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UCFB & IPSO GROW STRONGER

Having graduated from the BA (Hons) Football Business & Media program this year, Daniel Morgan and Alex Stanton have secured full-time jobs as Social Media Manager and international Project Manager at our partners the International Professional Scouting Organisation (IPSO) after completing a placement there during their degrees. Here, they tells us about the diversity within their roles and his time at the UCFB. 

ALEX STANTON

 ALEX STANTON talks about his role.

Tell us about your role as International Project Manager at IPSO and how you landed it.

My role as the International Project Manager at IPSO consists of the creation and management of advertisement campaigns through the social media platforms and Google AdSense. As well as the management of the Excel student and client databases, and certificates of achievement relating to students and participants of our courses and workshops, I am also responsible for email communications between IPSO and new and current clients.

I landed the role through an advert at UCFB from the Employability & Enrichment team, which subsequently led to the first contact and a Zoom interview with IPSO Educational Director Colin Chambers.

What have been some of the highlights of the role so far?

The biggest highlight so far has been creating my own limited company, ADSM Ltd, for my colleague Dan and myself as a social media marketing agency who work on behalf of IPSO. Another recent highlight is a graphic that I created announcing the partnership of IPSO and CSE (The Center for Sport Excellence in Malta), which was selected for their website as well as IPSO’s social media platforms. As I haven’t come from a media background this was quite the surprise to me!

How do you think football scouting is changing and developing with time?

With the introduction of more in-depth statistical analysis of players, every aspect of a player is gauged on statistics. As football as a whole is becoming more technologically advanced, so is football scouting. However, this development still sustains old school methods – most prevalent is the ability to analyse a player by eye.

All the statistics and analysis in the world still does not paint the full picture of a player as it’s just not enough. This is why IPSO ensures that they teach their students all the skill sets in both analytical statistics and in person player perception in order to be the most skilled and developed scout they could possibly be.

How are you finding working with another UCFB graduate at the company?

Dan and I have been friends for many years before UCFB, having grown up together, including living together in Manchester whilst at UCFB. However, being able to work with your closest friend is fantastic and part of the whole package for us to work at IPSO. We came as a package and IPSO were great with us and could see the value of us being close friends so they took both of us on to help us gain the experiences we needed whilst working in a happy, comfortable environment.

How has your BA (Hons) Football Business & Finance degree helped with the role?

Studying a BA (Hons) Football Business & Finance degree has helped with my work in more ways than I could have imagined. As a result of my degree, I have been able to suggest and implement various things and tools at IPSO that were not in place beforehand that otherwise might have never been thought of.

Studying a finance degree has also taught me skills such as project management and marketing which has been crucial to my role as the International Project Manager of IPSO. Across the board, studying at UCFB has helped increase a variety of skills that are not necessarily specific to my degree such as public speaking and presentational skills.

How has your time at UCFB been so far?

My past three years at UCFB have exceeded every possible expectation that I had before I started. Lecturers such as Ian Tomlinson have been helpful beyond comparison as he is always willing to take that extra step with you to ensure you are reaching the best of your ability. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at UCFB, and I hope to continue my time there by studying MSc Football Business at GIS this year.

What other work experience have you completed during your time at UCFB and how has this helped advance your career in sports?

Whilst studying at UCFB during my second year, I took part along with a small handful of other UCFB students, volunteering on the 2020 Walking Football World Cup Organisational Committee. I was the Assistant Project Manager until the project was cancelled due to COVID-19 and postponed until the following year.

During my third year I secured work experience with Human Race, the organisation behind many of the UK’s most popular and highly regarded mass participation events, such as the London and Manchester Run, Windsor Triathlon and Dragon Ride L’Etape Wales by Le Tour de France. My work experience with Human Race consisted of researching and analysing potential sponsors and getting in touch with employees for the upcoming London Fun Run to secure sponsorship.

What advice would you give to any students looking to study at UCFB?

UCFB is THE institution to be at for any career in sport. The industry knowledge and experience from all of the lecturers and staff at UCFB makes that crucial difference and is what makes UCFB truly the best in the business. The help and support you receive through the Employability & Enrichment team is second to none with the opportunities they provide you. One of the biggest attributes UCFB has is the fantastic guest speakers and industry workshops you are able to attend. Also meeting the IPSO team was another great highlight.

Tell us about your role as Social Media Manager at IPSO and how you landed it. 

UFCB advertised a placement with IPSO through their Employability & Enrichment scheme – this caught the attention of my friend and now colleague Alex Stanton who suggested we applied together.

As IPSO Social Media Manager I am responsible for implementing a digital strategy to promote ISPO’s football scouting workshops and courses, including daily social media posts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. I have the task of creating engaging graphics and resources, and also general admin work on occasion.

What have been some of the highlights of the role so far?

Participating in IPSO’s online scouting workshops has been a highlight for me; the product which Colin has created has been absolutely phenomenal. Learning how to scout from one of the best in the industry has certainly been a highlight of my time working with IPSO so far.

How has your BA (Hons) Football Business & Media degree helped in the role?

My degree has helped massively, learning the fundamentals of the new digital age has helped me adapt to my new role and ensure that I hit the ground running early on. Understanding how to use social media to optimise exposure has been very important with my role at IPSO.

You also work as a sports journalist at FansBet. Tell us about the sorts of pieces you write there. 

I operate on a freelance basis with FansBet, who are firm partners with Heart of the Holte – a large Aston Villa fan page that I run. I’ve created a variety of different content for FansBet, from match previews spanning across Europe’s top five football leagues, to opinion pieces specifically based around Aston Villa. Working so closely with FansBet and their editor Matt has allowed me to gain valuable experience in the sports journalism industry, whilst adding reputable articles to my portfolio.

How have you found your time at UCFB so far?

I’ve really enjoyed my time at UCFB; it has allowed me to take the time to develop my skills and focus on my career within the sports media industry.

As you’re graduating this year, how do you think UCFB has set you up for a career in the sports industry?

The copious amounts of Employability & Enrichment placements and opportunities have provided me and other students with the tools to gain real world experience within the industry we are aspiring to break into. In addition to this, the knowledge from lecturers with first-hand experience of the industry such as Chris and Greg provide top class insight.

What advice would you give to any students looking to study Football Business & Media?

I would suggest that students take as many opportunities as they can to gain experience on placements to help get their foot in the door. Having a solid portfolio to partner with your degree is the most important thing you can have when leaving higher education and entering the real world.

DANIEL MORGAN

DANIEL MORGAN talks about his role

Tell us about your role as Social Media Manager at IPSO and how you landed it. 

UFCB advertised a placement with IPSO through their Employability & Enrichment scheme – this caught the attention of my friend and now colleague Alex Stanton who suggested we applied together.

As IPSO Social Media Manager I am responsible for implementing a digital strategy to promote ISPO’s football scouting workshops and courses, including daily social media posts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. I have the task of creating engaging graphics and resources, and also general admin work on occasion.

What have been some of the highlights of the role so far?

Participating in IPSO’s online scouting workshops has been a highlight for me; the product which Colin has created has been absolutely phenomenal. Learning how to scout from one of the best in the industry has certainly been a highlight of my time working with IPSO so far.

How has your BA (Hons) Football Business & Media degree helped in the role?

My degree has helped massively, learning the fundamentals of the new digital age has helped me adapt to my new role and ensure that I hit the ground running early on. Understanding how to use social media to optimise exposure has been very important with my role at IPSO.

You also work as a sports journalist at FansBet. Tell us about the sorts of pieces you write there. 

I operate on a freelance basis with FansBet, who are firm partners with Heart of the Holte – a large Aston Villa fan page that I run. I’ve created a variety of different content for FansBet, from match previews spanning across Europe’s top five football leagues, to opinion pieces specifically based around Aston Villa. Working so closely with FansBet and their editor Matt has allowed me to gain valuable experience in the sports journalism industry, whilst adding reputable articles to my portfolio.

How have you found your time at UCFB so far?

I’ve really enjoyed my time at UCFB; it has allowed me to take the time to develop my skills and focus on my career within the sports media industry.

As you’re graduating this year, how do you think UCFB has set you up for a career in the sports industry?

The copious amounts of Employability & Enrichment placements and opportunities have provided me and other students with the tools to gain real world experience within the industry we are aspiring to break into. In addition to this, the knowledge from lecturers with first-hand experience of the industry such as Chris and Greg provide top class insight.

What advice would you give to any students looking to study Football Business & Media?

I would suggest that students take as many opportunities as they can to gain experience on placements to help get their foot in the door. Having a solid portfolio to partner with your degree is the most important thing you can have when leaving higher education and entering the real world.