UCFB Future Sport 2018

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