us from Celtic’s modest
training facility at the foot of the Campsie Fells, a few
miles north of Glasgow, Rodgers – bright, engaging,
resilient – says: “If you haven’t had the background of
being a player you have to work and you have to be able
to devote your time. You have to learn as much as you
can and step by step grow and become better within
the role. There’s no template in becoming a top coach or
a top manager, you have to create your own.”
Mourinho took Rodgers to Chelsea as head youth coach
during his first spell at the club, which is where his journey
began to gather pace. He spent four years there before
are there to see that the lifespan of a manager in one
position isn’t long.”
It was another six months until Rodgers found work
again. Swansea, fast gaining a reputation as one of the
most technically gifted teams outside of the Premier
League, took a chance on another young manager,
following the appointments of Roberto Martinez and
Paulo Silva.
In his first season Rodgers led the Swans to the
promised land – the Premier League. Suddenly the likes
of Joe Allen, Scott Sinclair and Ashley Williams were
household names. From day one his team bought into
his cultured outlook on the game, which many credit
with the time Rodgers spent in Spain learning the game
and honing his approach.
“I think it’s about having a clear vision,” the Ulsterman
says. “For that I need to present to the players how I see
the future and then promote that and promote the
standards that we wanted to be and do every single day.”
With vigour, he adds: “Vision is absolutely vital. I believe
in terms of taking the players on a journey; they have
22 | Future Sport

BRENDAN RODGERS
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 23

BRENDAN RODGERS
Development:
Scott Sinclair,
left, and Moussa
Dembele have
thrived at Celtic
under Rodgers’
stewardship
“I BELIEVE IN TERMS OF TAKING THE PLAYERS ON A
JOURNEY; THEY HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN
IMPROVE THEM AND MAKE THEM BETTER”
to believe that you can improve them and make them
better. They like to have an idea on the future and where
they’re going and I think that’s vital.”
How do you do that?
“By talking and by communicating with them. I think
it’s important to look after the human being first. Find
out about the player, find out about his needs, his family,
what his ambitions are and always ensure that you
separate the two.”
Rodgers kept Swansea in the top division the following
season with ease. He was now being touted as one of
the brightest young minds in the game, so it wasn’t
long until he found himself in one of the biggest jobs in
football – Liverpool.
Seventh in his first year in charge, the following season
they led the league with three games to go. However,
a costly slip from Steven Gerrard and a late collapse at
Crystal Palace meant the Reds went another year without
league success. Fast forward 18 months and a Merseyside
derby draw later, Rodgers, harshly, was shown the door.
Clearly still showing the scars from his time at
Anfield, and of a job unfinished, Rodgers says: “When it
happened at Liverpool the second time I was at a much
better place. I was fortunate enough that financially
I didn’t have the need to go back into work the next
day. When I left Reading I was out of the game for six
months, but financially I should have really walked into a
job the next day because I needed it.”
Rodgers was also much better prepared mentally for
the day he, like all managers, knows will come at some
point. “You try to frame it in your mind that you’re going
to get the sack,” the 44-year-old says. “It’s only a matter of
time. Whether you like it or not, it’s coming. So how am
I going to deal with it and then how can I look forward?
Give yourself that sort of plan.”
“I knew when I left Liverpool I was going to have some
time out and that gave me the chance to recover physically
and mentally before preparing myself for my next role. How
do you do it? Experience will help you, but of course it’s also
about having inherent belief in your ability.”
It was that inherent belief that led him, perhaps
surprisingly, to Glasgow. That he won the Scottish
Premier League in his first season surprised no one.
Celtic have been, and will be, Scotland’s dominant force
for years. It’s the quality of the football Celtic Park has
seen, on top of the recruitment and the drastic change
in mentality of the playing squad, that has made the
west end of Glasgow look across the Clyde in awe.
“Celtic was a winning club,” Rodgers says. “And we
wanted to create this ‘one club, one vision’ mentality.”
Captain Scott Brown has credited Rodgers with
revitalising his career and extending it. Under previous
manager Ronny Deila, the Bhoys went through the
motions. In his last season at Celtic they won the
league, but there was little else to shout about. Drab
football on the pitch, falling attendances off it, and
24 | Future Sport

BRENDAN RODGERS
STUDENT SUCCESS
Matthew Lang, UCFB student and media assistant at the SPFL
UCFB and the SPFL helping the talent of tomorrow
UCFB’s unique links with the football and sport industry grants students
access to some of the biggest organisations around, including the
Scottish Professional Football League. Both the SPFL and students have
benefited from this exciting partnership…
It’s not just Brendan Rodgers and Celtic making waves north of the border…
UCFB students are also making a name for themselves at the Scottish
Professional Football League.
The organisation’s chief executive Neil Doncaster has been a keen
supporter of UCFB in recent years and is a member of the institution’s
Employability & Enhancement Panel, regularly hosting workshops with
students on the various facets of management and leadership in sport.
Always keen to promote young talent, Doncaster and the SPFL have
employed a number of UCFB students on a work placement basis in recent
years across various aspects of the business.
Most recently was Matthew Lang, who spent time at the famous Hampden
Park in Glasgow within the media and marketing team. As part of his role,
Matthew sat in on meetings making suggestions on how to raise the profile
of the Scottish game. He also shadowed Doncaster and was able to see firsthand
the day-to-day of a top level professional in the football industry.
Ross McDonald, digital manager at the SPFL, said: “Students from UCFB
are always enthusiastic and keen to learn. We allow them to shadow us
within the office environment in order to give them a feel for what it is like
working for a governing body within Scottish football.”
“STUDENTS
FROM UCFB
ARE ALWAYS
ENTHUSIASTIC
AND KEEN TO
LEARN”
Ross McDonald
Digital manager at the SPFL
Scotland: Matthew has been
working hard at the SPFL
most gallingly of all an Old Firm defeat in the Scottish
Cup semi-final.
Rodgers has rightfully been credited with revitalising
the whole club. His vision was an easy sell to all at Celtic.
His recruitment is also evidence of selling that dream.
Scott Sinclair has excelled during his first season in
Scotland, and the signing of one-time Tottenham and
PSG target Moussa Dembele from Fulham has excited
Scottish football in a way not seen since another famous
Celtic forward, the great Henrik Larsson.
Top to bottom, Rodgers says: “If you’re leading it’s very
important that the people above you understand the
direction that you’re trying to work in.”
He adds: “These people, they might be a billionaire
or there might be multiple owners of a club, they like
to know the direction in which the club is heading. The
ability to communicate that vision and sell that vision is
very important, and it’s equally as important to be able
to speak with the lady that’s working in the kitchen. You
have to know your audience. Irrespective of where they
sit in the hierarchy, you have to be able to find the way to
speak to them, to help them and to support them.”
An improved showing in Europe next season will be near
the top of Rodgers’ priority list. Get that right, and continue
his incredible domestic record, and it’s a matter of when,
not if, we’ll see him back in one of Europe’s top leagues.
Engaging:
Rodgers
has a deep
understanding
and detailed
vision on how
individuals make
a difference at a
football club
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 25

GARETH SOUTHGATE
26 | Future Sport

GARETH SOUTHGATE
THE
TOP
JOB
With qualification for next year’s World Cup in Russia
confirmed, Gareth Southgate can be quietly pleased
with his time so far as England manager. We met with
the Three Lions boss at Wembley Stadium to discuss the
unique challenges, rewards and opportunities a career
in the sport industry offers, and to further understand
the man charged with leading a nation desperate for
success on the international stage…
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 27

GARETH SOUTHGATE
Applause: Southgate
acknowledges the England
faithful following a 2-0 win
over Lithuania at Wembley
“PART OF
COACHING
IS HAVING A
THIRST FOR
KNOWLEDGE
AND IMPROVING”
An England manager will
collate as many column
inches throughout a year as
the Queen or Prime Minister. Much
like them he will have his critics,
people watching his every move
and his every utterance repeated in
newspapers around the world.
But what he has to bear that
Her Majesty and the key holder to
Number 10 doesn’t is the never
ending expectation and hope of a
success starved nation. He is a flag
bearer for the country that gave
birth to the beautiful game, and one
that is desperate for international
relevance once again.
Next year’s World Cup in Russia
will mark 52 years since that famous
summer of 1966, and Gareth
Engaging:
The England
manager visited
UCFB to speak to
excited students
about his career
Southgate knows he’ll be reminded
of that every single day over the
coming months. The 2010 and
2014 World Cups saw the Three
Lions exit in the last 16 and group
stages respectively, and last year’s
Euro 2016 exit and loss to Iceland
remains one of English footballs
darkest hours.
“You must learn from those
experiences and analyse what
went well, what went wrong, and
what you might have done better,”
he says. “You’ve got to be honest
with yourself in appraising your
performance.”
Previous tournament failures
weren’t Southgate’s fault, but his
words won’t have fallen on deaf
ears. With Roy Hodgson handing in
his notice straight after the Iceland
game, the search was on for the
next saviour of English football.
Sam Allardyce came and went
within 67 days.
Enter Southgate. Reluctant to take
the job after Hodgson, Southgate
was now the only man for the role.
Mixed success as boss of
Middlesbrough and England’s
under 21’s might not suggest
England manager potential, but it’s
Southgate’s obsession with learning
new methods and adapting new
practices that had The FA mark him
out as a man to watch even before
his playing career had finished.
“Part of coaching is having a thirst
for knowledge and improving,” he
says. “You need to be always looking
for new ways of working and new
methods of getting the players to
understand your messages.”
He adds: “The basics of a good
work ethic are at the heart of
anything. You need to be willing to
learn and improve all the time. You
always must be thinking how to get
a result tomorrow but with an eye to
six months or a year down the line.”
He lists research papers, YouTube
and refresher courses as perfect
examples. “There are so many
opportunities with the internet to
learn and improve in different areas,
so there’s no excuse.”
He adds: “You’re constantly looking
for an edge that might help you
improve as a team.”
28 | Future Sport

GARETH SOUTHGATE
The word “edge” appears
numerous times during Southgate’s
talk with us. Since losing to West
Germany on penalties in the 1990
World Cup semi-final, England
haven’t beaten an elite world nation
over 90 minutes in a knockout
game of tournament football. Edge
is clearly something he’s working on
at St George’s Park.
To help find it, Southgate spent
time with Eddie Jones and his
England rugby team ahead of the
2017 Six Nations. During his 18 months
in the job, Jones has transformed
England into the team most likely to
unseat New Zealand as the world’s
number one nation, so Southgate’s
methodology deserves some faith.
“To compare different sports is
interesting because they’ll have
similar problems that they approach
in a different way,” Southgate says.
“Eddie runs a national team so there
are similarities in some of the bigger
issues we face as a national coach.
You don’t have the players as often,
and there are areas around national
set-ups that are unique – the time
you have the players, the challenge
of the opposition, the media interest
and the challenge of building a
culture in a short period of time.”
He added: “It was great for Eddie
to look at what we did, make
observations and challenge things
as a different coach. We then did the
same when we travelled and watched
them work and see what might work
for us and help us improve.”
Southgate’s path to his current
role began in 2010 when The FA
appointed him as their head of
elite development. The institution’s
multi-million-pound investment
in St George’s Park was heralded,
but it needed a man to make it
tick when it opened in 2012. So
Southgate, alongside Sir Trevor
Brooking, went about remodelling
the youth game and strengthening
clubs’ ties around the country.
The incredible World Cup win
for England’s under 20s in June
Focused: Southgate has
long been thought of as
one of the games’ more
meticulous thinkers
“YOU’RE
CONSTANTLY
LOOKING FOR
AN EDGE THAT
MIGHT HELP YOU
IMPROVE AS A
TEAM”
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 29

GARETH SOUTHGATE
Learning:
UCFB students
had the pleasure
of hearing from
Southgate
at Wembley
Stadium
“IT’S REALLY
EXCITING THAT
THERE’S A
CENTRE OF
EXCELLENCE
FOR PEOPLE
WHO WANT
TO GO AND
WORK IN OUR
INDUSTRY”
2017, and the under 19s European
Championship win a month later,
are the first signs that St George’s is
now starting to pay off. Southgate’s
early work for The FA centred
around creating an improved
pathway for coaches in the game
and transforming the early years of
a young player’s career with smaller
pitches and goals.
His work with younger players
hasn’t stopped now he’s in the
hot seat. “We try to keep in regular
contact with the youth groups and
go into their clubs to see them just so
they know we’re watching and what’s
going on in their life.” The message
is clear to younger players – train,
improve, work hard and your chance
will come with the senior side.
With a steadfast belief in education
and constant improvement, the
former Crystal Palace, Aston Villa,
Middlesbrough and England
defender was keen to see UCFB
during his visit, speak to its students
and learn more about the institution’s
commitment to training the next
generation of sport professionals.
Southgate was clearly excited with the
idea of a place where media, business
and event specialists are upskilled –
not just coaches.
“It’s really exciting that there’s a
centre of excellence for people who
want to go and work in our industry
and across other sports,” he said.
“There are any number of options
open to people if they love sport and
want to be involved in it if their skill
set isn’t in coaching or their mind
set isn’t being involved with the
media, for example.”
He added: “There are so many
areas that go into running a stadium
like Wembley, or that go into
running a successful club. Clubs now
want experts in all of those fields
with education that could be more
specific to those areas.”
Southgate doesn’t speak in
clichés. He’s articulate, measured
and not afraid to make big calls
– just ask Wayne Rooney. In 2010
Fabio Capello scared his players
so much they were frightened to
express themselves. In 2014 and
2016, Hodgson sent his players
on to the pitch without a plan.
In 2018, barring a monumental
disaster, England fans at least know
they’ve a manager who will allow
his team to play.
Winning it would be a stretch
but a semi-final would be good,
wouldn’t it?
30 | Future Sport

GARETH SOUTHGATE
“ASK ANY SPORTS PERSON
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE
AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL…
IT’S THE MENTAL SIDE OF
THE GAME”
Encourage:
Southgate is
keen to see
psychology used
more in football
Football and psychology
The use of psychology within sport is becoming more
prevalent, resulting in increasing opportunities for a career in
the sector. The England boss now wants football to follow the
likes of tennis and take advantage of these skills…
Regularly considered one of the
game’s more forward thinking
characters, Southgate called
on football to embrace the use of
psychologists in a similar way to other
sports during his chat with us.
Stating individual sports in
particular had defined and
embraced the role of psychology
in their game in a way that football
still hasn’t, Southgate is adamant
that having the correct mentality
at the highest level makes the
ultimate difference to performance.
The Three Lions boss said:
“I’ve used and worked with sport
psychologists as a player and as a
coach, so I recognise the value of it.”
He added: “Within football the
role hasn’t necessarily been really
defined, whereas in other sports it’s
a lot clearer. The likes of tennis and
golf have been far more open to the
use of psychologists. If you ask any
sports person or any coach what’s
the difference at the highest level,
it’s the mental side of the game. So
why wouldn’t we try and train that,
and why wouldn’t we try and work
to improve that?”
The last two decades has seen
dedicated sport psychologists
become more commonplace in
football, when once it was perhaps
a taboo subject for players to use
such practices to improve their
performance. Arsenal appointing
Arsene Wenger as manager in 1996
is largely seen as the breakthrough
moment.
Though admitting he doesn’t have
all the answers for how the game
should embrace psychology further,
Southgate is determined to see it
utilised more effectively.
“I don’t have an ideal model of
what it should look like,” he said.
“But there is real value in having
an understanding of how people
think, how you think as an athlete
and why you do the things you
do. It’s important to understand
yourself better first and foremost,
then understand why you might
react or how you might react in
certain situations and how you
might affect that to improve your
performance.
“I think these are really key if you
want to be a top player.”
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 31

BRENDAN FLOOD
We’re in it together
The success of Burnley FC over the last decade hasn’t been lost on club director
and UCFB chairman Brendan Flood. Three promotions to the Premier League
and maintaining its top tier status in 2017 for the first time is no mean feat for
a club of Burnley’s size and budget. In his exclusive column for Future Sport
magazine, Brendan is adamant that for a club to be a success, players off the
pitch need to be as effective as the ones on it...
As fans and football people, the final outcome of
every season is what we live for. The consistent
hard work and commitment to daily
improvement needs to add up to a level of success,
whether that is progress on the field or new club facilities.
However, for many clubs, repeated failure leads to the
best people moving on and fans becoming disheartened,
who then abandon their season tickets. Reputational
damage as a club is dragged down often results in media
disinterest and a challenging recruitment position, so a
bad run becomes a truly sad story.
This year was the 30th anniversary of the “Leyton
Orient match” at Turf Moor, where Burnley needed a
win to avoid being expelled to non-league football,
representing a decline from Division One status over a
15-year period. Burnley won 2-1, and Lincoln City were
relegated. Since then a steady climb back to regular
appearances in the Premier League has taken place,
beginning with the play off promotion in 2009. In a
tale of sliding doors, Leyton Orient recently lost their
league status and Lincoln City have just returned to
the Football League. It’s interesting to compare the
fortunes of all three clubs over the past 30 years and to
appreciate the intrinsic value that good, experienced
and skilled people can provide.
Steady, strong and thoughtful leadership in the
boardroom, on the touchline and throughout the club
has enabled Burnley to grow and run sustainably, and
“SO MANY LEADING CLUBS SHARE OUR
VISION FOR A HIGHER SKILLED AND MORE
EDUCATED WORKFORCE IN THE GAME”
32 | Future Sport

BRENDAN FLOOD
Vision:
Brendan has
big plans for the
future of football
“EDUCATION, WHERE
INDIVIDUALS ARE
TRAINED FOR THE
SPECIFICS OF SPORT,
IS A KEY DRIVER IN
MAINTAINING A STRONG
AND STEADY SPORTS
ORGANISATION”
should be considered a success story in today’s game.
So how can clubs maximise the potential of their
workforce and ensure that the best staff remain? I
believe education, where individuals are trained for
the specifics of this unique industry, is a key driver in
maintaining a strong and steady sports organisation.
UCFB came to being in the belief that there was a
void in the football and sport industries of educated
professionals for this purpose. A major issue we identified
was the lack of individuals who understood the unique
pressures of a football club, and how one issue on the
pitch or in the boardroom has the potential for wide
ranging consequences at the organisation.
Our educational model is based on creating the
next generation of talent in the football and sport
industry. The training we provide gives individuals the
understanding and skill set to walk straight into a sports
organisation. Their knowledge and previous experiences,
even before employment, immediately put them in
a better place to succeed and input industry-ready
working practices to give companies a higher level of
governance and chance of success.
UCFB offers a number of opportunities for organisations
to get involved in this process, including the chance to
come in and speak with students, mentor them, or even
launch a scholarship in you or your organisation’s name.
We’re delighted that so many leading sports clubs and
businesses share our vision for a higher skilled and more
educated workforce in the game. We truly believe this
process will help transform the way the sport is run.
Football clubs have such a vital status in towns and
cities across the country, so it’s vital that all staff at our
clubs take responsibility to ensure high standards of
governance. Everybody in the football industry should
support a more professional and stable marketplace
which accepts short-term failure and avoids the longterm
collapse of our famous clubs. After all, these clubs
are community assets and those of us at board level
are trustees managing them on behalf of an often
overlooked loyal fan base.
STUDENT SUCCESS
Josh Arnold, UCFB graduate and school sports coach
Working with the academy boosts Josh’s experience
During his time at UCFB, Josh gained valuable work
experience with Burnley’s academy side as a performance
analysis and youth scout. In his analyst role, Josh, who
studied BA (Hons) Sports Business & Coaching, filmed team
matches before editing short clips and giving them to the
coaches for use in training sessions. Alongside this, Josh also
visited towns in the North West of England identifying young
talent for the club. Josh was able to get his foot in the door
at Burnley after speaking with the academy psychologist Jen
Lace, who’s also a lecturer at UCFB.
Networking:
Josh used his
time at UCFB to
make contacts in
the game
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 33

GUILLEM BALAGUE
IN CONVERSATION WITH...
Guillem Balague
that changed my life and has helped me professionally
was to leave Spain. The idea was learn English for three
months, but I’ve now been in England for 25 years on
and off! I share time in both worlds which helps me, but
to actually decide, ‘OK, I’m 23, I know nothing. I don’t
have enough experiences and I don’t have enough
languages, let’s go out there and discover the world,’ is
something that everybody should do.
Mission: Balague keeps himself busy with a number
of diffrerent jobs in football
Guillem Balague must be the busiest man in
football. Best known as the face of Sky Sports’
Spanish football coverage, the Catalan is also an
international journalist, author, UEFA licenced
coach, charity worker… and director of football.
Balague joined UCFB partner Biggleswade
United in 2014 with the aim of developing the
club’s fortunes on and off the pitch. Plying
their trade in the Premier Division of the
Spartan South Midlands Football League,
Balague’s presence has certainly gained the
club more coverage than most in the divison.
We met with Balague on a visit to UCFB to
speak with students to discuss the role of
media in 21st century football and how UCFB
students are helping Biggleswade achieve
their ambitions…
You’ve made a great success of your career in England.
What advice would you give a UCFB student who’s
looking to follow a similar path in a foreign country?
The first thing is identifying what you’re good at and
what you enjoy, that is what will help you get far in your
career. I quickly realised that I could tell stories and I
could write them, so once I identified that, it was just a
matter of trying to look for opportunities. The decision
Media in 21st century sport has intensified with the
likes of 24-hour rolling news and social media. How
important is versatility in a media graduate?
Versatility is everything. It’s about smelling the
opportunity and developing your career, not staying still
and constantly moving. When we [Sky] started doing
Spanish football it wasn’t just about the goals, we had
to explain the story, so we made it into a chat show with
Revista de la Liga. Don’t have a fixed idea of what you
want to do. A lot of people think writing about football
means giving an opinion on a game or a player, but
that’s only one percent. Be open to being a journalist, a
critic, and telling a story in whatever shape it may be.
You’re currently working towards your UEFA A licence.
What inspired you to try your hand at coaching, and
how important it is for individuals to broaden their
skill set and understand different sectors of their
chosen professional industry?
I wrote and did radio and television, but at some point I
wanted to live the world I was describing from the other
side. I thought about buying a football club, but then
thought I better not because I don’t have enough money!
Then I thought I’d like to try coaching. I think I understand
a little bit about the tactical side of things but what if I got
a badge? It’s another string on the bow, and it’s fantastic
because every single day I have coached or been with
other coaches or go to the lessons, I’m learning.
What are the differences between Spanish and English
football and what could they learn from each other?
There’s no doubt that Spanish football can learn so much
from English football – how the product is sold and how
the money is raised. The English league might not have the
best players in the world but it looks like the best league
in the world; the product has been sold that way and
everybody is buying it now. On the other hand, English
football could learn from Spain about how it applies the
process – the process of learning, developing, creating
coaches and philosophies. Firstly, it makes things cheaper,
and secondly, it maximises your potential.
34 | Future Sport

GUILLEM BALAGUE
UCFB partners with… Biggleswade United
Students learning the ropes in the non-league
Fast becoming one of the most recognisable names in non-league football, Biggleswade United have been helped
along the way by UCFB students. From media duties to sponsorship activity, no job is too big or too small…
The last decade has seen major developments at
Biggleswade United on and off the pitch.
A burgeoning youth set up, ambitious stadium
expansion and national attention thanks to a well-known
face in the boardroom.
Like any business though, growth means more work
and ultimately more staff. However, like many clubs with
non-league status, finances don’t stretch to a colossal work
force, and many rely on a dedicated band of volunteers.
Biggleswade do it differently though. With grand desires
to make their way up the football pyramid, the club wanted
individuals with ambition, knowledge and experience of the
game. The club knew approaching UCFB would give them
a whole network of individuals with such qualities.
“The non-league game typically struggles to bring
in talent to drive clubs forward due to the lack of
resources,” says club chairman Chris Lewis. “But UCFB
has been essential in helping us bridge that problem.”
He added: “It’s been fantastic working with UCFB as it
has provided us with access to the brightest young talent
who are keen to make a career in the football industry.”
Two students spent the 2016/17 season working with
the club in all aspects of its operation which not only
helped with the running of the club, but also meant
major career development for them too.
For Josh Brian and Elliot Brown, working at the club
has been of huge benefit.
“My experience at Biggleswade has been invaluable,”
Josh said. “Firstly, because of the hands on work I have
been doing, and secondly the experience has meant
I’ve met some fantastic people who could be potential
contacts for my future.”
After arriving at the club, the pair saw their duties increase
from greeting the teams and fans, to eventually maintaining
the club’s social media channels on a match day and
putting together financial projections for the club’s budget.
Elliot said: “This club is a very interesting place to work
because of their unique set-up and philosophy, compared
to the average non-league outfit. Biggleswade place such
a heavy emphasis financially and pay a substantial amount
of attention to the quality of coaching at the club and the
development of academy sides.”
The club’s director of football, Sky Sports’ Guillem
Balague, said that as long as students remain ambitious
and inquisitive he and the rest of the club will do all they
can to help them succeed. He added: “At Biggleswade
if we see youth with an interest and a commitment and
you see that there is a passion for being the best they
can be, then no doubt about it, we will help them.”
Elliot Brown studies BA (Hons) Football Business &
Finance, and Josh Brian studies BA (Hons) Football
Business & Media at UCFB Wembley.
“UCFB HAS PROVIDED
US ACCESS TO THE
BRIGHTEST YOUNG
TALENT”
Chris Lewis
Biggleswade United chairman
Engage: The Catalan passes on advice to UCFB students
What are your impressions of UCFB?
I believe that this institution is going the right way
and is giving opportunities to people that previously
weren’t there. UCFB benefit from the fact that a lot
of people see football and sport as a career, not just
something that you practice. There are people who
think that sport, and football in particular, is a paradise,
but it would be wrong to come into a place like UCFB
thinking that. It’s all about hard work, understanding
yourself, developing relationships and about thinking
that there is a long term objective.
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 35

BOXING
Good guys, bad guys and
the complicated world of
promoting a boxer
Sport marketing is big business, with millions at stake on any given major
event. Huge boxing matches, such as this year’s titanic clash between
Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko, pose challenges unique to most
though. UCFB’s Head of Global Marketing, James McKeown, who has
previously worked with the likes of David Haye and Klitschko, gives an inside
look at what makes a boxer and their fight a marketable ‘product’…
36 | Future Sport

BOXING
Does it pay to be the bad guy in sport? This is a
question that sports marketing professionals often
wrestle with and it is particularly appropriate
to boxing, where fighters rely on grabbing the public’s
attention in order to secure themselves a payday.
Back in April 2017, Wembley Stadium hosted
the most anticipated fight in years, when Britain’s
Anthony Joshua beat Wladimir Klitschko in an
enthralling world heavyweight title fight in front of
90,000 people, beating the previous UK attendance
record for a boxing match set by Carl Froch and
George Groves at the same venue in 2014.
In my former life working in sports agencies, I was
fortunate to work with a range of characters in the world
of boxing, including Klitschko briefly when he toured
the UK to promote his bout against David Haye. These
two were a fascinating contrast in personality; Klitschko,
the respected, understated champion versus Haye, the
headline-grabbing, brash Londoner seeking his belts.
The way that the business of boxing is set up means
that individual fighters have much more scope to
influence their income positively or negatively than, for
example, a professional in a team sport whose main
income is usually a set annual salary. The public interest
Champion:
Carl Froch
celebrates after
defeating George
Groves in 2014
“DID KLITSCHKO’S GOOD,
UNCONTROVERSIAL
NATURE LEAD HIM TO
MISS OUT ON MILLIONS?”
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 37

BOXING
in any given fight directly translates to money in a boxer’s
pocket via TV viewership and ticket sales, so promotion is
a fundamental part of any top boxer’s career.
So which of these types of media personality – let’s
simplify them to ‘good guy’ and ‘bad guy’ – should an
athlete take on in order to fulfil their financial potential
in boxing, and perhaps wider sport? The answer is not
so simple.
Dr. Klitschko – the boxing academic
Klitschko could in no way be described as a bad guy.
He is almost the antithesis of a stereotypical boxer. An
incredibly smart and articulate man, the Ukrainian who
usually calls Germany home, speaks four languages.
Aside from being a master of ‘the sweet science’, he
earned his PhD in Sport Science in 2001. He enjoys chess
and has long been committed to humanitarian causes,
lending support to UNESCO over the years and vocally
supporting his older brother and former boxing champ
Vitali in his political career. He was a pleasure to work
with, friendly and respectful at all times.
Unfortunately – and his mild, measured manner may
have contributed to this – Klitschko has often been
criticised for being “boring”. His boxing style didn’t do
him many favours in the popularity stakes either – a
fairly calculated, technical boxer, he would slowly grind
opponents down with his rock hard jab, usually winning
an unspectacular fight in the latter rounds.
Despite his enormous success in the ring (Olympic
champion and long-time world heavyweight
champion), he never won over mainstream sports
fans outside Germany and Ukraine, especially in the
key hunting ground of the United States. After some
interest from US pay per view TV early in his career, he
was largely forgotten between 2008 and 2015, when he
didn’t fight in the USA at all.
In terms of marketing himself, did Klitschko’s good,
uncontroversial nature lead him to miss out on millions?
Could he have been a superstar who transcended sport
globally? Did he not ‘play the game’ right?
The answers to the above are 1. Probably 2. Possibly 3.
This depends on your perspective and values.
What’s important to Wladimir Klitschko is not
necessarily the same as what is important to many other
sports superstars. He and his brother have long run their
own promotional company, K2 Promotions, with a firm
and dependable businessman as their chief dealmaker,
Bernd Bonte. They never cared for a loud ‘hype machine’
type promoter. In fact, after visiting legendary but
controversial promoter Don King at his house early in
his career, Klitschko was immediately put off by his gut
instinct that King was untrustworthy. He has done things
his own way and built a successful business
David Haye – the talented, savvy troublemaker
As good as a polar opposite in terms of media persona
is David Haye. His occasional antics in the press should
not be confused for ignorance though – this man
is no mug. With my agency working alongside him
to promote a few of his fights, I admired his media
savviness. If he wasn’t born a natural talker, he sure
learnt the craft well.
He is wise to the risks of boxing. He always made
public his intentions in the sport to win world titles,
secure himself financially and then retire when he was
30 (he would later come out of retirement).
He knew that he needed to make a big splash both in
the ring and in the media in order to rise quickly through
the ranks and fight the biggest fighters, for the biggest
payday. He was often a marketer’s dream to work with.
I credit Haye’s promotional – and troublemaking – skills
with securing him a Klitschko world title fight sooner
than many thought he deserved one.
After first signing on the dotted line in 2009, Haye
proceeded to wear a t-shirt depicting him holding both
Klitschko brothers’ decapitated heads at one of their prefight
press conferences. Klitschko called it “unspeakable,”
but the fight immediately became must-see TV in
Germany and in the UK.
As his career has gone on and Haye has suffered a
few setbacks along the way in the ring, he has kept up
his vocal nature and stirred much controversy along
the way. Despite some negative backlash, many would
suggest that Haye’s ability to consistently sell out arenas
and generate large TV audiences against sometimes
mediocre opponents is down to his gift of the gab.
“HAYE WAS OFTEN A
MARKETER’S DREAM
TO WORK WITH”
Hayemaker:
David Haye’s savvy
self-promotion
secured him
big fights
38 | Future Sport

BOXING
Respect:
Anthony Joshua
and Wladimir
Klitschko broke
records and
showed each
other respect in
and out of the ring
Joshua and Klitschko both appeared in the Forbes list of the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes in 2017. Each fighter
was estimated to have earned $44m for the year through prize money and endorsements. In a list dominated
by NFL, NBA and MLB stars, the only other boxer on the list was middleweight Canelo Alvarez, whose estimated
earnings are $57m. Interestingly, UFC golden boy Conor McGregor’s earnings were estimated to be $68m, even
before his mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather was announced.
So nice guys finish last financially?
David Haye – let’s call him the bad guy in this context,
but don’t forget he donated almost £100,000 to coma
victim Nick Blackwell – has probably exceeded what
would be expected financially from someone with
a similar boxing CV. A mixture of his outgoing and
occasionally menacing personality, marketing brain,
ability to play on the public’s emotions and undoubted
business savviness has got him there.
Many ‘nicer’ world champions don’t earn nearly what
he has to date. Joe Calzaghe, the slightly shy and softlyspoken
but highly accomplished British boxing great
who finished his career undefeated at 42-0, proved
hugely frustrating for his globally recognised promoter,
Frank Warren, to sell. The Welsh warrior arguably secured
less than a handful of top-notch fights, all in the final
years of his career, often because the big names of
boxing did not see him as a good ‘payday’.
But where does Anthony Joshua fit in? The 27-year-old
has certainly captured the British public’s admiration and
is possibly en route to global stardom after only 19 fights
and less than five years as a pro. He and his team have
carefully portrayed him – and he is widely acknowledged
– as being a good guy, living a relatively humble life with
his mother after overcoming a few indiscretions in his
youth. He recently gave his first boxing coach a car as a
thank you present. Being marketed as a nice guy has not
stunted his income so far. He made at least £15m from
his Wembley mega fight with Klitschko, and he has 13
sponsors bringing in further millions.
It remains to be seen whether Joshua secures the
world’s attention over his career, but all signs are positive
“IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN
WHETHER JOSHUA
SECURES THE WORLD’S
ATTENTION OVER HIS
CAREER”
with both Showtime and HBO showing his fight against
Klitschko in the US, quite a rare feat.
The bottom line is that there are options for a
boxer when approaching how they wish to promote
and portray themselves in their career, depending
on their priorities. Whilst there are many nuances
to a person’s personality, a fundamental fact is that
generating headlines is an integral component of
your job description if you wish to succeed financially
in this sport. Success in the ring will lead to some of
that, and having an understanding of marketing and
media yourself or through a talented team around
you will do the rest.
Although not the richest or most famous man in boxing,
I am sure that when Wladimir Klitschko decides to hang
up his gloves, he will be able to sleep easily knowing
that he did everything in his own dignified way. And let’s
be frank, he is not a poor man – ‘Dr. Steelhammer’ has
featured on Forbes’ 100 Highest Paid Athletes list and has
exciting career options ahead of him upon retirement.
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 39

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THE MOST DETAILED,
INSIGHTFUL AND VALUABLE
DIGITAL CONTENT TO THE
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PARTNER CASE STUDY
UCFB partners with… Blackpool FC
Brad’s tangerine dreams
Blackpool’s promotion at the end of the 2016/17 season brought relief to the Lancashire seaside town
following years of relegation and struggle. UCFB student Brad Lucken was there the whole way beside the
club’s chief executive Alex Cowdy, seeing just what it takes to run a professional football club…
“BRAD HAS REALLY IMPRESSED ME
WITH HIS WORK ETHIC AND ABILITY
TO THINK ON HIS FEET”
A
phrase often heard during football commentary
is “he’s really put in a shift today”. More often than
not it’s to commend a young player for a great
performance.
The same can be applied off the pitch, too. The
individuals leading businesses, football or otherwise,
around the world will have put in a similar ‘shift’ to get to
where they are now. For UCFB students and individuals
who aspire to work in the ever-evolving football industry,
they’re required to put in those hard yards through a
variety of placements and internships.
Taking this on board, student Brad Lucken is going about
the right way of making himself known to the right people,
having spent the majority of the 2016/17 season with League
One newbies Blackpool as assistant to the club’s chief
executive Alex Cowdy.
Ending the season with a play-off win at Wembley
was an added bonus to a vital part of Brad’s
professional development. In his wide-ranging role,
Brad has been helping Cowdy with the day-to-day
tasks that come with running a football club. His main
project though has seen him helping the club with
its equality compliance, as instructed by the Football
League.
“I’m really enjoying seeing how a football club
operates from within,” Brad said. “I’ve learnt a great deal
during my time here so far.”
And his work hasn’t gone unnoticed by Cowdy. “Brad has
really impressed me with his work ethic, proactive nature,
ability to think on his feet, and his willingness to get stuck in
to any task presented to him.”
Cowdy’s glowing praise of Brad isn’t uncommon of
UCFB students. UCFB’s Complementary Curriculum
and Employability team, led by UCFB graduate Danny
Stroud, are continually seeking out new opportunities
Mentor: UCFB student Brad reported directly into
the Blackpool CEO Alex Cowdy.
for its students by engaging with clubs, organisations
and individuals in the football industry. By setting up
these partnerships, the benefits are double headed –
not only do students expand their CVs, but employers
are gaining knowledgeable and highly motivated
individuals working within their business.
Brad landed the Blackpool job via such a partnership.
As with all work experience opportunities at UCFB, he had
to apply and go through an interview process with the
employer, in this case Cowdy, to get the job.
Brad said: “The networking skills and other skills I have
learnt during the Complementary Curriculum helped
me get the placement in the first place, and have since
helped me during my time at Blackpool.”
UCFB’s approach gives its partners in the football and
sport industry the peace of mind and reassurance needed
to know they’ll be employing skilled, competent individuals.
Cowdy added: “Danny and his team at UCFB ensured the
management of the application process, and sending across
a range of candidates with different skills for consideration
gave us a real depth of candidates to choose from.”
Brad studies BA (Hons) Football Business & Marketing
at UCFB Etihad Campus.
Experience: Brad helped
to play a part in Blackpool’s
promotion last season
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 41

TESTIMONIALS
Winning partnerships
UCFB students and graduates have been a driving force at a variety of clubs,
organisations and businesses across a number of different sports in recent years.
Here is just a small selection of their thoughts and comments, as well as praise
from the partners and employers UCFB has had the pleasure of working with…
Claire Norman
HR manager at Dugout
Michael Tattersall
Chief executive of The National League
Freyja Talbott-Haworth
Events coordinator at The Football Association
“We’ve been really impressed with the
performance of the students we’ve had
working with us over the last few months
and are looking to employ some of them
full time once they have finished their
studies. Danny and his Complementary
Curriculum and Employability team has
been great at getting us candidates with
relevant experience and skill sets.”
“Our partnership with UCFB represents
a great opportunity for all 68 of our clubs
and the students. Not only do our clubs
benefit from added behind the scenes
assistance and guidance from a number
of skilled and willing individuals helping
take our leagues to the next level, students
learn and adapt vital skills crucial to the
football industry and their future careers.”
“The UCFB students we have taken
on have been working incredibly
well, picking up on and developing
their new skills rapidly, and have
become an important part of the
team in a very short space of time.
They are personable, hardworking and
dedicated and we are happy to have
found such brilliant students.”
David Dale
Chief executive officer of Football Aid & Field
of Dreams
Kait Ludwig
Club marketing & business operations
manager at the Rugby Football League
Ben Beer
Senior recruitment manager at
Challenger Sports USA
“The relationship we have with UCFB
is a significant one. The students have
been a fantastic addition to the team
and have all displayed a very professional
attitude in understanding our events and
the relationships we have with our club
partners – many of whom are regarded as
the most powerful brands in world football.”
“All of us at the Rugby Football League
have enjoyed working with UCFB and
their students and we’re very pleased to
be an official partner. Previous students
we’ve welcomed to the Rugby Football
League have been a huge help to the
organisation and we look forward to
welcoming more individuals in the future.”
“UCFB students’ fantastic approach to
coaching and their ability to enjoy new
and different cultures has made them
stand out. Their delivery on the field
and their enthusiasm and personalities
have made them a great fit with
Challenger Sports.”
42 | Future Sport

TESTIMONIALS
Lewis Cherry
BA (Hons) Football Business & Media
graduate – In-ground data analyst for Opta
Leah Jakeman
BA (Hons) Football Business & Finance graduate
– Legal secretary at Ramsdens Solicitors
Josh Arnold
BA (Hons) Sports Business & Coaching
student - Academy performance analysis
and academy youth scout at Burnley FC
“Being at UCFB helped me learn that
if you want something you’ve got to
go out, find it and take it yourself. If
you don’t, there are plenty of other
people who will. I went that extra
mile and got that job, and I take a lot
of pride in that.”
“I have shown what a personable and
adaptable individual I am and that
has gone a long way. Juggling study,
a part-time job and experience in
the profession I wish to pursue has
been difficult but the hard-work has
certainly paid off.”
“UCFB has opened up these
opportunities that I would not
otherwise have found. I feel a crucial
part of gaining opportunities is the
contacts that I have gained, and the
constant networking.”
Jacob Weaver
BA (Hons) Football Business & Finance
graduate – Financial advisor at PwC New
Zealand & video and opposition analyst for
Waitakere United
Sharon Hoyos-Martinez
BA (Hons) International Football Business
student - Team liaison officer at the UEFA
U16s Women’s Development Tournament
Thomas Freismuth
BA (Hons) International Football Business
student – Marketing officer at the Austrian F1
“Make sure that you utilise UCFB’s
vast network of contacts inside
and outside of the industry,
and particularly seek out work
placement opportunities with
football clubs at all levels of the
professional game.”
“The experience was great as it gave
me an insight into how international
tournaments operate. All TLOs
worked closely with Stuart Brown,
who’s an England Team Operations
Coordinator, and so got to help out
with logistics. This involved picking
the team up from the airport
and getting them from A to B
throughout the week.”
“My CV was almost empty before
coming to UCFB but after just a
year my CV is packed full with work
experience. From the placements
I also received very good reference
letters from my employers, which will
definitely help me in the future.”
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 43

NFL IN LONDON
New York, Miami,
Los Angeles… London?
American Football has caught the imagination of the British public over the last
decade following the success of the NFL International Series at Wembley Stadium.
Ever since the first touchdown on these shores, talk has intensified over the
likelihood of a London-based franchise becoming a reality. Here, we take a look at
the logistics behind the idea and just how the once-pipedream could work…
“WHATEVER IS DONE IN THE UK
NEEDS TO BE THOUGHTFULLY
AND CAREFULLY PLANNED”
44 | Future Sport

NFL IN LONDON
It was originally billed as a 15-year project with the
aim of having a fully established franchise based in
London by 2022. Now ten years into the plan, and with
London having just hosted a further four successful NFL
International Series matches, it looks increasingly likely
America’s national game will soon have a team with a
distinctively British identity.
What started as an international gamble, when the
New York Giants and Miami Dolphins played the first
game at Wembley in 2007, has become one of the
shrewdest business moves in modern sport. One game
a season became two, then three, then four, and now
the NFL has deals in place to use three London-based
stadiums in the coming years.
Twickenham is in the middle of a three-year deal
to host at least three games a season, and Tottenham
Hotspur’s new stadium will play host to at least two
games a season from 2018 over a ten-year period.
Undoubtedly the appetite is there from the British
public. International matches over the years have
consistently sold out, and around 40,000 fans bought
‘season tickets’ for all three London games in 2016. A visit
to any NFL game in the UK and you’ll see fans sporting
every single one of the 32 NFL teams’ jerseys.
But could fans’ loyalties to other teams be a stumbling
block to a UK team having a dedicated fan base? How
likely is a supporter, who has followed the New Orleans
Saints for 20 years, to switch allegiances and buy a UK
team season ticket and jersey?
Deepak Trivedi is an international sport consultant
and an expert in the American sport market, previously
working with the NFL, as well as the NBA and US Open.
He said it’s difficult to really know how support would
play out for a UK based team until it becomes a reality.
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 45

NFL IN LONDON
“WHAT REMAINS
CONSISTENTLY HIGH IS
THE WILLINGNESS OF UK
FANS TO ADOPT THE NFL”
Flock: The popularity of
American football in the UK
has rocketed in recent years
“Fan loyalty is an interesting conundrum and we are yet
to see how fan motivations will affect behaviour in the way
in which they may consume games from a regular team
and how they place their loyalties”, he says. “Whilst the true
outcome remains unknown, what does remain consistently
high is the willingness of UK fans to adopt this US sport.”
Jacksonville Jaguars have long been touted as the
team most likely to move across the pond, having been
a designated ‘home team’ since 2013 and with a deal
in place to remain so until at least 2020. However, Jags
owner Shahid Khan has said he has no plans to relocate
the Florida-based team.
The tried and tested American method of a franchise
uprooting from a city and relocating hundreds of miles
away makes a London team feasible. In the last 12
months alone, the Rams and Chargers have moved to
Los Angeles from St. Louis and San Diego respectively,
and the Oakland Raiders recently announced that
they’re off to Las Vegas.
A London franchise was never going happen before
Los Angeles had a team once again. But now that
hurdle has been cleared the path is clear for the capital.
But where would the team play, and how would it
work? The American format of alternative home and
away games could effectively see a London team play
in San Francisco and Seattle either side of a UK game.
Consistent flights across the Atlantic and the effects of
jetlag will challenge any athlete.
Wembley has been an unprecedented success, but is
there room in a busy stadium calendar for at least eight
weekends between September and January? Twickenham
is highly unlikely, and the RFU have broken tradition as it is
by chasing a quick buck with their short term deal.
The most likely scenario is the new White Hart Lane. The
61,000 seater stadium would be the smallest in the NFL,
but has been designed to include a retractable artificial
pitch specifically with gridiron in mind. Tottenham and
the NFL worked together to design the stadium, which
includes dressing rooms large enough for an American
football team’s entourage and public space for the
traditional pre-game tail gate parties. The NFL are also
reported to have invested £10million in the project.
NFL chiefs have previously said the White Hart Lane
deal is as significant as the original Wembley one, and
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has gone on record
saying he wants the stadium to be the home of an NFL
franchise. The dedicated NFL facility would also allow a
team to have a permanent base that would feel like ‘home’.
Deepak, who’s also a representative on the diversity
and inclusion task force for the United States Tennis
Association, said: “While the marketing teams at the
NFL have done a tremendous job in influencing fan
behaviour in the UK, a big question mark hangs over
how successful having an NFL facility in London would
be. Will the players embrace this new home and
location, and would it really ‘feel’ like home?”
The biggest issue, which shamefully hasn’t been
raised as a concern, is the life-changing affect a move
would have for the American-based players and
supporters. Despite the untold riches bestowed upon
NFL professionals, is it fair to tell a player that when they
return for pre-season training it’ll be in London and
not sunny Florida? What does the player, who has two
children in a top east coast school, do? But a move to the
Sell out: Wembley Stadium has been an unprecedented
success for the NFL since 2007
46 | Future Sport

NFL IN LONDON
STUDENT SUCCESS
Kerry Russell, UCFB student, and Lewis Payne, UCFB graduate, media assistants at NFL International Series
Understanding the NFL and its travelling army
When the NFL comes to London you can guarantee it’ll be the biggest show in town. For two UCFB students, the
chance to work behind the scenes of the annual International Series was a chance they couldn’t miss…
Access:
UCFB students
go behind the
scenes at a Colts
press conference
The NFL International Series matches at Wembley
Stadium have become some of the most anticipated
sporting events in the UK over the last decade.
80,000 fans regularly flock to north west London to
see their favourite gridiron stars and get a true taste of
America’s Game.
But it’s not just fans who get to soak in the unique
carnival atmosphere of the NFL when it hits the streets
of the capital. UCFB’s close ties with Wembley Stadium,
as well as the wider sport industry, has enabled
students to gain valuable work experience opportunities
with the NFL when it comes to town.
With teams regularly arriving a full week before they
run out at Wembley Stadium, it’s not uncommon for the
players’ week to be filled with numerous media duties.
For NFL fans and UCFB students Kerry Russell and Lewis
Payne, the opportunity to immerse themselves in the
media production of the NFL and one of the busiest weeks
of the organisation’s season was something they could
only have dreamed about before starting higher education.
“I found the experience invaluable to say the least,”
Kerry said, after filming some of the league’s biggest
stars. “To be stood watching the teams train and being
present at the exclusive press conferences was so surreal.”
And while the pair can now put the prestigious NFL
on their CV’s, as well having gained invaluable advice
from the pros on vital skills such as camera handling,
there is one major aspect of the hugely competitive
media field Kerry in particular found out about.
She said: “Being at a major event such as the International
Series taught me a lot, especially how to think on your feet
to solve problems and how brutal the broadcasting field is.”
Kerry added: “No one moved out my way just because
I was a student, it was every camera man and woman
for themselves!”
Kerry studies BA (Hons) Sports Business & Sports
Broadcasting at UCFB Wembley, and Lewis is a graduate
of BA (Hons) Football Business & Marketing.
Touchdown: UCFB graduate Lewis Payne with New York
Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
UK would hurt American fans the most. Even the most
dedicated fan isn’t going to follow his team to London.
In its current format, the International Series sees
four teams give up a home game to play in London,
leaving thousands of American fans short changed.
Not upsetting a dedicated US fan base is key to any
potential franchise relocation.
“Whatever is done in the UK needs to be thoughtfully
and carefully planned,” Deepak says. “The NFL do not
want to upset the US fan base, and season ticket
holders will not want to miss out on any more games
than are now already being played overseas.”
American football, despite its worldwide appeal
and ability to print money, is still a very insular sport.
NFL bosses are desperate to take their product abroad
and give it a global footprint. A regular season game is
also scheduled for Mexico next season featuring Super
Bowl winners New England Patriots, and it’s looking
increasingly likely that Germany could soon play host to
an International Series game.
Other sports are following suit too as the appetite for
American sport in the UK grows. The NBA has a regular
season game at the O2 Arena in London, and talks are
progressing about bringing Major League Baseball to
the capital and the Olympic Stadium.
The NFL though have led the way from the start, and
it seems it’s now only a matter of time until London
becomes home to the other football.
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 47

MAURICIO POCHETTINO
Follow the leader
Mauricio Pochettino is one of the brightest young managers in football. While his rivals have
spent millions, the Argentine has promoted young, English talent to turn Tottenham into one
of Europe’s most exciting sides. We travelled to Hotspur Way in Enfield to meet the man who
believes education is essential for a modern day coach in discovering future talent…
It’s a rare commodity in 21st century football for players to
commit to a club because of the manager. Money and a
real chance to win trophies are often all that matter.
But that’s exactly what the likes of Premier League
top goal scorer Harry Kane, and the brightest young
talent in Europe Deli Alli, have done in recent months.
Both could possibly double or treble their wage at other
top six sides, let alone elsewhere in Europe, but they’ve
committed to Tottenham Hotspur because of one man –
Mauricio Pochettino.
Spurs are a coming force in English football and for
the first time in over 30 years will go into the 2017/18
season as genuine title challengers. Pochettino is the
darling of N17, and the young, dynamic and exciting
team he’s produced – made with a core of English talent
– have been the most consistent performers in England
over the last two years.
No longer the fragile side of old, Spurs combine eyecatching
football with muscle, endless energy and ruthless
efficiency. Even with nothing left to play for, they finished
the 2016/17 season with 6-1 and 7-1 victories away at
Leicester City and Hull City. The players, as well as the board,
have well and truly bought into Pochettino’s methods.
“Football is a universal language so it is easy to
communicate,” Pochettino told UCFB. “Communication
is key in life, not just football. Whether it’s in the
changing room or on away trips in restaurants – it’s
everywhere. That’s key to develop your philosophy.”
The former Southampton manager is quick to
describe himself as a passionate man. However, it’s a
rare occasion he’ll show that famous Latin passion in
the public eye. In the sanctity of the dressing room and
training ground however, it’s different.
He added: “All coaching staff set different principals
on communication, but for me it’s easy – I communicate
how I feel.”
As a player Pochettino was a bruising centre half,
beginning his career at Newells Old Boys where he was
coached by Marcela Bielsa, who he and Pep Guardiola
would later cite as major influences on their coaching
styles. A move to Spain and Espanyol was next where
he became a cult hero, before a spell in France at Paris
Saint-Germain. He also played for his country at the
2002 World Cup where he infamously conceded the
penalty that led to a 1-0 loss to bitter rivals England.
When he hung up his boots in 2006, he went to university.
Not always the common route for just-retired pros.
“When I finished my career at 34 I needed to be mature
and have an idea of what I wanted to do,” he says. “For me
it was important to get out of the [football] bubble and
share with and be around different areas of societies. I
wanted to open my mind and see different aspects of life.
So for me it was very important to be in education and be
around people who wanted to build their future.”
48 | Future Sport

MAURICIO POCHETTINO
STUDENT SUCCESS
Chloe Briggs, UCFB student and reporter at Tottenham Hotspur U23
Press box action at Tottenham’s White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane as we know it might be no more, but for a number of
UCFB media students it offered them an inside look at how the press
operate on a match day…
A unique agreement between Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur and
UCFB has enabled students the chance to gain invaluable work experience at
the London club.
Attending under-23 fixtures at White Hart Lane before it was flattened this
summer to make way for the club’s new stadium, students were granted
unprecedented access to write match reports and film interviews with players to
gain real life experience of covering senior football matches.
The experience also meant players got a taste of the media spotlight they
could face if they make it to the first team.
Jonny Davies, media relations manager at Tottenham, said: “Working with UCFB
has been mutually beneficial as we have been able to assist with the education of
budding journalists, as well as developing the media training of our younger players”
Like all aspects of classroom and on location training, the exercise is to ensure
students are equipped to handle the fast-paced nature of sport multimedia.
“The connection we have with the Tottenham U23’s squad is such a privilege,”
added UCFB student Chloe Briggs. “It allows us hands on experience in both
written and radio match reports, pre and post-match interviews and is a great
insight into what working with a professional football club and players is like. The
experience is vital in this industry and I learn more and more each time we visited.”
Deadlines: UCFB students in action in
the White Hart Lane press box
“WORKING WITH
UCFB HAS BEEN
MUTUALLY
BENEFICIAL”
Jonny Davies
Media relations manager
at Tottenham Hotspur
Chloe studies BA (Hons) Sports Business & Sports Broadcasting at UCFB Wembley.
His first taste of senior management was a baptism of
fire. Taking over bottom of the table Espanyol half way
through the 2008/09 season, Pochettino had only two
days to train his players ahead of their next fixture – a 0-0
draw against Guardiola’s mighty Barcelona. His side went
on to finish the season in mid-table.
How did he have such an impact in such a short
period of time? Pochettino says the time he spent out
of the game at university between playing and coaching
was vital in helping him adapt to his new role.
“Education is very important. When you’re a player at 17
years old you think it will be easy to coach and manage
people. But when you finish your playing career and you
start to prepare for your career in management, you realise
it is important to have knowledge not only about the game
but outside of the game as well. It’s important to learn and
improve yourself before you start your career as a manager.”
Pochettino goes on to stress that management
isn’t just about looking after players, but having an
understanding of the whole club.
“You are not just a manager or a head coach at the
club, you are a leader,” the Spurs manager says. “You need
to be clever and sensitive in your approach and vary it
from person to person. It’s important to manage, not just
players, but your staff and people around the club.”
Next season will be Pochettino’s biggest challenge in
management yet, with expectation currently sky high
at Tottenham. But as Spurs fans point out, the man
from Argentina is “magic”, so don’t be surprised if his
Latin quality lights up Wembley’s famous arch over the
coming months.
Watch UCFB’s full exclusive interview with Mauricio
Pochettino at www.youtube.com/ucfbuk
Star: Dele Alli
has thrived at
Tottenham under
Pochettino
“IT’S IMPORTANT TO LEARN
AND IMPROVE YOURSELF
BEFORE YOU START YOUR
CAREER AS A MANAGER”
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 49

PICTURES
1 2
Snapshot
There are around 450,000
jobs in the sport industry in
the UK. The following pages
demonstrate the diversity and
variety of experiences in the
world of sport and events…
Captions
1/ Student Charlene Oliver
spent two weeks as a volunteer
at the Rio 2016 Olympics
3 4
2/ Ex-Liverpool and Real Madrid
midfielder Steve McManaman,
who has been a visitor to UCFB,
went from pro to TV pundit
3&4/ Student Chloe Briggs
behind the camera at an
event with UCFB partner the
League Managers Association
5/ Students behind the
scenes at the old White Hart
Lane covering a Tottenham
Hotspur under 23 fixture
6, 7, 8 & 9/ Hospitality
and events is a major
part of 21st century sport.
Wembley Stadium, part of
UCFB Wembley, regularly
hosts conferences, award
ceremonies and concerts
10/ Graduate Joe Thompson
spent time at the French
Open studying fan behaviour
and analysing the sponsorship
and marketing of the event
11/ UCFB students enjoying
‘pitch day’ at Wembley Stadium
5
7
6
12, 13 & 14/ Huge music events
are part and parcel of modern
day stadia in ensuring they
remain open for business when
the season is over. 90,000
people regularly fill Wembley
Stadium to see the likes of The
Killers (13) and Muse (14)
8 9
15/ Work experience and job
opportunities are available for
students at the likes of Sky Sports
16/ Behind the scenes at the
New York Giants press day
ahead of a NFL International
Series match in London
50 | Future Sport

10
11
PICTURE
12
13
14
15
16
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 51

1
2 3
4
5
52 | Future Sport

6
PICTURES
7
9
8
Captions
1/ Wembley Stadium in its full
glory during the summer gig
series. The arch has become
an iconic symbol of the stateof-the-art
facility
2/ UCFB’s Danny Stroud, left,
with Jonathan Dobkin of
Connections Recruitment
– just one of UCFB’s many
industry partners
3/ UCFB and Sky Sports held a
Women in Sport Media event to
promote careers in the sector
4/ Austrian student Thomas
Friesmuth has shown
willingness and initiative during
his time at UCFB and is now the
host of Liverpool FC camps in
his home country and Slovenia
after signing an exclusive deal
5/ The NFL International Series
in London has been a huge
success, drawing hundreds of
thousands of spectators to the
capital every year
6/ Corporate hospitality is now
big business and accounts for
a large proportion of major
football club’s revenue in the
modern game
7/ Graduate Tom Jarvis has
gone on to become the
media executive at League
One side Southend United
8/ Broadcasting students
getting to grips with
equipment and interview
techniques
9/ The Etihad Stadium in
Manchester is at the heart of
the UCFB Etihad Campus
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 53

MARK IVES
IN CONVERSATION WITH...
Mark Ives
“IS THERE A
GREATER PLACE
TO STUDY THAN
WEMBLEY STADIUM?
I’M NOT SURE”
Learn: The FA’s Mark Ives speaking with UCFB students
With players and managers often the ones
who make the headlines, it’s easy to forget
the amount of work that goes on behind the
scenes by dedicated individuals into making
any sport a success.
For every team on the pitch, there is an even
bigger one off of it ensuring finances are in
place, positive media coverage is gained and
hospitality clients are catered for.
The Football Association, the game’s oldest
governing body, is no different. They, above
all bodies, must see that all aspects of the
sport run as efficiently as possible, and that
includes dealing with suspensions and
applying the law to the game.
As The FA’s head of judicial services, Mark Ives
and his team play a daily role in how a season
plays out, and are responsible for imposing
penalties on club officials on and off the pitch.
Mark, who joined The FA in 2001 as county
business development manager before taking
on his current role in 2008, sat down with us to
talk through the intricacies of the job...
What does your position at The FA entail and how
does it fall into the framework of the organisation?
I deal with all of the cases that The FA has decided to
investigate and charge. Once an individual or club is
charged they come through to my team to deal with
the adjudication. I’m also responsible for football outside
of The FA, so step four of the game which is managed
by county associations. I’ve a responsibility to make sure
they operate in a fair and consistent way as well.
What are the typical day to day pressures of working
for an organisation like The FA?
Every incident we deal with is different; it has a different
dimension to it and the responses are different. I know
that I’m going to have to deal with the normal red and
yellow cards that happen on the pitch, but we’ll also
deal with hearings regarding other on-field football
matters. It can also mean off-field matters such as
social media, doping and anti-discrimination across the
game. Another area within my team is the safeguarding
of children. That affects local football and ensuring that
children and young people within the game can play
within a safe environment.
Describe the role of law within sport, and the importance
of governance at an organisation like The FA.
There’s a framework that everybody who plays football
has to adhere to – The FA Rules and Regulations. If
you want to play football, that is a condition of your
participation. We have a consistent approach across
the board. There are regulations for various subject
matters, but generally speaking there is an expectation
of everyone who participates in the game to behave
in a manner that is appropriate and proper. Players,
volunteers, chairmen, secretaries – they have to adhere
to our framework to make sure football is played in a fair
and appropriate way.
What attributes make work experience and job
applicants standout to FA staff?
Is there a greater place to study than Wembley Stadium?
I’m not sure. If you can’t be inspired by working here, then
there is something wrong. It’s a fantastic opportunity if
people want to get into sport and sport law. I was very
fortunate; I was in the right place at the right time when
people were moving across from a volunteer workforce
to paid employment. Now though, with the investment
across the game, there are greater opportunities for
people to get in. I don’t look at this as a job, I look at it as a
real pleasure and I’m proud to work here.
What are your thoughts on UCFB and the
opportunities available for students?
If I was a student I wouldn’t be shy in making
approaches to see whether or not there’s an opportunity
for short placements, shadowing people, and just getting
a taster of what it’s like to work in football. Whilst you’re
here if you don’t ask the question you’re not going to
get the answer. So take the opportunity to knock on the
door and somebody might just open it.
54 | Future Sport

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Alexander Brown @ZandaCamera
UCFB graduate
VIDEO PRODUCER at The FA
Shape the future
of sport.
ucfb.com/future