UCFB

Name: Ben Friend
Course: BA(Hons)Football Business & Marketing
Campus: UCFB Wembley

Wembley Stadium is a busy place these days, just ask UCFB graduate Ben Friend. If it isn’t England internationals, it’s FA Cup matches. Then there’s the numerous games around the country with the Women’s team and the Under-21 side.

Since graduating from his BA (Hons) Football Business & Marketing programme in 2015, Ben has been a valuable asset to The FA, first as an Event Coordinator, and now as an Event Manager. His role and his team sit within the operations division of the governing body, and Ben helps to lead the match organisation of The FA’s events. Event management wasn’t always on his radar though, and only came into focus once he started at UCFB and undertook a work placement with The FA’s events team.

During his time at UCFB Ben also undertook placements with the marketing team at Orlando City in the US, as well as the marketing and sales team at Turf Moor with Burnley, to help bolster his impressive CV. As well as telling prospective UCFB students to be open minded about their career path within the sports industry, Ben added: “I think if you’re passionate about what you do, the whole point of UCFB is there’s somewhere for you to go and study, learn and thrive in an environment that you care about. If you’re working in that it will come naturally to you.”

Name: Jemma Entwistle
Course: BA(Hons)Sports Business & Coaching
Campus: UCFB Etihad Campus

During her time as a BA (Hons) Sports Business & Coaching student at UCFB, Jemma undertook a number of coaching work placements to bolster her CV and knowledge ahead of graduating and following her goal of being full-time coach. Her time with the Manchester United Foundation, Bolton Wanderers Community Trust and the Rochdale AFC foundation academy set Jemma up perfectly for her role now with Blackburn Rovers, and provided invaluable experience as she set up her own company–The Coaching Edge–who run football holiday camps in the Bolton area.

In her role at Blackburn, Jemma’s coaching is part of the FA Girl’s England Talent Pathway for players, with the Lancashire side highlighted as a regional training club. There she trains the young players twice a week, including before match days in a league containing the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City.

During her time at UCFB, Jemma’s highlights included being part of the successful Etihad Campus football team that went the season unbeaten to win their BUCS league in 2017, and the guest sessions with the likes of Sean Dyche, when her class went to watch his Burnley side in training.

Jemma said: “My favourite aspect to working in sport is that every day is different. The people that you meet, the players that you meet and the impact you get to have on their journeys, for me it’s really valuable to know that you can look back and think you had an impact on them.”

Name: Liam Kiziltan
Course: BA(Hons) Football Business & Marketing
Campus: UCFB Etihad Campus

“I’ve always wanted to start my own company and be an entrepreneur, it gets me ticking and gets me motivated!”

Since graduating from his BA (Hons) Football Business & Marketing degree programme in 2017, Liam has continued to grow his business EQUIP Coaching to a place where he now leads a team of 20 staff and volunteers. EQUIP is a life skills training and education organisation which focuses on values and is aimed at helping people develop to fulfil their potential, promoting skills such as teamwork, confidence and perseverance which can be used at home, in school and in participant’s future careers.

After launching EQUIP in 2015, following his successful pitch to the board as part of the UCFB Sports Entrepreneur Award, Liam has delivered his programmes to over 200 children through EQUIP’s own camps, and over 2,000 children through activities in schools.

“I’m extremely passionate about seeing young people develop the life skills that will help them in the future”, Liam says. “Our aim is to equip people to lead a successful and enjoyable life.”

Away from EQUIP and his time at UCFB, Liam has also been putting his FA coaching badges to good use as a Lead Community Coach for Liverpool FC, as well as now also working with the LFC Foundation as Special Educational Needs (SEN) Delivery Lead and as an Events Assistant at his beloved Everton FC.

Liam said: “UCFB has helped develop me in a lot of different areas. A big thing in my job is public speaking and being a leader, so the skills I learnt at UCFB through my degree programme and the Sports Entrepreneur Award has prepared me to be able to do things like I am doing today.”

Name: Gabriella Ward
Course: BA (Hons) International Football Business
Campus: UCFB Etihad Campus

Following her graduation from the BA (Hons) International Football Business programme in 2018, Gabriella Ward landed the role of Communications and Commercial Partnerships Executive at the League Managers Association, one of UCFB’s esteemed partners. Based at St George’s Park, the headquarters of English football, Gabriella works with some of the biggest names in the game to look after the interests of the LMA and its members. Here, she tells us more...

How long have you been working for the LMA and what does your job entail?

I started work for the LMA in September. With the organisation being small, I work closely with all members of the team but mainly the commercial department. I support the LMA team with internal and external communications with regards to the LMA members, corporate partners, football stakeholders, the media and the public.

What does a typical day at the office look like for you?

In my role so far, no day has been the same. My day starts with conducting a media review and circulating this to the team. I then help to manage the LMA website, social media output and the LMA content library. Some days I will support the team with research, statistics and relevant content from across the game. On other days I will be responsible for sending out our corporate partner communications.

With an organisation like the LMA, how important is networking and building contacts when working in the football and sports industry?

I believe networking is one of the most important skills to have in the sports industry. My ability to network meant that I was able to gain the LMA Chief Executive, Richard Bevan, as a contact when I met him at the UCFB Future Leaders in Football and Sport Conference last year.

What skills have you been able to take into the work place that you learnt during your time at UCFB?

Over my three years at UCFB I definitely became more confident in my own abilities. The opportunities that I took advantage of made me learn a lot about how the sports industry functions.

What advice can you give to prospective students thinking about studying a degree at UCFB?

Vocationally, I think UCFB is different to any other institution. UCFB provided me with multiple opportunities over the years to work in football and the sports industry and this resulted in having an impressive CV upon graduating. I think UCFB is a fantastic opportunity for any student who is looking to take advantage of work experience alongside their degree.

Name: Jeanne Lollichon
Course: BA (Hons) Football Business & Media
Campus: UCFB Wembley

Lyon star Ada Hegerberg hit a clinical hat-trick in the Women's Champions League final on Saturday helping the French side to a 4-1 win over Barcelona and a fourth consecutive title. The 2018 Ballon D'Or winner stole the show with the three first-half goals in the Groupama Arena in Budapest, Hungary, with a sell out crowd enjoying an action-packed game full of quality. We spoke with Jeanne Lollichon, a BA (Hons) Football Business & Media third year student at UCFB Wembley, who was invited to the final with UEFA's WePlayStrong campaign, about the growth of the women's game and what it's like being an international student living in London.

Hi Jeanne, you went over to Budapest with the UFEA's WePlayStrong. How did that opportunity come about?

Hi. Yes, basically a member of the PR team contacted me via Instagram and asked me if I would be interested in going to Budapest with UEFA's WePlayStrong for the Women's Champions League final which sore Lyon beat Barcelona 4-1. Then that same person simply emailed me telling me they would like to invite me to be involved in the activities that had been organised including the Women's European Freestyle Championship, a panel debate, and the big match. In return, I shared my experience online using the different hashtags. I believe that my work on YouTube covering women's football was the reason for the invite. I was also recently a finalist for Best Women's Football Content Creator award at the Football Blogging Awards. I did not win but it definitely helped boost my profile.

How important do you think campaigns like WePlayStrong are when it comes to changing perceptions of women's football?

I think it is an amazing and important campaign. The participation has increased a lot and the role of women in football is more and more important every year. In my opinion, the WePlayStrong campaign, created in 2017, came at the right time. It is also crucial for a governing body such as UEFA to support women's football and prove this sport is also for girls. You can see the public's perception of women's football is more positive than it was 10 years ago. Teenage girls had to play with boys and were often the only ones on their teams, and the media coverage was poor. But now you see academies, structured leagues and obviously more coverage and advertising which encourages women to get involved! Also I heard many English fans following the three lions saying they are excited to see the Lionesses at the World Cup this summer in France. This is what the campaign does.

Now on the game, Lyon walked away with the trophy after a stunning first-half hat-trick from Ada Hegerberg. How was your experience of the game?

Oh, it was amazing! I felt really privileged to be there because I really did not expect to get an invite. The football was good and the atmosphere impressed me! About 19,200 people were there making noise. Unfortunately, as many people said before the match, Lyon's performance was expected. Barcelona came in as the underdog but against such an opponent it seemed very difficult for Toni Duggan and her teammates to stop the unstoppable. Lyon was more aggressive which lead to the 2018 Ballon d'OR winner Hegerberg, scoring a hat-trick in 16 minutes. It was crazy! This is when I really noticed the level difference between the two teams. The French side could have scored a few more in the second half but were unlucky. Barcelona managed to score a goal which was well-deserved considering the half they just played. However, I think it is sad that the winner was that expected. Let's not forget that Lyon have now won the competition 4 times in a row. I think people would have preferred a fair battle. Other than that, the organisation and the public were great. I had a lovely tie with people who were all involved in women's football, players, journalists, YouTube, freestylers, etc. It was fabulous!

How big of an advert for the women's game was a performance like that? Can you tell us more about that Lyon team are perceived in France?

It is great to promote the game. Hegerberg’s hat-trick within 16 minutes also had a great impact as she became the second player to score a first-half treble since Ferenc Puskas. Once again the only drawback is that it shows the supremacy of Lyon when football is not only just about one team performance but suspense, especially in a final! The Lyon women’s team is very popular in France. French football fans, even if they don’t follow the women’s game, know about Lyon. Maybe it is because the men’s teams are struggling in the Champions League! No, seriously, people here really respect them, even if you come from another city like me. There is no hate towards rivals in women’s football so people are really happy to see a French team leading the game.

You're off to the Women's World Cup in June with one of the biggest TV stations in France, tell us a bit about your role there.

Yes, and I am so excited! So I will be working for Canal+ in Paris during the whole competition. I don’t know exactly what my role will be because I could be asked to do anything really, from helping the production team, finding information about the teams for the commentators... I think whatever the tasks will be it will be an amazing experience for me especially because it is in French, my mother tongue, as I mainly worked in English.

Who's your favourite to win the tournament?

I obviously want to say France... But I think England have a big chance tow in the tournament. After winning the SheBelieves Cup, the Lionesses have shown that they can be taken very seriously. This is what Liv Cook, the famous freestyler, also told me [laughs]. Why not France v England in the final? [laughs] If England win, I probably will never step in England again.

Your time at UCFB is coming to an end, can you tell us about your experience as an international student in London?

It’s gone very quick! It was a big challenge for me to move abroad becauseI was a very shy person before. Even my family was confused when I said I wanted to go to London! Looking back at it now, I made a good choice.Studying football business and media in the country of football is quite cool. I was also happy to meet other international students at UCFB especially with my Spanish friends. I made some amazing memories in this iconic stadium. I think going abroad really makes you grow as a person very quickly and you obviously go home with a great CV! Overall I don’t regret anything, London is definitely the best city in the world.