Polly Bancroft’s top tips for succeeding in the sports industry

Chief executive of Grimsby Town, Polly Bancroft, recently gave us her top three tips for succeeding within the sports industry.

Polly, who has a plethora of experience in both the men’s and women’s game, has previously worked as:

• Head of women’s football at Manchester United
• General Manager at Brighton and Hove Albion
• Non-Executive Director at Nottingham Forest

This is in addition to other roles she has held at UEFA and the Football Association.

Now the CEO at Football League side Grimsby Town, Polly joined us at UCFB Manchester for multiple events, including the Women’s Raise Your Game Event alongside Kick It Out, and our Entrepreneur Networking morning at Old Trafford.

During her visits, she offered her top tips for young people wanting a career within the sports industry.

1. Your values

Consider the values you want to demonstrate and make sure they’re integrated in your leadership style.

• Say ‘yes’

Say yes to different opportunities, whether that is conferences, webinars or getting involved in various different podcasts.

• Network

Explore different contacts, whether that is in the private sector, the public sector or the voluntary sector. Think about the different opportunities that there are out there and really elevate your network to see what opportunities there might be.

To find out more about the sports industry-tailored degree courses available at UCFB, click here.