Tim Newton, a 2014 UCFB graduate in BA (Hons) Football Business & Media, has taken his passion for football and his extensive media industry experience gained at UCFB to the United States with a dynamic, fast-paced role as Video Services Manager at top youth football organisation MSSL.
Always an actively engaged student at UCFB Burnley, Tim grasped the opportunities provided during his three years at Turf Moor to secure work placements with BBC Football Focus, Stoke City FC and the Rugby League World Cup. His position with MSSL, who organise major tournaments and scouting services for youth football in the USA, is a natural progression into the football and media industries, making great use of the skills and knowledge gained during his education.
Reflecting on his brief time in the USA thus far, Tim describes gaining media management experience and working with the senior management team at MSSL as they host tournaments and provide footballer video analysis products for clients across the globe:
“My time in the United States has flown by. Moving to a country I’d only visited once previously was initially quite daunting but I’ve loved every step of it so far. My degree and references ensured I was trusted with a great deal of responsibility straight away, working with the President, Vice President and Director of League Operations on plans for our membership database.
“My career has taken off and I now manage the Video Services project at MSSL, which suits my ambitions perfectly. Together with an American colleague from South Jersey, I organise and coordinate a complex project that records, edits and publishes football highlights for our clients seeking the next great footballing prospect.
“I was given significant responsibility for the MSSL Spring College Showcase, a huge tournament with 400 football teams from the USA, England, Ireland and Canada over two days at two locations. Scouted by over 200 college coaches, it was an incredible event with over 25,000 attendees and 40 football matches going on simultaneously across Good Friday and Easter Saturday.
“10 of the pitches had Hipod technology cameras recording 220 hours of footage across the weekend. The cameras are controlled by college students from a Hipod van on site and once recorded, the footage is transferred to our editors based in England. The completed highlights packages are uploaded to a content management system hosted in Romania, where we extract the link in America and email it to our paying customers.
“The complex process increases the importance of ensuring high standards of quality are matched by good customer service. Simultaneously, we are constantly thinking ahead to the marketing of the next tournament and adjusting our product and pricing strategy.
Outside of his career, living on the east coast of the United States has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience for Tim.
“Living in towns such as Jersey City, Union City and West New York, which are all just 20 minutes from Times Square has given me and my girlfriend Sam an amazing opportunity to visit New York on a regular basis.
“The responsibility and workload that I have been entrusted in my first months at MSSL have been great for me, and made all of the long hours working on my visa and moving my life across the Atlantic worthwhile. All in all it has been a fantastic, action-packed time in America that really doesn’t show any signs of slowing down in the future.”
