A UCFB graduate has been talking to us about how his degree has helped him secure a role at a Football League club.
Ben Brown has been at Wycombe Wanderers for two years since graduating from UCFB with a degree in BA (Hons) International Football Business in 2021, where he now works as a commercial executive.
When asked about his role, he said: “The focus on my role is on hospitality and premium sales.
“I'll be working on getting matchday sponsors, selling packages in all our hospitality and executive box areas within the ground.
“My role also includes managing the operations of our hospitality areas on a matchday to ensure our guests have a seamless and VIP experience whilst at Wycombe Wanderers.”
He added: “For me, the best thing about working within football is no two days are the same. This is especially relevant for a club within League One.
“Our team isn't the biggest, but this means I learn so much more about the business and get to test my skills in multiple areas of the business. I have gained great value learning everyday about each area of the business and doing something different every day!
“This can be from helping out the media team with a project to negotiating a commercial deal for the football club.”
Ben went on to talk about his time at UCFB, saying: “I really enjoyed my time at UCFB.
“I enjoyed the knowledge that experts within the industry provided myself and my peers as well as the opportunity to apply this within both my coursework and within the working experience I gained within my studies.
“Everyone who I was studying with had similar aspirations, this led to brilliant conversations within seminars and lectures about the wider industries. The course I studied was engaging, as well as the benefit of being a student in a big city like London.
“The skills and knowledge that I gained whilst studying my degree have definitely helped me with my role. Due to my degree including a broad range of subjects within the Football Business industry, it has enabled myself to seamlessly work in both the ticketing and commercial team during my time at Wycombe Wanderers.
“The knowledge I have gained means I have a much better understanding of how a football business operates, as well as coming up with new ideas/incentives to improve business.
“Having been to UCFB I now appreciate what UCFB truly offers compared to other universities. The extra-curricular opportunities are really high quality and truly endless.
“UCFB enables you to gain experience in the industry that from what I have seen not many other universities can offer within the football sector.”
He finished: “Go above and beyond in your extra-curricular activities. Do that additional course that the uni offers you as an optional extra. Go out and make the most of every work experience opportunity that presents itself.
“The sports and football industry is one of the most competitive in the UK so anything you can do to make you stand out from the crowd is key to breaking into the industry.”
To find out more about our industry partners, who offer our students a wide range of industry experience alongside their studies, click here.
Alternatively, kick off your career by viewing a prospectus here.
