UCFB In The Industry: Bobby Copping – Head of Commercial at Lincoln City

A graduate of one of UCFB’s Executive Education courses has been talking about how the course has helped him in his career at a Football League club.

Bobby Copping, who graduated from MSc Sports Directorship at UCFB and VSI Executive Education, now works as the head of commercial at Lincoln City FC.

Talking about his role, Bobby said: “Everything I do is around B2B revenue, so partnerships, sponsorships, B2B events, everything that impacts business-to-business revenue is under my remit.”

A former football himself, Bobby’s career on the pitch was cut short through injury, and he found himself wanting to stay within the industry, but finding a career off the pitch.

“Education is one of the most important aspects of life,” he said. “I’m a big believer in constantly learning and developing.

“For athletes, a career doesn’t last forever. I found that out pretty early, so for me it’s even more important.”

Bobby then enrolled on UCFB and VSI’s Master’s degree in Sports Directorship, in order to help him gain that education and expand his knowledge on the football industry.

“The course was definitely about networking,” he said, “growing my network of people to work with, and also the knowledge acquisition from industry experts.”

He added: “The cohort was great. I still speak to a lot of them now. Part of why I’m here at Lincoln is due to the course, that network of individuals. But also, the guest speakers and industry experts have helped me a lot in terms of knowledge and opportunity.”

Bobby then spoke about how the flexible learning was a huge help to him in terms of gaining the education while also working in the industry.

“At the time,” he said, “I was at Peterborough United. So, travelling up to Manchester for a couple of days per month was quite exciting.

“I was working full time, so having the flexibility was really important, and it allowed me to learn and develop at the same time as progressing my career.

“Without that option, I wouldn’t have done the course. It was a great option, and I’d urge anyone with a full-time role in sport to study one of the different courses that UCFB and VSI have got to offer.”

UCFB has graduates working across the football and wider sports industry. Find out more about them and where their degrees, both undergraduate and postgraduate, have taken them and their careers.

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